Santa Has Left the North Pole!

You may have noticed Christmas is coming. You may also have wondered what training you can do over the festive season to compensate for the expected over-indulgence. Well, we've confirmed that we can train our regular hours (except the extra 1/2 hour on Mondays), i.e.

Sunday 27th December 8:00 - 9:00 am

Monday 28th December 7:00 - 8:00 pm

Wednesday 30th December 7:00 - 8:00 pm

Sunday 3rd January 8:00 - 9:00 am

Monday 5th January 7:00 - 8:00 pm

We hope you all enjoy Christmas and wish you a very Happy New Year.

Tony Shacklock

for the Committee

And from the swimmers...........

A huge thanks to our very hard working committee for the endless, long, and often unheralded work done behind the scenes.

 

Message From Club Committee

Dear members

Following our committee meeting on Sunday, we'd like to point out…

Sometimes the numbers in each lane are quite unbalanced, crowded in some but empty in others. It's usually better for everyone if people move between lanes to even out the numbers. If your normal lane is crowded (8 or more) and you're one of the followers in the lane, consider moving to a slower lane. If you take the lead and aim to come in on a fast time you should still get a good work-out. If you're one of the faster swimmers, consider moving to a faster lane and try to keep up with them.

Just a reminder that annual subscriptions are due. Thanks to those who've already paid. Payments can be made to the club bank account:

Account: ASB 12-3089-0087168-02

Please clearly reference your family name so we can identify your payment.

Alternatively, a cheque or cash can be given to John or Sally.

We still have lots of our especially good South City swim caps. John will happily let you have one for $5.00.

Thanks

Tony Shacklock

for the committee

Update on the Last Post

Who's done their Christmas shopping? Me, that's who. Hah!!! I even have the Christmas tree up when I thought I wouldn't bother. I got the grandkids to do it though. I knew I'd find a use for the little blighters. Don't start screaming at me something about slave labour, I gave them some water and stale bread for their trouble.

Race night results out. There was a good turnout and it seems as if some members quite like having a go at the 200 anything with a few swimmers saving their energy for this event only. Out of 16 swimmers there were 7 new records set which are good odds.

Swimmer of the Month went to Diane Lane. Diane did a fantabulous job of training herself up to do the Russell to Paihia Ocean Swim race. She trained up to get not just stronger and fitter but the all important faster. Come race day she put in a mighty effort and completed the swim in a time that was rather staggering. Roll on Harbour Capital Classic.

The wooden spoon was also passed on. This was for another episode that occurred at the North Island Champs. Most of us wanted a little nap before getting ready for the evenings dine and dance, including Avy. Avy set her alarm clock for her nap; only she set it for next week!

Last Race Night of the Year

Good grief, who's done their Christmas shopping? Not me. How did Christmas roll around again so quickly?

Anyway, it's race night on Wednesday. The last one for 2015. On the menu is:
25 Back or Free
50 Fly or Free
100 Breast
200 anything (so long as it's swimming)

Race Night, SOM and Wooden Spoon

Results for Wednesday's race night are now up in all the right places. All the usual suspects were there, along with a few unusual ones. Out of the 14 swimmers racing 6 new records were set so that was a good effort. Four records went to the women and 2 to the men; also 4 records were for breaststroke, one for freestyle and one for backstroke. As a club we seem to be very good at breaststroke. I don't know why, I'm just making small talk.

Swimmer of the Month
This month it was awarded to Angela Oliver. Angela has really dedicated herself to her training and built up her fitness and her speed. She went to the North Island champs in Levin and swam a PB in every event, and absolutely walloped her 400IM PB in particular. This took a lot of dedication - great work Angela!

WS - aka Enthusiasm Award
The North Island champs gave a few opportunities to award the wooden spoon. In reality, this month it is more of an enthusiasm award. Just like Angela, Dave B was showing great dedication, this time in a relay. He was putting so much effort though that by a whisker he missed his turn. Fortunately, so did the IOT. We like your style Dave.

Why do we sometimes swim at easy pace?
If you find swimming at cruise (basic endurance) pace boring or difficult you are not alone. As athletes we tend to want to work hard and push ourselves. Not only that but our bodies are very good at tricking us into thinking we are working at an easier pace than we realise. In other words we are often putting in more effort than we think we are.

However, to make gains we need to work at a variety of paces and intensities, both lower and higher. I've been promising a venn diagram (remember those) for some time and finally produced it. It will nicely show the different benefits derived from the 3 main endurance training zones. If you are interested then head over to the Technical Tips page on this blog or be lazy (like me) and just click this link.

Benefits of Endurance Training (Venn Diagram)

I will post it on Facebook plus I've saved the diagram as a pdf if anyone wants me to send it to them.

Get Your Game Face On

We have race night on tomorrow night (Wednesday 4th) so if you want to practice your starts, try and beat your lane mate or simply feel the rush of water past your ears then show up ready to race.

Races on the menu include 25m Br or Free, 50 Free, 100 Back and 100 IM or Free. Afterwards please stay for a mellowpuff (not too many though coz I don't like to miss out) and a laugh at the expense of whoever is being handed the wooden spoon. On that front, all I can say is the North Island champs presented many wooden spoon opportunities.

Good Times in Levin

Last weekend's North Island Champs would have to be considered one of the most successful Masters meets in recent times. 129 Swimmers descended on Levin and this would be the largest number of swimmers at a Masters event for quite some time.

South City showed up and had a couple of houses booked at the nearby holiday 'village' of Waitarere Beach; a 'safe swimming beach' though due to thechigh winds it didn't look much like safe swimming while we were there.

Friday night was a long one with a number of events including the 800/1500 Freestyle so it was nearly 10.30 pm before we left the pool. Levin Masters came up trumps again though, providing a variety of soups and buns for the hungry swimmers. Great idea Levin, very much appreciated.

An early start on Saturday morning had me wondering 'why?' but when we were rewarded with a 2 hour recovery period in the middle of the day it was all worthwhile. It was easier to contemplate being able to perform well in the afternoon after a decent rest.

The afternoon session culminated in a number of relays which were so well attended it required 3 heats to complete the mixed freestyle. Finishing up the meet was the all important Thomas Cup which is a 3 man, 3 woman freestyle relay. There was a nail biting finish between Levin and South City. Who won? More on that later.

The evening dine and dance was at the local Cozzie Club with a quite delightful 2 piece resident band who may have been a little confused about what decade it was. Everyone was having a good time but seemed pretty tired; swimming your heart out will do that to you. We lead a bit of a pansy night life really don't we? One day I might try staying up past 10 pm just to see what it is like.

How did we go, swimming wise? Very well indeed with some very fancy times being swum. I know of one of our swimmers who took 4 minutes off his 1500 freestyle time and another of our swimmers who did a PB in every event. Most swimmers swam at least one PB if not more. As for that very important club trophy, the Thomas Cup, yes, we just beat out the home team.

Thanks Levin for putting on a great meet, you can run this one again any time you like. 

You can find all the photos on our Flickr page. A big thanks to Tanya for the wonderful photos.
2015 NI Champs Photos

The whole squad

Thomas Cup team, minus Dan Feisst

Club Night Results, Swimmer Of The Month

There was a good turnout for October's race night and results have now been posted. There may have only been 3 new records recorded but times were very sharp indeed. This bodes well for the North Island Champs in Levin next weekend which we have 14 or 15 swimmers attending.  We even had a relay record go down, the first in goodness knows how long. Good job team

Swimmer of the Month went to Nicole Youman. Nicole went to the Taupo Masters Spring Fling carnival a couple of weeks back and covered herself all over with glory. This was Nicole's first pool meet and she had trained very hard indeed for it. Her times were excellent which just goes to prove that hard work pays off. Great work Nicole!

Race Night this Wednesday

Yep it's time to get your race face on. Come along at the usual time on Wednesday and it won't even cost you a bean. Races we have include:

25 Fly or Free
50 Breast or Free
50 Back
100 Free

If you work hard enough we will give you a Mellowpuff and a cup of juice to wash it down.

Race Night Results, New Swimmer of the Month

Race night results are up and they are good ones. We had 14 swimmers which is a great turnout for 400's night. Quel pazzo Italiano, Lapo Nustrini, just couldn't get enough 400's under his belt and swum 2 of them, one as IM and the other freestyle, still turning out a good time in his freestyle. Nutcase!

As for Mike H, if a 200m backstroke isn't hard enough, try doing a 400m. Clearly he and Lapo belong together.

Out of 14 swims there were 6 records - mighty effort.

Swimmer of the Month
Speaking of people ready for the loony bin - on to Swimmer of the Month. Last month saw one of our swimmers head to Samoa for the Samoa Swim Series. If you haven't done this yet, put it on your calendar and enjoy a nice warm holiday with a bit of swimming attached.

However, Rosie Sharman took it a step too far (my opinion only, mind) when she signed up for the 22 km Upolu to Savaii cross channel swim. There is no point between the 2 and the 2, I'm going to spell it out for you just to be sure - twenty two kilometres. Naturally, on the day conditions didn't play ball and she had to actually swim 26 km. Phew, I need a nap from just writing that.

Rosie, didn't someone tell you there was a F.E.R.R.Y? Soooo much easier than swimming.

Good on you, how many people can boast they have done something like that!

Rosie swimming to Savaii. Why? Because it's there.

Enjoying the ferry ride back. This is how most of us travel from island to island

Important Message from our President

Club Committee Update

Please note this important message from Dave concerning our club committee:

As many of you may know by now, Giles Walker has recently decided to step down from the SCM committee, after having been a member for close to a year and a half.

On behalf of the committee and wider membership, I would like to thank Giles very much for his many efforts during his time, especially the huge effort he put into the detailed planning & organisation for the Long Course National Champs recently jointly hosted by us and Manukau, and also his valuable insights and enthusiasm overall.  It's been a pleasure working with you Giles!

As we were already two members short of our maximum quota prior to Giles' leaving, we have been on the lookout for potential new committee members, as we are permitted to do under the club constitution.  After some negotiations & encouragement, we are pleased to welcome Christine Ferguson, Mike Harrison and Peter Lane as new committee members, effective immediately.  All three bring a wealth of knowledge & experience with them, and together with the current committee should provide a good ‘spread’ of member representation and views across the various pool lanes.  Welcome aboard all.

Dave Bradding

SCM President

A Whale of Fun at Langs Beach  

Andy Simpson can count himself to be one lucky dog! He was up at Langs Beach (near Mangawhai) when a whale came swimming in. What does a swimmer do? Get in and swim with it of course! Jealous much? I know I am. People pay huge money just to see these amazing creatures from helicopters and boats while Andy got up close and personal for free.

Here are some pics of his epic encounter.

Race Night Results

August's race night results and new records are now up. There were 7 new records set which was a great effort.

Even if you don't generally compete Race Night is a chance to see how fast you can go from the start blocks and best of all it is an opportunity to guage your progress. We also enjoy a bit of a chinwag and a mellowpuff (or a savoury if you are being healthy) afterwards.

There was no Swimmer of the Month due to the pool closure, however the Ladies 200-239 4 x 50 long course Freestyle relay that broke a record at the Nationals were presented with their certificates.

Message from Club Secretary

Message from Tony S, Club Secretary:

What's Happening With Our Training Programmes?

We're trialing a change to the way we do our training programmes.
From now until the North Island champs in October, Deryn will write programmes for Lanes 1 & 2 for Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, and John will write programmes for the other lanes for the whole week.
Deryn's programmes will be aimed at swimming performance, in the pool or open water racing, and John's will be the ones we've known & loved for years.

Why?

Within our club we have swimmers who enjoy regular fitness training and others who are more serious about their swimming performance, so the trial is to see if we can satisfy both needs.
Programmes for swimming performance are usually different from those for general fitness, although there is a lot in common. By allocating 2 lanes for performance programmes, it gives Deryn the opportunity to design a longer term training programme that targets specific goals.

Who can participate?

The trial is not limited to those who normally swim in Lanes 1 & 2, so if you're interested, talk to Deryn.
Conversely, if you normally swim in Lane 1 or 2 and prefer the Sunday and Wednesday programmes Lane 3 should offer a suitable programme.

What will happen after the trial?

During the trial the committee will seek feedback to gauge it's value and plan what happens afterwards. As this trial progresses we will be asking people for their thoughts, but please don't be shy and let any of the committee know your thoughts.

Tony Shacklock
Secretary

Fun at Mid Winter Dinner/Awards Ceremony

Last night about 40 of our swimmers and their partners descended upon Star Restaurant in Botany to escape a cold wintery night for a few hours. The lights were bright and so was the conversation and company.

You can check out the pics by clicking on the link below:
Pics from 2015 dinner

As for last year the dinner doubled as an Awards Ceremony. Grand Poobah (aka President) Dave B did a fantastic job informing us of the achievements of both the club as a whole and of our individuals. It is wonderful to watch the club grow from strength to strength.

In particular, 3 cups were awarded to individuals:
Club Member of the Year: Deryn McGregor
Most Improved Swimmer: Ross Faulkner
Swimmer of the Year: Avy Judelson

After the awards and a few photos and some musings about whether Ross was at the pool still working on his swimming, the main course came out.  There was certainly plenty of it so it is just as well we have access to other pools during LEP's maintenance break so we can work it off.

The meal finished with something sweet and then it was out into a rather bleak night that had a hint of the storm that was about to hit.

July Race Night Results Posted

It was a small turnout for July's race night and there were only 2 records broken - 1 to Tim and 1 to Dave J but they were very impressive records. Both record-breaking times were very quick. It's only a couple of weeks to the next race night so let's see if we can drum up a few more good times.

Remember, the pool is shut for the next couple of weeks for it's annual maintenance. Check out the posts below for details of contingency swim plans.

Bugger!

I need to learn how to use a calendar. Last day at LEP is a Wednesday this year so it is 15th July for the last day at LEP and first day elsewhere is Papatoetoe on 19th July. I think everything else is correct until someone else spots a deliberate mistatke (did you see it?).

SOM, Dinner, Closure, Other Stuff

First up, Swimmer of the Month. I pulled out my special camera this morning and took a snap of our winner, Rochelle Williams-White. Rochelle won for her enthusiasm throughout the recent breaststroke clinic but mostly for taking on board the suggestions, working on them and making improvements. Rochelle is always smiling (the evidence is in the pic). Great work Rochelle.

Car Park and Pool Closure
The car park is closed for the month of July. Walk - get used to it.

The pool is closed for 2 weeks after the school holidays for it's annual maintenance. As per usual there will be training at Papatoetoe and Manurewa pools during this time for those who wish. There is NO CHARGE during this time. As follows:

Monday 20th and 27th July from 7.30pm to 8.30pm at Manurewa Pool (Sykes Rd)
Wednesday 22nd and 29th July at Papatoetoe from 8pm to 9pm
Sunday 19th and 26th July and 2nd August at Papatoetoe from 8am to 9am

Last day of training at LEP is 19th July and first day back is 3rd August.

Mid Winter Dinner and Awards
It's not too late to get in on this. It's on the 18th July so it is the day before the last day of LEP training before pool closure. Details below:

NI Champs
These are in Levin on 16th and 17th October.
Entry form has now been released. Go here:
NI Champs Entry Form

New Kid on the Block

Out with the old, in with the new. We keep all our photos on our Flickr page now for all to see at any time by going to:

South City Masters Photo Albums

Sooooo...... we have replaced the blog's photo gallery with a page that is now more useful - a page with the upcoming race night schedules so everyone can see at a glance what date the next race night is on and what events are happening. Nifty eh?

The tab is second one in (next to the home page) so it's easy to find. A nice new feature. Tomorrow's training will start with a pop quiz on what events are being held next race night, just to see if you are paying attention.

Race Night Results, Postal Event

Postal Event

June is the half hour postal swim event month, which involves swimming as far as you can in half an hour. Results get posted to the organiser and at the end of the month, winners of each category are announced. John T is prepared to make arrangements for any one who would like to enter. He can arrange on any of the next 4 Wednesdays depending on how many swimmers would like to enter. Simply let John know if you want to take part in this event.

Race Night Results Posted

They are in all the usual places. This month we had a joint presentation for the Swimmer of the Month since we had skipped race night for May.

Aprils Swimmer of the Month was for a SMASHING ocean swim season by Liz Hayes. She took out line honours in her age group (i.e. she won it!) for the WHOLE season in the State Ocean Swim Series. Phew! That is Mega! Well done Liz. What will be your follow up trick?

Swimmer of the Month for May is Mark Cowling. At the recent Auckland Champs Mark took one for the team - sacrificing an individual swim that would have captured points for an individual points win so he could swim for a relay. That relay broke an NZ record btw so it was worth it for 4 people not 1. That is what teamwork is all about. Nice one Mark.

Now, how do these 2 share the trophy? Who gets the arms and who gets the legs?

Race Night Schedule Through September

Here is the race night schedule for the next few months:

June
25 fly or free
50 Breast or free
50 back
100 free

July
25 Breast or free
50 free
100 back
100 IM or free

August
25 back or free
50 fly or free
100 breast
200 any stroke

Sept
400 free or IM

That should keep you busy for a bit!

Queen's Birthday Training

Monday 1st June is a public holiday. There is still training this day but it is from 6.45 pm until 8.15 pm. Note that this is only 15 minutes early so it shouldn't upset your schedule too much, unless you are still battling holiday traffic from wherever you have been.

Swim Clinic with Thomas Ansorg

Clinic Details

This very awesome swim clinic will be held on Sunday 28th June at LEP in our usual training pool.

"Developing Speed – Maintaining Pace"

The smart way of swim training

This clinic is a continuation and progression from Thomas Ansorg's previous thorough freestyle stroke technique and efficiency work.
There will be lots of hands on information and state of the art swim training in this special clinic which is both, physically demanding and mentally stimulating.

PROGRAMME (28th June):
-6.00 am: Arrival and Registration
-6.15 am to 8.30 am: Pool Session
-8.30 am to 9.30 am: Debrief on Pool Session
-Evaluation of training and Tips & Tricks for your future training & Q&A with coach Thomas Ansorg

WHAT TO BRING:
-Swimsuit, swim cap & Goggles
-If possible bring fins (flippers) paddles, kickboard and pull buoy (we have no access to equipment, so please bring your own)
-Towel
-Water bottle & Snack

ENTRIES:
Fees for South City Masters members only: $30 (due to SCM subsidy)
Entries close: Saturday 20th June 15
Entry forms can be requested from Tamara via email: tamara@swimprogrammes.com
Details for internet banking: swimprogrammes.com Ltd.
Account no. 03 1322 0724188 000 – Westpac Albany
Please use your surname as reference

EVENT CONDITIONS:
-Minimum age is 18 years and over
-As this is not an adult “Learn-to-swim” programme – you have to be able to swim comfortably a minimum of 400m freestyle
-You are in good medical condition
-There is no refund for cancellations after 7pm on Saturday 20th June 15

No Race Night This Coming Wednesday

Owing to the Auckland Champs being held next weekend at Cameron Pool there is ample opportunity for swimmers to get their fix of racing. Therefore there will be no race night on 6th May. There will, of course be training as usual so don't stay home with your feet up on the coffee table.  If you forgot to enter the Auckland Champs why not head over and support your swimmers by cheering them on.

In-house Breaststroke Clinic Coming Up

Breaststroke Clinic
It's been a couple of years or more since we held this so we will be holding this 4 x 1 hour clinic again during Sunday sessions throughout May and June. It is a progressive clinic most suited to beginner and intermediate breaststroke swimmers with individual stroke correction in the last session.

Each session is progressive from basic to more advanced for the session topic. Every session has quite a few drills included so it would be fair to say they are jam-packed. Only a few minutes are spent on each drill. Swimmers are given the tools and a few minutes to 'have a go' and be corrected so they are doing them properly. However........then it is up to the swimmer to go away and practice them at other times.

Please let me know if you intend to come along. I am happy to run the clinic for as few as one swimmer but would like to know who will be attending.

Here are the dates and what you need to bring to each session:

1. Sunday 17th May - please bring fins and pull buoy if you have (you will get by without if you don't have them). This session we are covering body positioning and the arm stroke. There are a total of 8 drills this session.

2. Sunday 24th May - please bring a pull buoy and kickboard if you have (again, you will get by without if you don't have them). This session we are covering the breaststroke kick. This session has 6 drills.

No session on Queen's Birthday as swimmer's (most importantly, me) will be away.

3. Sunday 7th June - no pool toys required this week. This session we are covering breathing and timing. This session is more advanced than sessions 1 and 2 and pulls everything together in breaststroke. There are 6 drills in this session.

4. Sunday 14th June - no pool toys required. Swimmers are not required for the entire hour. Each swimmer will be viewed individually with a view to providing feedback for improvement and provision of key drills.

Breaking News!!!!!!!

FINA have just released their World Top 10 ranked swimmers in each age and event for 2014 and our very own Avy has made this list for the second year running.

Her spectacular time of 23.07 in the short course 1500m in last year's North Island's nabbed her 9th place in her age in this event.

Nice one Avy - you are LEGEND!

Auckland Short Course Champs

This meet is on the 9th May which is only a couple of weeks away and entries close on 2nd May which is even closer. This is a really great meet and is always fun. Be at Cameron Pool in Mt Roskill be 1.30 pm for warm up. It's usually all over by about 5 pm so it doesn't take up your whole day either.

You do need to get your entry in smartly though. By that I mean quickly - you do not need to wear a suit and tie when you submit your entry.

If you haven't picked up your entry form off the side of the pool yet you can download one from the NZ Masters web site or follow this link:
Auckland Champs Entry Form
This just takes you to the page where you can download and entry form. If you scroll down a bit you will see a little Adobe icon on the left menu. Click on that to get the form.

Swimmer of the Month, State Ocean Swim Series

Swimmer of the Month

Firstly, apologies that it has taken a while to announce this but I was having my ankle surgery the day of the last race night and it has taken me a while to catch up with who one this though it was a pretty good guess who was up for it.

Unless you had your head buried under a rock we hosted the Nationals at the end of March. Our very own Andy Simpson was in the finest of form and not only did he break the age group record for the men's 50 m Freestyle during the event but then he turned around not all that many minutes later and broke it all over again during the first leg of a relay.

So amazing work Andy, setting a new New Zealand record for the same event twice in one day! Not many people can boast that. Andy is our Swimmer of the Month.


State Ocean Swim Series Finished for the Season

Open water swimmers will be lamenting the end of what has been a terrific season with some of the warmest water we have had for years. Some of our swimmers were even tempted to try ditching their wetsuits for swimming in their togs. The warmer waters made for greater abundance of pesky jellyfish though.

There was a great turnout of club members for the series finale, King of the Bays, though the weather was not particularly inviting for spectators. All eyes were on the series points however. Avy and Deryn both picked up Series 2nd placings but the day belonged to Liz. Liz went in to the last race already with the series win safe and secure. She wasn't about to rest though and swam to show the rest of her age group who is boss.

Well done Liz on your Series win!

Thanks to photographer Dave for a couple of photographs. Unfortunately, Avy couldn't be there to pick up her medal but it has been collected on her behalf.

Liz collecting the coveted gold medal

Where is everyone?

Club Night Results Posted

Club night for April was deferred for a week but that didn't make it any less exciting. 10 Records were BUSTED, 3 by the boys and 6 by the girls and even a relay record was broken. The relay was the first relay record broken in 6 months - that alone is deserving of a mellowpuff!

Go check out the pages, there were some pretty phenomenal times swum.

Race Night Wednesday 8th April

You may have noticed we didn't have race night last Wednesday as per the usual schedule. If you are needing your fix of racing coz you just can't get enough then get yourself psyched up, or do whatever you do for race night, have a cup of tea and pat the dog on the way out the door if that helps and be at the pool at 7pm ready to go.

Panasonic Triathlon and 70.3

Half Ironman and People's Triathlon Last Weekend
While some swimmers were sunning themselves during the Sand to Surf swim at Mount Maunganui or swimming across from Rangitoto Island to St Heliers, there was a bunch of other stuff going on - the Auckland Half Ironman (aka 70.3) and the Panasonic People's Triathlon out at Maraetai.

Thanks Nicole Youman for sending in a report and photos's which, because I am sneaky I am just changing by about 5 words to make it like I wrote it myself - ssshhhh. Don't tell anyone.

Alex Viljoen and Nicole completed the Auckland Half Ironman - 2km swim, 90km bike and 21 km run. It is said to be one of the toughest courses you can do and started well with the worst swimming conditions in 12 years, but nothing Kohi swims had not prepared these two hardy souls for. If you have any qualms about being able to cope with the swim leg of a multisport, just get yourself to Kohi on Thursday evenings, it will prepare you for anything.

This was the first half ironman either of them had done and both finished well before the cut off time with smiles on their faces. They wish to thank their support crew who spent the whole day out on the course keeping them going.

Ally raised $1440.00 (wow!) for So They Can which is an organisation that she volunteers for once a week that works with communities in Africa to educate and empower so they can break the poverty cycle, realise their own potential and meet their own needs. 

There were a number of South City crew competing at the Maraetai Peoples Triathlon. Jeannie, Chrissie, Barend and Martin were definitely spotted but there would have been others also. Congratulations to Jeannie who placed in the top 3. Well done Jeannie. 

Full results for the Peoples Tri can be found on the web site (link below):

http://www.peoplestri.co.nz/results.html

Sand to Surf, National Long Course

Sand to Surf
Mt Maunganui turned on a gorgeous day for the State Sand to Surf, or was that State Sand to Calm Water because there wasn't really any surf to speak of. The lack of surf resulted in quick times with everyone doing well and it appeared that it was 'ladies day' for the club with all club podium finishes going to the women this time around. I'm sure the men will do something about that at King of the Bays in a month's time. Here are the results:
Dawn Walker: 1st in age in the 1000m
Liz Hayes: 2nd in age in the 2.6km
Avy Judelson: 2nd in age in the 2.6km
Deryn McGregor: 3rd in age in the 2.6km

Some age groups are already wrapped up for the season, including the women's 45-49 age group which has our very own Liz at the top! Woop!

Here's a few pics.

Nationals
These are only a few days away now so just a little reminder about spot prizes and any baking or food you can do to help out.

Race Night Results, Taper Sessions

Race Night and Swimmer of the Month
It was a bumper night on Wednesday with a high turnout of swimmers to race, presumably the imminent Nationals tempted more than the usual suspects to hone their race skills. Times were fast too - no less than 19 records fell. That's a record of records!

Swimmer of the Month went to Ivo Pabruwe for his wonderful medal winning performances in the recent Masters Games from which he arrived home with a veritable suitcase of medals. His resistance training from now on will simply involve carrying his medals around. Well done Ivo.

Taper Sessions
With the National Long Course Championships now less than 3 weeks away Monday's session will be focusing on speed. There will also be taper sessions on offer for the final week for those swimmers who have very specific goals for the meet and want to fine-tune their speed.

The tapering will be in lane 7 (which will not be available to other club members at the time) and will be on:
Sunday 22 March
Monday 23 March
Wednesday 25 March

Although tapering is open to anyone who wishes to take part it should be emphasized that tapering is for swimmers with specific goals and needs to be done on a solid foundation of endurance training as well as some speed work.

Your help needed!!!! AGM date set

Call to Action – National Long Course Championships

To all club members – a reminder regarding the National Long Course Championships.  As discussed over recent weeks, the success of the National Long Course Championships event relies heavily on volunteer support to help with preparations for the event before it takes place, and more importantly on the day itself.  By now you should all have been given a details sheet at training, detailing the types of help the event requires.  It also details spot prize information.

There is an expectation of all members that if you are not competing in the event, that you will be able to be a volunteer on the day.  With your help we will make the event a huge success.

If you haven’t yet committed yourselves, please endeavour to complete the form and give it to any of the SCM committee members as soon as possible (deadline Saturday 14^th March.)

AGM date and time announced

This annual (coz that's how often an AGM occurs) event will be at 6.30pm on Wednesday 18th March. This is prior to swimming and will be poolside or in the cafeteria. Swimming is FREE that night so you cannot be too skint to come along. Make sure you have your say. You can pick up nominations poolside or by asking Fiona (G that is, L might give you a confused look if you ask her for one). It's also OK to nominate verbally on the night, I know this to be true. So don't be shy, get involved so be there.

Race night

It's race night this coming Wednesday, whatever date that is, 4th March I think. If you want to be sure about the date, check your own calendar, I'm not your Mum OK. Anyhoo - here is the programme:

25 Br or Free
50 Free
100 Back
100 IM or Free
Relays

Success at Masters Games and Red Beach

Masters Games
 In the recent Masters Games Ivo Pabruwe competed in the men's 75 to 79 age group and won gold in the 100m Free, silver in the 25m Free and bronze in the 50m Free.  Well done Ivo, bringing home the metallic stuff for the club. You are a champ!

Red Beach Sea Swim
Giles was 3rd non wetsuit in the 3km
Dawn 1st overall female in 1.5km
South City had 6 swimmers at the swim who all performed well in the lumpy conditions.
Results of 3km here: 3km Red Beach Sea Swim 2015
Results of 1.5km here: 1.5km Red Beach Sea Swim 2015

Good times had by all at the annual sea swim and picnic

The club returned to Bucklands Beach this afternoon for the annual handicapped sea swim and family picnic. Conditions were perfect and there was a good turnout. 1000m and 2000m swims were up for grabs and both events were hotly contested.

1000m winners were Jeannie Smith for the women and Alan Hawker for the men. In the 2000m category winners were Sharon Hewetson for the women and Murray Taylor for the men.

Then it was on all on for the food, and what a wonderful spread it was. The club provided the meat, bread and juice and members bought salads and sweet stuff. It was a magnificent feast and a lovely social time was had by all. We even had our own lifeguard, even though she can only just walk and was off-duty.

This annual event is handicapped which levels the playing field for all. Anyone can win so come along next year, it's lots of fun.

Jeannie - winner of the women's 1000m

Alan - winner of the men's 1000m

Sharon - winner of the women's 2000m

Murray? Where are you Murray?

Club night results are up, Swimmer of the Month, Kohi

Race night results have been posted so you can go and have a nosey at what times you swum if you forget or even have a sneaky look at what your rival (alright then, 'f.r.i.e.n.d') did. If you didn't notice, we had another visitor on club night - Alex Boyd, so it's nice to be seeing some visitors coming along and enjoying some races (and mellowpuffs). We had 7 new club records set.

Congratulations to Diane Lane (the swimmer, not the actress - though probably congrats to the actress too as she should feel special sharing a name with our Diane), who had a magnificent swim in the State Ocean Swim Series in Wellington, coming 2nd in her age group. This is a mighty effort Diane and we are all very proud of you.

 

 

 

Pleased as punch - Swimmer of the Month, Diane Lane

Kohi Swim Series

Hey! We're not even winning!!! But we are only just behind the winning team and it's not too late to get in on the act. Every point count so if you feel like a sea swim on Thursday evenings, come along at about 5.30 pm, hand over some money at the registration tent, make sure you say you are from South City Masters and then go have a nice swim and earn a few points for the club.

Club swim and picnic; Wellington State swim

South City Masters Annual Sea Swim and Family BBQ

Sunday Feb 15^th, 4pm briefing commences.  Family BBQ and prize giving at 5pm approx.

(club to supply meat, please bring salads etc)

Where: left hand corner of Little Bucklands Beach

Alternative: depending on conditions, far left corner of Eastern Beach.

Event: Swim 1km or 2km, wet suit or non wet suit

Entries to be with handicappers by 9^th Feb latest.

This is a no charge event!

Handicappers: Giles, Lapo, Dave Bradding.

Please confirm to handicappers the event you wish to attend and whether or not you will be wearing a wet suit.

Entry forms are on the poolside with Sally.

Wellington State Ocean Swim

Wellington delivered a gorgeous sunny day when it was their turn to host the State Ocean Swim Series. South City had 3 swimmers in attendance and (naturally) they all had a top 10 finish in their respective categories. Results were:

Avy Judelson - 2nd

Liz Hayes - 4th

Dave Donaldson - 6th

If I've left anyone out please send me your result so I can post it.

The Wellington course is a magnificent one so if you have never done it you may want to consider making the trip next January.

Race Night Results

Apologies for the delay, I know you have been waiting for a week but the wait was worth it. The results from last week's race night has now been published. There was a small but enthusiastic showing given that it was still holiday period. 6 Records went down - 2 to the men and 4 to the ladies.

Race night is perfect for practicing starts and turns etc for the upcoming Nationals which we are hosting in March so why not come along to the next one and have a go.

Swimmer of the Month has already been announced but just a reminder that it was 'The Flash' aka Dave Bradding.

Race Night Results - Short Delay

There were some spectacular times swum last night for 400's night.  I know you are spinning in circles with anxiety for the results but there's going to be a short delay of approximately one week due to general work busy - ness of one party and away-ness on vacation on part of the other half. Please bear with it - we haven't forgotten, and will get results out in due course.

HOWEVER, we do have information on the wooden spoon - there wasn't one this month. That was easy wasn't it. Sit back down now, the excitement for the wooden spoon is over. BUT the Swimmer of the Month was given out and it was given out to Dave Bradding. If you have been watching Dave swim over the past year or so you will be wondering what he has been putting on his Weet-Bix (you can whisper it in my ear Dave, I promise not to tell) because his swimming has taken off in ways most of us never saw coming (come on Dave, is it chia seeds, is it kale, maybe it's plain old spinach - I promise not to let the others know - we'll have a secret meeting and share recipes). Nice one Dave, we are all scrambling to keep up!

January Swimmer of the Month - Dave Bradding

Informal Dives & Turns Critique

With the upcoming National Long Course Champs in March, there has been some interest in an informal critique of swimmers dives and turns.  Giles, Tony and Avy will be on hand on the following dates for an informal chat and review.  To be clear, this is not a clinic, it’s more a 1 on 1 review and discussion.  The session will be run 8pm to 8.30pm after normal training. Dates are Monday 12^th January, and Monday 9^th February.  There is no need to sign up to anything, just turn up if you are interested.

Oi!!!

We are hosting the long course nationals in March. That is soon if my calendar is correct. So now is a good time to get a bit of race practice in. For those who have forgotten, race night is the first Wednesday of every month (except January) and there is no charge to swim. Here is the race night schedule for then next little while.

Feb-15
25m Back or Free
50m Fly or Free
100m Breast
200m Any stroke
Relays

Mar-15
25m Breast or Free
50m Free
100m Back
100m IM or Free
Relays

Apr-15
25m Fly or Free
50m Breast or Free
50m Back
100m Free
Relays