NELMSC Announces Class of 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees

Contact: Tracy Grilli

(603) 490-3484

NEW ENGLAND LOCAL MASTERS SWIMMING COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2020 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

BOSTON, March 3, 2020 — The Board of Directors of the New England Local Masters Swimming Committee (NELMSC) is pleased to announce the NELMSC Hall of Fame induction class of 2020. A brief induction ceremony will take place Sunday afternoon, March 22, during the NELMSC Short Course Yards Championship Meet at Harvard University’s Blodgett Pool. The NELMSC Hall of Fame was formed in 2010 by the NELMSC Board of Directors. This is the third induction class.

The Pool Performance category recognizes members based on outstanding swimming accomplishments achieved while a member of the New England LMSC. The Pool Performance class for 2020 includes:

• Christie Hayes (NEM)

• Kathy Slifer (NEM)

• Fritz Bedford (NEM)

• Ted Haartz (NEM)

The Open Water/Long Distance category recognizes members based on outstanding open water swimming accomplishments achieved while a member of the New England LMSC. The Open Water/Long Distance class for 2020 includes:

• Jennifer Dutton (NEM)

• Elaine Howley (NEM)

• Sharon Beckman (NEM)

• George Brunstad (NEM)

The Contributor category recognizes members who have contributed significant time and effort to the formation, development and organization of their club or the New England LMSC and/or whose valuable contributions over several years have led to the continued success of their club or the New England LMSC.

This year’s inductees are from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s. The Contributor class for 2020 includes:

• Esther Lyman (NEM)

• Tom Lyndon (NEM)

• Ann Yelmokas McDermott (NEM)

• Robert Seltzer (NEM)

• Stephanie Walsh (NEM)

• Phil Baker (GBM)

• D Barr Clayson (NEM)

• Edmund Gendreau (GBM)

• Kim Goodwin (NEM)

• David Grilli (NEM)

• Tracy Grilli (NEM) 

NELMSC Hall of Fame honorees occupy a special place in Masters Swimming. We proudly recognize and record their achievements for Masters swimmers yet to come. Congratulations to all!

About USMS & NELMSC

U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) is a membership-operated nonprofit headquartered in Sarasota, Florida. Founded in 1970, USMS is the premier resource for adult aquatic fitness in the United States. Its mission is to promote health, wellness, fitness and competition for adults through swimming. The New England Local Masters Swimming Committee (NELMSC) is a volunteer-run, nonprofit subordinate of USMS that serves as the regional governing body for USMS-registered clubs, workout groups, coaches and swimmers in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The NELMSC Board of Directors consists of elected officers and appointed swimming club representatives.

Downloadable announcement

NELMSC to Host Officials Certification Training Clinic

Are you—or someone you know—a future USMS official?

Learn the ropes at this free clinic open to anyone age 18+.

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Officials Certification Training Clinic for Masters Swimming

Saturday, January 25, 2020

9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Needham, MA

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Photo by Joanna Florio-Jefferys

Meet officials are essential to USMS and the NELMSC; we cannot run USMS-sanctioned or recognized meets without them. While New England currently has a great team of officials, we need to train and certify more officials to ensure that is the case for years to come. 

To that end, the New England LMSC is excited to host its first ever Officials Certification Training Clinic for Masters Swimming this January.

Ken Galica, one of our most experienced Masters officials, will lead this free clinic. The clinic is open to anyone, age 18 or older, who is interested in becoming a U.S. Masters Swimming Certified Official and working at a couple of USMS meets in New England throughout the year. USMS membership is recommended, but not required.

If you are interested in becoming a USMS-certified official or would like further information, please email Sue Jensen, NELMSC Officials Chair.

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Officials Clinic FAQs

Art by Joanna Florio-Jefferys

1. Who can attend this clinic?

This free clinic is open to anyone, 18 years of age or older, who is interested in working at a couple of USMS-sanctioned meets in New England throughout the year. Membership in USMS is recommended, but not required. If you are a currently certified USA Swimming, NCAA, NFHS (high school), or YMCA official, this clinic is not required for you to work at USMS-sanctioned meets.

2. What are the advantages of attending this clinic vs. getting certified online? 

You most certainly can get certified by studying the rulebooks (USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming), and taking the certification tests online. However, attending a clinic with an excellent facilitator in a classroom setting is far more enjoyable and informative, and offers the ability to ask questions and get immediate feedback, as well as to have discussions with the facilitator and fellow students.

3. Which type of certification will be taught (stroke-turn judge, starter, referee)?

This clinic will focus on stroke & turn officiating only.

4. Will participants go through the tests on-site together? Will they leave certified?

After the clinic is over, participants will go home, download both the USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming rulebooks, and take the two online, open-book tests (USA Swimming test and the USMS supplemental test). These tests and the results then get submitted to USMS for the official certification. 

5. Should participants bring a laptop? Is WIFI available?

A laptop is not necessary for this clinic, however, if you’d like to take notes with your computer, please bring it. WIFI will be available.

6. How can I sign up?

To register and/or to receive additional information, email to Sue Jensen, NELMSC Officials Chair, at suejensen4@gmail.com. Seating is limited to 16 students.

Call for Nominations: Frank Wuest Open Water Swimming Award

Contributed by Tara Mack, aka "TMack", NELMSC Awards & Recognition Chair 

Congratulations to all on the awesome open water swimming that has already happened this year — such a great way to spend a summer day! As you continue with your swimming endeavors and reflect on your season, please consider nominating someone who has made a difference in your own open water swimming experience.

The Frank Wuest Open Water Swimming Award was established in honor of Frank Wuest to recognize outstanding contributions to open water and Masters Swimming in New England. Frank demonstrated an extraordinary passion for the sport of swimming and a deep commitment to its community. This award may be presented annually based on sportsmanship, mentorship, camaraderie, love of sport, hard work, event participation, promotion of swimming, and more. Nominees must be currently registered members of the NELMSC.

Click here to submit a nomination. Please note that nominations for this award close on September 22, 2019. Thank you for being a part of such a great sport and for taking the time to nominate someone special for this recognition.

Swimmers at the start of the USMS Long-Distance Open Water National Championship at Lake Willoughby. Photo by Phil White.

College Club Swimming Makes Waves

Contributed by Jason Weis, NELMSC College Club Swimming Liaison

ATLANTA, GA — Over President’s Day weekend this February, I traveled to Atlanta, GA to participate in the third annual College Club Swimming Summit. College Club Swimming (CCS) is a new governing body that was founded with the help of U.S. Masters Swimming. Now in its second year, CCS serves as a bridge between high school swimmers who didn’t or couldn’t swim on a varsity team in college and U.S. Masters Swimming.

Much like USMS, CCS is led by an Advisory Board consisting of volunteers who are elected to two-year terms and serve as leadership on their local teams. Although CCS is backed by USMS, it is financially independent and almost entirely student-run, with just a small number of CCS alumni and USMS members sitting on the Advisory Board. USMS helps provide infrastructure for CCS to keep swimmers in the sport and aims to transition CCS members to USMS after graduation.

College Club Swimming Summit participants in Atlanta

This past year, CCS launched a wide variety of enhancements for its members. A new USMS-CCS bridge membership allows CCS members to swim in USMS sanctioned and recognized events while continuing to represent their CCS team in a new College Club Swimming LMSC. Additionally, CCS hosted its first Regional Championship series, with successful meets hosted at Rutgers University in the Northern region and Nova Southeastern in the Southern Region. CCS acquired its first sponsor in FINIS, the title sponsor for the CCS’s second national championship meet. Held at the Ohio State University from March 29-31, the 2019 FINIS College Club National Championships featured online meet entry through Club Assistant and drew 1,863 athletes from around the country. Online meet entry for all CCS meets is scheduled to become available to CCS Clubs in Fall 2019.

Georgia Tech was the 2019 FINIS College Club Swimming National Champion pc: @collegeclubswimming

At the Summit, Advisory Board members discussed a wide variety of topics, including best practices for clubs, inclusion and diversity within CCS, and amended rules of the governing handbook. For the first time, all three committees of the Advisory Board (Club Development, Rules, and Competition) met separately to discuss specific challenges and issues within CCS. It was an incredibly productive summit, resulting in improved organization and structure within the Advisory Board while promoting a low barrier of entry to CCS with the goal of maximizing CCS membership.

In the New England area, there are currently about 10 CCS-affiliated clubs, including Harvard, Northeastern, UMASS, UVM, URI, CCRI, Brown, and UCONN, with several more intending to join for the 2019-2020 season.

Jason is currently serving as an alumni-advisor to the CCS Advisory Board and is the chair of the CCS Rules committee. If you’d like more information about CCS, want to register a team, or have other questions, please contact him.

SAA Swim for Rick Osterberg & Andrea Sonan

Contributed by Sue Jensen

BOSTON -- On Sunday, April 29th from 11-1 pm, Charles River Masters swimmers will participate in the Swim Across America pool relay at Harvard’s Blodgett pool. This year, CRM will swim in honor and support of Rick Osterberg and Andrea Sonan, their dear friends who are currently battling cancer. 

Many of you in our NE LMSC have already generously donated and/or signed up to participate in this. Thank you all so much. Because of your overwhelming support, this relay is well along its way to being the top fundraising team ever in the history of this Swim Across America pool swim at Blodgett! If you haven’t yet registered or donated, there’s still time to be part of this historic event.

There are three ways participate, and you don’t have to be a member of Charles River Masters to show your support. 

1. Donate to our team (CRM-Team Rick and Andrea).  We are united by our commitment to the fight against cancer. You don’t have to swim to make an impact.

2. Enter to swim on the relay ($25), and set up a fundraising page — we will swim 25s and 50s in a fun, non-competitive, team bonding environment.

3. Volunteer to help at the event.

To donate/participate, please click on this link, and choose either, “DONATE NOW” or “JOIN TEAM.”

Your contribution matters.  Whether you give of your time, talent or generosity, we promise that your support will help fight cancer.  

Thanks so much for your support of our beloved teammates and friends, Rick and Andrea.

p.s. Please share this with other friends and family members you think might be interested.  

NE LMSC Presents 2018 Service Awards at Championship Meet

Contributed by Tara Mack, GBM & Awards & Recognition Chair

BOSTON, MA -- The New England LMSC proudly presented several awards to outstanding members during the 2018 NE LMSC SCY Championship Meet.

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Coach of the Year:  Dan Rogacki

Dan Rogacki with NE LMSC Chair Douglas Sayles

Welcoming, Enthusiastic, Big Heart, Record Keeper, Funny, Remarkable

Dan’s team all commented on his record keeping as well as making each of them a handmade birthday card, and they shared how Dan has built a loving, supportive team that feels more like a family of which they are all grateful to be a part. 

 

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Distinguished Service Award:  Rick Osterberg

Outstanding Service to Masters Swimming & NE LMSC SCY Championship Meet Director

Rick has been the SCY Championship Meet Director for over 15 years and has repeatedly demonstrated outstanding service to Masters Swimming on many levels and consistently promotes Masters Swimming at the Club, NE LMSC, and National levels.

Nominators and supporters repeatedly discussed Rick as demonstrating excellence with respect to his role as the NE LMSC SCY Championship Meet Director in addition to the following: best meet director, supportive, encouraging, thoughtful, quality, dedicated, caring, supportive, running the best meet, great music, great announcer, above and beyond, kind, friendly, fun! 

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Appreciation Award: David Graham

David Graham with NE LMSC Chair Douglas Sayles

Encouragement, Support, Volunteerism, Humor, and an All-Inclusive Spirit

David’s supporters all recognized the tireless efforts he engages in to promote all kinds of swimming events, from pool to open water. He was thanked for a variety of reasons, including for being a personal kayaker in the Kingdom swim, and received accolades for his outreach in all avenues of swimming. A true supporter of the sport!

 

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Appreciation Award: Joel Feldmann

Enthusiasm, Encouragement, Kindness, Love of the Sport and Others

Joel’s nominators mentioned repeatedly that Joel not only encourages everyone on the team, she calls them if they miss a practice to see if they are okay. She is nurturing and strong, and that has proven to be quite an amazing combination.

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Lifetime Appreciation Award:  Priscilla Davis

A few of our officials at the SCY Championship meet

Over 40 years of Service, Laughter, Encouragement, Kindness, and Commitment

Priscilla Davis's team of 13 active officials does a masterful job of tirelessly running our Masters swim meets throughout the year. Each championship meet (WPI and Harvard), they spend 20-25 hours on their feet officiating. They also officiate at all our mini meets throughout the year. Not only that, they are professional, good humored and obviously love what they do. New England is blessed to have such an experienced and friendly group of officials running our meets.

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APPRECIATION AWARD 2018: NE LMSC OFFICIALS

The following officials were also recognized for their outstanding and tireless commitment to provide us all with the best meet experiences while maintaining the professionalism of the sport:

Priscilla Davis

Mary Anne Lustgraaf

Bob Fredette

Jack Kurkul

Ed Gardner

Bob Menck

Ken Galica

Lisa Black Shouldko

Betsy Russell

Sue Hoey

Cam Townsend

Steve Davidson

Steve McAlarney

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Frank Wuest Open Water Swimming Award: Maura Twomey and Paul Goudreau

Paul Goudreau and Lyn Duncan

Lyn Dyncan and Maura Twomey

Frank Wuest invited us to live our best lives. He invited us to embrace the sport of swimming as a vehicle to get involved, to participate, to shine, and to be a part of an incredibly special community as well as to stay fit and active in the pursuit of the negative split! Frank’s passion for the sport was contagious. He was a fast swimmer and he was a committed cheerleader for us all as a collective as well as for all of us individually. With a glint in his eye, and a pace clock in his head, he encouraged us all to go for it! Frank truly represented all that the word community stands for and he did it with grace, ease, humor, love, camaraderie, and at times a little cajoling.

In conjunction with his wife Lyn Duncan, and on behalf of the NELMSC, as the Awards and Recognition Chair, I am honored to announce the 2018 recipients of the Frank Wuest Open Water Swimming Awards: Maura Twomey and Paul Goudreau

Thank you, Frank for continuing to remind us what the most important thing is and always will be: Each other.

NE Coaches Attend Para Athlete Clinic at Adaptive Sports New England

Contributed by Crystie McGrail GBM & NE LMSC Coaches Chair

Back: Joe Walsh (President Adaptive Sports New England), Todd Whitford (GBM), Cindy Regnante (Unattached), Eileen Craffey (NEM-TNT), Eileen Glovsky (NEM-CRM)

Front: Anna Johannes (Swim Coach, Adaptive Sports New England), Laura Dennison (NE LMSC Para-Athlete Chair & NEM-CRM)

Not pictured: Crystie McGrail (NE LMSC Coaches Chair, GBM)

QUINCY, MA -- Five coaches trekked to the Quincy YMCA to observe an Adaptive Sports New England Para swim workout on Sunday, March 25th. Para athletes have a disability (mobility, visual, or cognitive impairment) that can create additional intricacies for coaches crafting an effective swim workout Laura Dennison, NE LMSC's Para Athlete Chair and member of Charles River Masters, spearheaded this observation initiative.

Some of the guidance to help coaches integrate para swimmers into Masters workouts includes:

1)     Communication is key to building a strong athlete-coach understanding of possibilities and effective adaptations for inclusion.

2)     Patience is important to learning how differently-abled bodies can move through the water effectively. 

3)     Creating the space for a para athlete to be included in your workouts is essential.

4)     Focus on time, not distance, to help keep multi-ability lanes in sync.

5)     Focus on what will create forward propulsion for the para swimmer, and release the goal of an "ideal" stroke technique.

For additional para swimming resources, see the USA Paralympics website.

Distance Day Challenge & Award Nominations Open Now

Contributed by Tara Mack, GBM, NE LMSC Awards & Recognition Chair

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Frank Wuest

Conversing with the late Frank Wuest could fill you with enough encouragement, love, and support to take on the world. This March, don your Speedo in his memory by partaking in the New England LMSC Short Course Yards Championship DISTANCE DAY CHALLENGE on Saturday, March 10th at Harvard's Blodgett Pool. 

By negative splitting your 1000 or 1650-yard freestyle event you will honor Frank's memory and his widow Lyn Duncan will make a donation to the Cole Jensen Horne Special Needs Trust, set up for Frank's nephew. Cole is living with autism and has a beautiful perspective on life, which you can read about here. But be forewarned, his smile is contagious!

Frank loved all things swimming and was committed to increasing participation in this amazing sport. In recognition of his myriad contributions to our community, the USMS New England Local Masters Swimming Committee and Lyn Duncan are pleased to announce the creation of the Frank Wuest Open Water Swimming Award. The inaugural award will be presented between Distance Day events on Saturday, March 10th, 2018.

Has someone in Masters Swimming made a difference in your life? A coach? A fellow teammate? Help us recognize these special people by nominating them for a New England LMSC Award in one of four categories:

Coach of the Year

Contributor of the Year

Distinguished Service

Appreciation Award

View the award details and submit nominations here by March 11th, 2018. The awards will be presented during the NE LMSC SCY Championship Meet at Harvard on Saturday, March 17th.

Thank you for your continued support of Masters Swimming. See you at the pool! 

Priscilla Davis wins 2017 Adolph Kiefer Safety Commendation Award

DALLAS, TX -- New England LMSC warmly congratulates Priscilla Davis on her receipt of USA Swimming's Adolph Kiefer Safety Commendation Award at this year's United States Aquatic Sports Convention. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Priscilla for her many years of service and support to Masters Swimming as a meet referee and official.

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NE-LMSC Coach Scholarship Winners present: Flip Turn Clinic #2

REGISTER

Join NE-LMSC Coaches Todd Whitford and Crystie McGrail for a flip turn clinic on Sunday, March 5th in Dover, NH.  

The clinic will be broken into two sections - Novice Flip Turns for those who don't consistently use flip turns in workouts and Advanced Flip Turns for those who are looking for feedback and a tune up for their flip turns. The Advanced section will also review and practice the backstroke to breaststroke cross-over flip turn.  

Registration is required for this event as spots are limited. Cost is the $7 pool drop in fee.  

Check-In for the clinic will begin at 8:30 AM and we will be in the water from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.  Immediately following the clinic participants are invited to join a one hour workout with Great Bay Masters Swimming Club from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. 

This clinic is brought to you as part of the NE-LMSC scholarship initiative to support New England coaches attending the USMS National Coaches Clinic this past fall.

Questions: necoaches@usms.org 

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