As we embarked on this transformation journey of our online presence and logo for the LMSC, it reminded me of the first time I stepped out of the comfort of a clear, chlorinated pool and into the murky depth of open water swimming. It was the Lowcountry Splash here in Charleston. As a pool brat, I had no idea what to expect. Why were people putting on sunscreen? I needed to wear a cap with a microchip in it? So many questions. Answers that wouldn’t be revealed until I hopped off the dock into the salt water, swam 5 miles, and ended up at Patriot’s Point. What a feeling of accomplishment! I climbed up out of the water, met up with my friends, and in true swimmer fashion, we headed to the nearest Cracker Barrel to stuff my face with pancakes and sweet tea.

In the middle of the swim, I remember thinking how different it was to not have any walls to hang on (what a bummer!) but my favorite part was swimming to an end point and sighting for it. Picking a landmark and just swimming and swimming and swimmmmming until I got to the chute. From that point on, I was smitten with open water swimming. Oh sure, I still swam in the pool for practice, but there was something about open water swimming that took my love and respect for the sport of swimming to a new level. After that first Splash, I went on and swam a few more open water races and with each one, I got the same nervous exhilaration before jumping into the ocean, river, intracoastal, etc. and would do it again, over and over.

Enough about me though; this month we started to see the open water season kick into high gear. We have a wonderful open water community here within our LMSC. I am in awe of the swims these folks take on. They constantly challenge themselves and the distances! They don’t even blink an eye about swimming over 10 miles. Whether they know it or not, they are inspiring and I can’t wait to see how many miles get logged and the locations they will travel to this open water season.

If you have ever thought about it doing an open water event and have yet to try one, let me tell you…you won’t regret it. Sign up and take the plunge! Just make sure you don’t forget about us pool brats when you start setting your sights on the English Channel.

Mike

Do you have people on your team who spend a great deal of time making things better in the world of Masters swimming? Recognize them by submitting them for a volunteer award or by giving them something from the USMS Volunteer Recognition Store!!

(see the links below) Make sure to note the deadline dates!!

Attention all South Carolina USMS Swimmers:

We are in need of people willing to become Certified USMS Stroke & Turn and Starter Officials to work USMS sanctioned meets! Anyone 18 years or older can become an official and USMS has made the process very easy - no classes to attend – no huge time commitment. Simply complete the online video training and pass the online test afterward.

This link will get you started: https://www.usms.org/admin/lmschb/content/officialscert

It is not only Masters Swimmers that we are looking for, your non-swimming spouse (officiating is much more fun than sitting in the stands), your 18 & older children (giving them the power to DQ mom or dad), etc…

In South Carolina we have 588 Masters swimmers represented by 16 clubs. It would be great if we could get 2 or 3 people from each club to step up and become a certified USMS Official.

For those of you hesitant to take on this role, remember this is NOT like a USA Swimming meet.

• We don’t do fly over starts
• We don’t have screaming parents
• We don’t argue about the official’s calls (for the most part)

Please take a moment and go online to the USMS Officials page https://www.usms.org/gto/gto_officials and consider signing up. If we can get a pool of 30 or 40 officials to draw from, it would make hosting and running our Masters Swimming meets much easier.

First day of the Adult Learn to Swim Program was so much fun! Coaches and swimmers volunteered to teach 80 adults how to swim!

Last year we raised over $10,000 at the Beaufort River Swim. Individuals who wouldn't have the access or means to learn to swim are able to, through generous donations and support from individuals like you. In addition to support from the River Swim, our own scholarship program and outside grants such as the Y-USA Safety Around the Water grant, allowed over 850 individuals to be positively impacted through swim lessons and aquatic programming and education at the Y. In 2017 the Y taught over 1,500 swim lessons!

Swimmers of all levels participate in the River Swim: triathletes, recreational lap swimmers and competitive age group swimmers. The Race starts at Port Royal Landing Marina, travels around the bend, passes the Hospital, and finishes at the Boat Ramp at the corner of the Downtown Marina, adjacent to Waterfront Park.

Registration link is below!

Members of the BMST (Beaufort Masters Swim Team) volunteered to be timers for the Special Olympics swim meet held at the YMCA on April 15th. What a great way to give back to our community!!

Palmetto Masters and The City of North Charleston offered free swim lessons to adults every Saturday during the month of April. 50 people were registered and 37 members of PALM showed to teach our non-swimming friends how to be safer in the water! Many were scared to get in the pool aside putting their faces in the water.... we had great success!

Former LMSC Chair, Michael Stresemann and Kirby Burkholder take 2nd place in the Swim Around Lido Key 2018. This is just months after Burkholder had 1/2 of a lung removed!!

The Sumter Masters team had fun at the Youth vs Masters Mock Meet! It was great for new Masters (and youth) swimmers to experience a competitive, yet fun, environment. A huge thanks to the volunteers who helped make this meet a success, also to the Palmetto Masters who swam! The Masters swimmers from Sumter and Palmetto enjoyed brunch (and craft beer) after the mock meet!

Sun City Hilton Head conducted the five session program from April 16th - 20th, 2018 at our 4 lane indoor pool. Each session lasted one hour and the goal was to provide Sun City residents skill refinement of stroke and breathing techniques in free style.

There were 28 participants from Sun City, supported by 8 volunteer swim coaches, 4 assistant swim coaches, one on deck coach and a volunteer team of nine from the swim club to assist with registration. By the end of the week, many happy participants were swimming laps and moving on to other strokes.

A certificate was provided at the end of the five day program, which made many smile at their achievement!

This was the second Adult Learn to Swim program in April, and they already have 15 people on the wait list for next year's program.

Sun City's US Masters membership continues to grow and they are proud to state that many are competing in their first US Masters' meet in 2018!!

Save the date - August 24-26th - for The 2018 Growler Invitational!

The outdoor meet will take place at LTP Swimming Club in Mt. Pleasant, SC! More details to come soon!!

There is a 3.2 mile or 1 mile swim. All proceeds benefit the YMCA's Learn to Swim program, last year over $10,000 was raised and over 1500 swim lessons were given out to children in need. Click on link below for more information and registration.

Swim Across America is excited to host the second Charleston - Kiawah Island charity swim this August 5th!

Join Olympians at this renowned scenic destination as a way to fight cancer by fundraising to support clinical trials and research.

You're invited to participate in 1.5-mile and 0.5-mile swim options. Our Swim is not a competition, but a fundraising event for everyone, both swimmers and volunteers. Choose a distance to swim or sign up as an event volunteer. We welcome you to the Swim Across America family and our efforts to “Make Waves to Fight Cancer!”

The 2018 Triangle Open Water Swim series will have 3 open water swims all at Jordan Lake, each consisting of a 1 or 1.2 and 2 or 2.4 mile race. In 2018, we have moved the events forward a bit in order to avoid the extreme warm mid summer temperatures. Dates are:
April 15 - Jordan Lake Open Water Challenge (Vista Point)
May 13 - Little Uno and Big Deuce (Vista Point)
Oct 07 - Triangle Open Water Hurricane Swim (New Hope Overlook)

Join the Charleston - Kiawah Island Open Water Swim and Fight Cancer with Swim Across America. Swimmers of all ages and levels are invited to take part in our second Kiawah Island charity swim. Your participation will help us "Make Waves to Fight Cancer" and raise money for cancer research, prevention and treatment.

Thanks for the information sent to me for this newsletter!! If you have events that come up or pictures you would like to share with the rest of the state, please email them to me at any point and time. Also if you have any suggestions on things to add, I will be happy to include! cathykenner1@gmail.com

The next newsletter will be sent out August 2018.