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Greetings!
If this is your first Coaches newsletter, welcome! If you know a Pac Masters coach that might not be receiving our email, feel free to forward this to them.
2013 Pac Masters Coach of The Year
Congratulations to Coach Tom Reudy of the San Mateo Masters. Coach Tom was this year's recipient of the Pac Masters Coach of The Year. To say that his team loves him does not due justice to the depth of how they feel about him. In two short years as coach there, Tom has really infused a lot of excitement and energy into this team. Here is one paragraph describing Tom. "As a coach, Tom is knowledgeable, focused and intense without being over-bearing. His outstanding understanding of technique is drawn upon by many of our accomplished swimmers and allows new swimmers to quickly make the necessary adjustment for rapid improvement. He is an outstanding teacher, and devotes his efforts to all levels, varying the structure of workouts as needed for the various lanes. He is highly respected, and his attitude and enthusiasm motivate all and bring out the best in each of us. His efforts have pulled the team together in a way which has created a closer-knit and higher performing group -- exceeding our expectations on every level.
I want to also congratulate the three other nominees, all of whom were incredibly deserving of this award as well. Coach Tim Edmonds from Stanford Masters had an army of supporters behind him who love his joke telling, technique and fitness-driven approach to his practices. As one member wrote, "...Tim Edmonds has created at Stanford Masters an emphasis on the development of better swimmers across all abilities..." They marveled that even with the size of the Stanford team, Coach Edmonds has "...the ability to remember the names and personal circumstances of the hundreds of swimmers in his program."
Coach Marcia Benjamin from Marcia's Enthusiastic Masters of Oakland (MEMO) is also beloved by her team. Some terms used to describe Marcia are: "Dedicated; demonstrative; creative; compassionate; constructive; plucky; panache and passionate." "Marcia has fostered an environment that draws a rather eclectic crowd, a range of ages, race, socioeconomic background and athletic abilities...She has created an atmosphere in which all team members are incredibly supportive of one another. I think we all agree that Marcia gives us one hell of a workout, keeps us going with her humor, and her incredible enthusiasm and belief in us."
The final nominee was Coach Michael Kazek of California Maritime Academy Masters (CMAM). HIs swimmers wrote that, "To know and train under 'Coach K' is akin to having found an immediate second family where all of your goals and aspirations are heard and immediately formed into schemes for success...Coach K not only volunteers countless hours to coaching us on weekdays and holidays, but also supports his swimmers financially and emotionally."
It was such an honor to read through the packages submitted by the teams about their coach. Sometimes we get busy with our lives and the administrative side of our jobs as coaches and forget the impact we have on our swimmers every day. You are all hard working coaches that have an incredible opportunity to touch lives every day. Weighty responsibility, but one that comes with so many intrinsic rewards. Doesn't get much better than that!
--------------- Upcoming clinics! Coaches, please help us spread the word on these! ---------------
Like our clinics on Feb 10th in Novato and February 16th in Albany, this continues the series of Pac Masters stroke clinics for 2013. Our newest clinic will be led by Coach Stu Kahn and Coach Kerry O'Brien and will cover the long axis strokes of freestyle and backstroke.
The clinic will take place in Lodi (San Joaquin County) at the Tokay High School Pool - 1111 West Century Blvd. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The clinic starts with two hours in the classroom and then two hours at the pool with swimmers in the water and coaches on deck helping to identify and correct stroke deficiencies.
The clinic is free to Pac Masters coaches, with a $40 charge for swimmers. All coaches and swimmers must be USMS registered. Coaches for further information and to register, contact Cokie Lepinski at [email protected] or 415-827-5672. Swimmers should contact Coach John Griffin of Lodi Aquatics for information and registration. You can reach John by email at [email protected] or by phone at 209-712-4382 . Click the clinic title to see the flyer for this event.
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Come tune up your breaststroke and butterfly in this Pac Masters stroke clinic which will take place in Mountain View and runs from 9:30-2:00 pm. It is lead by Coach Cokie Lepinski (Swymnut Masters & Lucas Valley Masters) and Coach Scott Williams (Rolling Hills Mud Sharks).
The classroom session (9:30-11:30) will be at the Bubb Elementary School, 525 Hans Ave, Mtn View. Please arrive for check-in at 9:15 a.m. The pool segment takes place nearby at the Mouuntain View Eagle Park Pool, 650 Franklin St, Mtn View and runs from 12:00-2:00 p.m. To get the most out of this, coaches and swimmers should attend both sessions! Coaches attend free (provided you are a masters coach with a Pac Masters registered team). Members of Mountain View Masters attend free and all other swimmers pay $30 (check or cash, check payable to Mountain View Masters). To register as a coach, contact Cokie Lepinski at [email protected] or 415-827-5672. To register as a swimmer, contact Coach Laura Schuster at [email protected]. Click the clinic title to see the flyer for this event.
Want to Host A Pac Masters Coaches Clinic?
If you are desirous of hosting a 4-hour stroke clinic in your area, please contact me, Cokie Lepinski, at [email protected], 415-827-5672.
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USMS Coaching Certification - Level 3 Course, Saturday, September 28, 2013
Save the date! Pac Masters has arranged for a Level 3 offering in Novato on Saturday, September 28th. You'll need to have Level 2 certification in order to attend this course. Class will run 9a-4pm at the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus, 1800 Ignacio Blvd, Novato. Participants will also be able to attend a masters workout with the Marin Pirate Masters team from 7-8:30am that morning. More information on the course and complete details will be forthcoming on the USMS website and through Pac Masters website and newsletters.
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Women in Coaching Clinic, Stanford, Saturday, April 13th
Be sure and check out the flyer for this clinic. Looks like a great line up of speakers and activities, including a swim with Stanford Masters that Saturday morning. Click the title to access the link for the flyer.
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Congratulations Coach Don Swartz, NBA!
Coach Don Swartz, North Bay Aquatics, is being inducted in the ASCA American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Each year, no more than five coaches from across the nation are chosen for this distinction. Don is being recognized for his significant contribution to the sport of swimming, the profession, and the community. The induction will take place at the upcoming ASCA World Clinic in New Orleans in September. Way to go Don!!!
ASCA World Conference
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Important Insurance Reminder!
A new workout insurance requirement has been put into effect by the USMS insurance carrier. Effective immediately, for a workout to be covered by USMS insurance, the person supervising the workout must be a USMS member. In the past, a USA Swimming certified coach was allowed to supervise the workouts, even if the USA Swimming certified coach was not a USMS member. This is no longer true; now if the person supervising the workout is a USA Swimming certified coach, he or she must also be a USMS member. Please be sure your coaches are registered. Coaches can register online by credit card at
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USMS Coaches Committee
The USMS Coaches Committee exists to educate and support the coaches of masters teams. We have conference calls each month to help us exchange ideas and work toward our goals. One of which is to improve communication with all our coaches across the U.S. By sharing the minutes of our meeting, we can give you some insights into the projects we are working on and goals we are working toward. Click here for our March meeting notes.
USMS High Performance Camp
The 2013 USMS High Performance Camp dates are Aug 24-29 and will again be held at the beautiful Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, NC. Applications are now being accepted and close on May 24th. Complete information can be found at the USMS website. We had a terrific group of swimmers from all over the country at last year's camp, and we'd love to see more Pac Masters swimmers at this year's camp. Coaches your help in spreading the word about this terrific camp is appreciated!
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Sincerely,
Cokie Lepinski
Coaches Chair
Pacific Masters Swimming
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