Somehow I managed to get myself installed as the Chair of the Arizona Local Masters Swimming Committee (LMSC) this year* and, thanks to the good efforts of last year's Board of Directors, we had won a free Freestyle Clinic for the LMSC put on by USMS Chief Operating Officer Bill Brenner. We decided to use this clinic as an incentive to bring more members to our Annual Meeting and it worked! We had about 35 people signed up for a two hour, in-water clinic, with Bill plus another 8 volunteer coaches on deck at the fantastic Arizona State University Sun Devil Fitness Center pool:
Bill emphasized at the start of the session that the coaches' goal for each swimmer was to focus on improving their stroke, to give them tools to be more streamlined, efficient and effective in the water. It was great to see a pool-full of swimmers of all abilities and across a wide age range each focused on their own 'kaizen' path to stroke improvement. I got the opportunity to reunite with one of my favorite coaches ever and was reminded again of how much impact subtle changes in my stroke can have. Laura also - painfully for my ego, but great for my swimming - pointed out some mistakes that I know I make ... but that I also don't spend enough conscious energy on fixing.
It was a great time in the pool and we had a good lunch (thanks nCounter) and meeting afterwards. The combination of fitness, fun and lifetime learning were all there - core aspects that make USMS such an awesome organization. It was an excellent way to spend a Sunday morning in the sun.
Sign up here to join us the next time :)
* I highly recommend running unopposed for electoral success ;)