NEWS
Jenny Birmelin acknowledged in comic strip Frazz...
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The 2012 YMCA National Masters Championship Meet took place from April 12 – 15 at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex in Fort Lauderdale. 489 swimmers from 45 teams entered and swam in the meet. Four Michigan Masters swimmers participated in the meet and they were Emma Charron. John Cowing, Marilyn Early, and Christian Vanderkaay. Emma Charron was the Michigan Masters Women’s high point winner with 48 points and set 4 State Records in winning 2 events and placing 2nd in two other events. Christian Vanderkaay was the Michigan Masters Men’s high point winner with 48 points winning 5 events and setting State Records in the 50 and 100 Breaststroke events in the 30-34 age group. He also set a YMCA Natonal Record in the 100 Breast with a time of 57.13 and just missed the 50 Breast National Record by less than a tenth of a second.
YMCA Nationals Results for Michigan LMSC
Overall YMCA Results
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left to right: Bill Brenner (USMS Club & Coach Services Director), Don Swallwell, Greg Pash, Megan Lassen, Christine Maxbauer, Suzanne Grebe, Gail Dummer, Skip Thompson, Jenny Birmelin, and Noah Birmelin
Eight Michigan LMSC coaches attended the USMS Level I/Level II Coach Certification Clinic held April 21-22 at Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Clinic intructors Mel Goldstein and Kris Houchins started the Clinic with two motivational video presentations from the USMS presentations from the USMS YouTube Channel. We are Masters Swimming focuses on reasons for participating in USMS programs, while a second video, narrated by U.S. Olympic Triathlete Jerrod Schoemaker, describes why USMS programs are attractive to triathletes.
Level I topics included characteristics of a masters coach; knowing the adult learner, coaching triathlon and open water swimmers, special populations, safety/risk management, basic business principles/marketing your program, and writing workouts. Level II topics were: coaching style, stroke correction and development, starts/turns/transitions, and dry land training.
Several messages resonated especially well with the Michigan LMSC coaches:
- Every swimmer on the team is equally important regardless of age, skill, speed, etc. Coaches should speak with each swimmer every day and should provde quality coaching to each swimmer.
- Coaches should get to know their swimmers and understand their goals. Help swimmers work toward their personal goals (e.g., improving fitness, learning to swim a legal butterfly, achieving a time standard for a national championship meet, placing in a triathlon or open water race, etc.), and celebrate their achievements. Clinic instructors emphasized that a prerequisite to celebrating achievements is knowing about swimmers' competitions and events.
- Occasionally survey active swimmers to identify likes and dislikes about the program. Discuss reasons for leaving the program with swimmers who choose not to continue their membership.
- There are many approaches to coaching stroke technique and designing workouts. Use methods that work and that are consistent with the team's philosophy and mission.
- Masters swimmers are differerent than age-group swimmers, especially with respect to motivaiton for training and need for recovery after high-intensity work.

FAST wins 2012 Large Team State Championship
The 40th Annual Michigan Masters State Championships for 2012 took place at Lake Orion High School Community Aquatic Natatorium. The participation was again impressive, with 345 swimmers swimming in the meet, taking place from March 23 to March 25. This is the third year in a row that the meet has had 345 or more, and that sets a record for attendance with three different areas of the state hosting the meet. This was Lake Orions's second State Championship as a host, with the first being hosted by Lake Orion in 2009.
The FAST (Ford Athletic Swim & Triathlon) team won their third Large Team Combined Championship in their team history to go along with titles in 2008 and 2009. FAST won the Large Team Women’s and Men’s Championship categories as well, with close contests with MAC (Milford Athletic Club) in the Women’s division and the Battle Creek YMCA in the Men’s division. This is the first time in Michigan Masters history that the top 4 teams scored over 1850 points. Ann Arbor Masters won the Small Team Championships in the Combined, Men, and Women’s divisions. It was their first Small Team Combined Championship since 2008.
NIneteen LMSC State Records (9 Women, 8 Men, and 2 Relays) were set during the course of the meet. Thirty-seven State Championship Meet Records (20 Women, 11 Men, and6 Relays) were set during the course of the meet. Results, Records, and High Point Awards are included in the results exhibits on the Michigan Masters website. This year marked the 6th year in a row that a USMS National Record has been set in either an individual event or a relay, or both. This year Kevin Doak tied his USMS National Record in the 50 yard Backstroke in the 30-34 age group with a time of 22.64 and this matched the time he swam at Eastern Michigan University in January when he initially broke the record. This is his third USMS National Record in an individual event at a State Meet, with the first one in 2008, and the second one in2009. All three were in this same event. The first two records were set in the 25-29 age group and each time he improved his time from 23.01 to 22.78 to 22.64.
On the Men’s side, Kevin Doak set six Championship and four State Records; Ryan Papa set two State Records; and Christian Vanderkaay and Bob Doud each set one State record. On the Women’s side, Wendy Sanders set four State Records, Barb Church set three State Records, and Emma Charron set two State Records. Milford Athletic Club set two State Records in the 55+ Women's 200 Medley Relay and the 65+ Mixed 200 Free Relay.
Championship Meet Records were set by Emma Charron with five, Barb Church and Sally Guthrie with four each, Wendy Sanders with three, Lois Kivi Nochman and Bob Doud with two each, and one each by Corrin Popps, Denise Brown, Christian Vanderkaay, Michael Green, and Ray Martin. Six relays set Championship Meet Records. All State and Championship meet records for the 2012 State meet are listed in the Records and Awards Summary on the Michigan Masters website.
The Following are Available:
State Meet Championship Results
Individual Point Totals
Team Scores
Record Breakers
Meet Team Summary
Team Summary - Detailed Journal
Records and Awards Summary
Championship Records:
men
women
relays
State Records
ALSO........Information about the ANNUAL LMSC MEETING
At this year's annual meeting we approved proposed revisions to the LMSC bylaws , additionally a new LMSC Policies document was approved by the LMSC Board of Directors.
finalized LMSC Bylaws document
finalized LMSC Policies document
minutes from the 2012 LMSC Annual Meeting
If you were not able to attend the Annual meeting I will leave posted the summary document that details how the new bylaws differ from our previous by-laws -
2011 Year-End Newsletter is now ready for downloading!




