November's half over; the holiday season arrives, and calendars are filling fast. Here's a date to put down:
WH2O's Annual Holiday Extravaganza.
Saturday, December 15th, 2007.
Details to follow, but mark it in your calendar.
Your Loving Secretary
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
UCLA Swim Meet
by Christopher SmithOn Saturday, November 3, a small group of swimmers stole away to the Land of the Bruins and represented our team at the UCLA Bruin Masters Short Course Meters meet. What I expected to be a cold, somewhat stressful, and lonely competition turned out to be quite a bright, relaxed, and sociable one.
The weather was beautiful as I entered the familiar swimming complex at the Student Activities Center (formerly the Men's Gym). I set up shop in the back corner after figuring out what should be a healthy balance between solitude, shade, and warm rays which I anticipated would last through the day. Expecting to be alone for the day, I came equipped with my iPod which I instantly turned on for warm-up motivation. Within 10 minutes, I found WH2O teammates Gregg Ogorzelec, Adam Davis, Tamara Draper, and Grady Harmon. No need for that iPod! We quickly formed a 200 Meter Freestyle Relay and ended up winning our 120-159 age group.
The meet was casual and comfortable. In gearing up for Regionals, most of us agreed we were essentially attending to gauge our mid-season progress. And to have a good time, of course. Gregg and Adam spent the morning warming up,
swimming, and recovering from what I (a devout sprinter) consider the most
grueling event, the 800M Freestyle. Grady, Tamara, and I swam the ever-popular
sprint freestyle events. Grady topped his day off with a nice 200M Free, while
Tamara dabbled in a 50M Butterfly and I attempted the 100M and 200M IM's. After all, we had to try out our new techniques after all of that stroke work these past weeks!
Though our team was small, the camaraderie echoed that which I experienced at Nationals in Washington this past May. The Bruin Meet ended up confirming not only that even L.A. weather is unpredictable, but more so my belief that our team consists of unique and supportive individuals who share a real passion for the water. Congrats to everyone who made it out!
Santa Clarita Swim Meet
by Seymour Liao
After quite a long hiatus from the blocks and some inkling of going to IGLA in Washington DC next year, I decided to take the plunge and sign up for a meet. Given that it’s now short course meters season, the likely venue for IGLA, it seemed like a good opportunity to get a notion of what reasonable entry times would be. The last meet I swam in was IGLA Paris (2000!), and the only thing that I really remember about my swimming was that fishnet stockings provide much more drag--in the water that is--than one might think. So I picked a handful of events (50 fly, 100 breast, 200 free and 200 IM), drove up to Santa Clarita on Saturday, October 20th and deck entered what I hoped would be times that I could easily beat. That way I could worry about more realistic challenges such as not disqualifying myself after seven years of practicing illegal turns, keeping my goggles on as I entered the water and not false starting.
Upon walking onto the pool deck whom did I see finishing the 1500? None other than Dan Adams, who said that he swam well but unfortunately his time wasn’t as fast as he hoped. No worries Dan. You made up for it on the 100 breast when you swam almost the entire race with your goggles around your neck and were only a tenth of a second off your best time. (Hmmmm…. don't know why I was worried about that.) Dan finished off the day with a 50 fly, but requested that I not divulge the results of that race. It should be sufficient to know that my time was faster--I mean come on Dan, really.
The real star of the day, fashion footwear expert and third WH20 swimmer in attendance was Gregg Orgorzelec, who swam the 100, 200 and 400 free. Our newly ordained Most Improved Swimmer of the Year dropped his 400 free time by two seconds from just two weeks prior at Mission Viejo with an impressive 4:37.32. Gregg’s 50 split times demonstrated his great pacing! Way to go Gregg! And you looked fabulous in those red pumps (well, Crocks) you were wearing on the deck. Gregg also turned in an impressive 2:08.79 for the 200 free. (Sorry Gregg, I missed your 100 time.)
As for me, I can say that I did indeed beat all the times I entered, although the 200 IM by only 2 seconds (d’oh) and didn’t DQ (yeah). One nice thing about small meets is they go by fast. I have to admit I felt like I swam a workout more than a meet given how fast the events came up. So for all of you thinking about IGLA there are two more meets in this short course meters season – Woodland Hills Turkey Shoot on Sunday, November 18th and Regional Championships hosted by Long Beach Grunions (“Two words. fa boo” – Marc St. James) November 30th through December 2nd.
After quite a long hiatus from the blocks and some inkling of going to IGLA in Washington DC next year, I decided to take the plunge and sign up for a meet. Given that it’s now short course meters season, the likely venue for IGLA, it seemed like a good opportunity to get a notion of what reasonable entry times would be. The last meet I swam in was IGLA Paris (2000!), and the only thing that I really remember about my swimming was that fishnet stockings provide much more drag--in the water that is--than one might think. So I picked a handful of events (50 fly, 100 breast, 200 free and 200 IM), drove up to Santa Clarita on Saturday, October 20th and deck entered what I hoped would be times that I could easily beat. That way I could worry about more realistic challenges such as not disqualifying myself after seven years of practicing illegal turns, keeping my goggles on as I entered the water and not false starting.
Upon walking onto the pool deck whom did I see finishing the 1500? None other than Dan Adams, who said that he swam well but unfortunately his time wasn’t as fast as he hoped. No worries Dan. You made up for it on the 100 breast when you swam almost the entire race with your goggles around your neck and were only a tenth of a second off your best time. (Hmmmm…. don't know why I was worried about that.) Dan finished off the day with a 50 fly, but requested that I not divulge the results of that race. It should be sufficient to know that my time was faster--I mean come on Dan, really.
The real star of the day, fashion footwear expert and third WH20 swimmer in attendance was Gregg Orgorzelec, who swam the 100, 200 and 400 free. Our newly ordained Most Improved Swimmer of the Year dropped his 400 free time by two seconds from just two weeks prior at Mission Viejo with an impressive 4:37.32. Gregg’s 50 split times demonstrated his great pacing! Way to go Gregg! And you looked fabulous in those red pumps (well, Crocks) you were wearing on the deck. Gregg also turned in an impressive 2:08.79 for the 200 free. (Sorry Gregg, I missed your 100 time.)
As for me, I can say that I did indeed beat all the times I entered, although the 200 IM by only 2 seconds (d’oh) and didn’t DQ (yeah). One nice thing about small meets is they go by fast. I have to admit I felt like I swam a workout more than a meet given how fast the events came up. So for all of you thinking about IGLA there are two more meets in this short course meters season – Woodland Hills Turkey Shoot on Sunday, November 18th and Regional Championships hosted by Long Beach Grunions (“Two words. fa boo” – Marc St. James) November 30th through December 2nd.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Anniversary Video
Okay, wh2o.org is going multi-media. I'm in the process of converting the video yearbook that screened at the banquet into a clip that can be posted on our blog. Watch for it in the next two weeks.
Your Loving Secretary
Your Loving Secretary
WH2O Celebrates 25 Years
by Seth Harrington
The San Antonio Winery lies just north of Chinatown right across the Los Angeles River, and near the intersection of three major train lines. It is one of the most unlikely places to find a winery, you could think of. But, like so many hidden gems in Los Angeles, you turn a corner and there it is, a classy winery that could be right out of Napa Valley.
Our guests began arriving at 3pm sharp, and by quarter after, there were over seventy people in the room. There was an initial ice-breaker, that had people collecting signatures from members who joined the same year an event happened. For example, a box on the paper said “When Ellen came out,” and then you had to find someone who had joined in 1997 and get them to sign.
Then, as the music of Erasure pumped out of the sound system, the fashion show began! 15 members, each wearing a different WH2O t-shirt from a different year, strode down the catwalk and threw some attitude. Neal Wiener took to the podium and narrated the history behind each one. Tom Reudy gave us a special show, when he stripped off his shirt and tossed it over his head. Had she been there, I’m sure Towelette Moist might have dryly remarked “nothing we haven’t seen before.”
As the fashion show wound to a close, the meal was served. Amazingly out of a group of 86 people, there were only two vegetarians. The rest feasted on a full-course meal with Chicken Marsala as it’s main course.
Then it was awards time! First, Seth Harrington, the outgoing VPsocial read a long list of volunteers, thanking them for their help during the year, then President Bryan Libit presented the Volunteer of the Year award. It went to Paul Abraham. Brian Olver collected the Spirit Award, after an amazing year of serving double duty as both coach and board member.
Ben Carillo and Joy Mendenhall won the two Water Polo awards; MVP and Most Improved, respectively. Most Improved Swimmer went to Gregg Orgozelc. Among the many people he thanked was his boyfriend for “allowing him to swim every morning with all these beautiful men in their speedos.” 
Amy Dantzler collected the Swimmer of the Year.
And finally Dan Adams shared with us all the story of Dave Nelson missing the train to Bordeaux. Dave won the double whammy.
We closed out the banquet with by far the most popular segment of our program. We presented our audio-visual Yearbook! To the tunes of “Chariots of Fire” and “We are the Champions” the pictures of wh2o-ers in their pool attire and the year that they joined flickered on a large screen. It was a great treat for many of the newer members to see pictures of our veteran members from the years when they joined. It also allowed for a quick way for everyone to grasp the history of the team. Thank you to everyone who sent in their picture. Specials thanks to Jim Cude, the Secretary for putting together the Yearbook and doing such a nice job on it.
Then the lights came up, people socialized, pledged to see each other again at practice and filtered out towards their cars.
The San Antonio Winery lies just north of Chinatown right across the Los Angeles River, and near the intersection of three major train lines. It is one of the most unlikely places to find a winery, you could think of. But, like so many hidden gems in Los Angeles, you turn a corner and there it is, a classy winery that could be right out of Napa Valley.
Our guests began arriving at 3pm sharp, and by quarter after, there were over seventy people in the room. There was an initial ice-breaker, that had people collecting signatures from members who joined the same year an event happened. For example, a box on the paper said “When Ellen came out,” and then you had to find someone who had joined in 1997 and get them to sign.
Then, as the music of Erasure pumped out of the sound system, the fashion show began! 15 members, each wearing a different WH2O t-shirt from a different year, strode down the catwalk and threw some attitude. Neal Wiener took to the podium and narrated the history behind each one. Tom Reudy gave us a special show, when he stripped off his shirt and tossed it over his head. Had she been there, I’m sure Towelette Moist might have dryly remarked “nothing we haven’t seen before.”
As the fashion show wound to a close, the meal was served. Amazingly out of a group of 86 people, there were only two vegetarians. The rest feasted on a full-course meal with Chicken Marsala as it’s main course.
Then it was awards time! First, Seth Harrington, the outgoing VPsocial read a long list of volunteers, thanking them for their help during the year, then President Bryan Libit presented the Volunteer of the Year award. It went to Paul Abraham. Brian Olver collected the Spirit Award, after an amazing year of serving double duty as both coach and board member. 
Ben Carillo and Joy Mendenhall won the two Water Polo awards; MVP and Most Improved, respectively. Most Improved Swimmer went to Gregg Orgozelc. Among the many people he thanked was his boyfriend for “allowing him to swim every morning with all these beautiful men in their speedos.” 
Amy Dantzler collected the Swimmer of the Year.
And finally Dan Adams shared with us all the story of Dave Nelson missing the train to Bordeaux. Dave won the double whammy.
We closed out the banquet with by far the most popular segment of our program. We presented our audio-visual Yearbook! To the tunes of “Chariots of Fire” and “We are the Champions” the pictures of wh2o-ers in their pool attire and the year that they joined flickered on a large screen. It was a great treat for many of the newer members to see pictures of our veteran members from the years when they joined. It also allowed for a quick way for everyone to grasp the history of the team. Thank you to everyone who sent in their picture. Specials thanks to Jim Cude, the Secretary for putting together the Yearbook and doing such a nice job on it.
Then the lights came up, people socialized, pledged to see each other again at practice and filtered out towards their cars.
Our New Board
Congratulations to the 2007-2008 WH2O Board of Directors. Top row (left to right): Brad Lengyel (Swim Rep), Dan Adams (Treasurer), Mike Wallace (Development), Boyd Quinnell (VP Social), James Cude (Secretary), Fritz Hemker (Water Polo Rep). Bottom Row: Bryan Libit (President), Joel McKenna (VP Admin.) Not pictured: Brian Olver (Facilities).
Thanks to all these individuals for stepping up and serving the team. Good luck!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
2006-2007 WH2O Board Year In Review
In preparation for the annual meeting each board member summarized the past year with their accomplishments and happenings from their individual board perspective. You can access this Year-in-Review write-up from the events page on http://www.wh2o.org or from this link (Year-In-Review)
Hopefully this will keep the meeting timely and give us more time to talk about future events and initiatives.
See everyone this Sunday.
Hopefully this will keep the meeting timely and give us more time to talk about future events and initiatives.
See everyone this Sunday.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Welcome Back, Coach Tom
Water polo's new coach is returning coach Tom Martinez. Tom arrives back on deck after taking a year off to play in the water. Tom's accomplishments as coach include two Gold-Medal Gay Games wins, 3 IGLA Golds for the A team, and a Bronze and Silver medal for the B Team. Tom Martinez (left) with Cameron Glascow
Monday, October 15, 2007
General Meeting/Elections
This coming Sunday, October 21st, is WH2O's annual meeting. At this meeting, the current Board presents their year-end review, financial statements, and budget for the upcoming year. Also at the meeting, the team elects the new 2007-2008 Board. If you are a current active member of WH2O and are interested in running for a Board position, please email the VP Admin at vpadmin@wh2o.org.
IM Week
Just a reminder that this week is IM week. That means, all strokes welcome! Workouts will not be IM, but will have an IM emphasis.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Tips for Getting Through Butterfly Week
This week's stroke of choice is butterfly. Brian Olver once again gives some tips that can help you float like a butterfly. - JC
We've made it to the last pure stroke week – butterfly - before IM next week. And, I know how excited everyone is to do lots of butterfly!! To help you survive this week, below are a few clips. We need not look any further than Michael Phelps for an example of textbook butterfly. This first clip is of Phelps' world record breaking
200 fly at World Championships earlier this year. It is shot underwater, except at the end. Notice his streamline off the walls, and his full extension with every stroke.
(Time1:36) http://youtube.com/watch?v=dWCp0ooAu0I
This video is shot from a slightly different angle, which allows us to see how he gets his elbows up underwater to pull with his whole forearm. Additionally, for those just learning how to do fly, notice the timing of the kicks - one as his hands enter the water (shoulder width apart), and one as they exit the water.
(Time :16) http://youtube.com/watch?v=RlgHpvqbb-Y
This slow motion clip will give you an even better picture. He uses his full extension to really pull with his lats. Try to visualize yourself doing this the next time you do fly.
(Time :19) http://youtube.com/watch?v=S-F_5k4e1Y0
This final clip of Michael shows some above water footage. See how low his chin is to the water. He exerts his energy pulling himself FORWARD as opposed to up out of the water. You can also see in this clip how he pushes his hips up as his hands enter the water in order to drive himself forward even more, and keep him his body at the surface, rather than allowing his hips to fall vertical. Additionally, you can see how he actually LAYS his hands in the water which allows him to catch the water at the top of his stroke (this takes an extreme amount of shoulder strength).
(Time :53) http://youtube.com/watch?v=o6wNjXj7zGk
And, finally, although this is not Phelps, it's a good head on view that demonstrates where your hands should enter, as well as the swoop of the hands to the middle of the body through your pull.
(Time :19) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmiyhPop6GI
I hope that helps! See you at the pool!
--Brian Olver
(Time1:36) http://youtube.com/watch?v=dWCp0ooAu0I
This video is shot from a slightly different angle, which allows us to see how he gets his elbows up underwater to pull with his whole forearm. Additionally, for those just learning how to do fly, notice the timing of the kicks - one as his hands enter the water (shoulder width apart), and one as they exit the water.
(Time :16) http://youtube.com/watch?v=RlgHpvqbb-Y
This slow motion clip will give you an even better picture. He uses his full extension to really pull with his lats. Try to visualize yourself doing this the next time you do fly.
(Time :19) http://youtube.com/watch?v=S-F_5k4e1Y0
This final clip of Michael shows some above water footage. See how low his chin is to the water. He exerts his energy pulling himself FORWARD as opposed to up out of the water. You can also see in this clip how he pushes his hips up as his hands enter the water in order to drive himself forward even more, and keep him his body at the surface, rather than allowing his hips to fall vertical. Additionally, you can see how he actually LAYS his hands in the water which allows him to catch the water at the top of his stroke (this takes an extreme amount of shoulder strength).
(Time :53) http://youtube.com/watch?v=o6wNjXj7zGk
And, finally, although this is not Phelps, it's a good head on view that demonstrates where your hands should enter, as well as the swoop of the hands to the middle of the body through your pull.
(Time :19) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmiyhPop6GI
I hope that helps! See you at the pool!
--Brian Olver
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Breaststroke Week Tips
Thanks to Brian Olver for the following tips for breaststroke week. He's included a few clips to watch, so copy and paste them into an open window in your browser and enjoy.
Welcome to breaststroke week! While doing breaststroke this week, here are a few tips and clips to help you improve your stroke.
I'd like to first point out that breaststroke is much different than the long axis strokes we just finished working on, and because of that, I personally do not think there is only one "right" way to swim breast. You'll see in the following clips there are various and dramatically different styles of breaststroke even among the world's elite. However, upon inspection,
you will notice that there are many similarities as well.
1) Kitajima underwater. This is probably the best video footage you can find on breaststroke. Notice that his kick is fairly narrow and very quick. And, at the end of every stroke he immediately returns to a
full streamlined position. These two factors allow Kitajima to get more distance per stroke than any other male breaststroker in the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lYWPKVl-Bo
2) Another underwater clip - slow motion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtww6M4Dghs
3) This clip of Megan Jendricks and Agnes Kovacs underwater really allows us to see two distinct styles of breaststoke. Jendricks, on the far side, illustrates a fairly traditional technique always moving forward, while Kovacs, on the near side, opts to dive downward leading with her hands and following it through with her entire body. But, notice how quickly both of their arms recover and push back forward, thereby reducing the amount of time they are stuck in the "vertical" position, which causes the most drag.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbFhrDb9ulc
4) Leisel Jones is the current world record holder in the 200 breast, but her stroke is totally unconventional. She manages to power through the water utilizing her strong legs. Her head stays low to the water, and she slowly lowers herself back into
the water (like Jaws). But, it clearly works for her. You will also notice the water that shoots up in front of her face on every breath - this is because she squeezes her elbows and forearms together very quickly to propel herself forward. (3 min., 14 sec.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26WXA2b_Wo4
5) And finally, Brendan Hansen is the world record holder in both the 100 and 200 breast for men. His breaststroke is TEXT BOOK. His hips remain level and all of his energy is used to drive him forward. On his recovery, his shoulders are shrugged tight to lessen the resistence as he moves through the water. Combined with his powerful legs and amazing endurance,
he really can't stop him. (I love this clip.) (5 min., 44 sec.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLuGCo0nSg8
I hope this helps everyone! See you in the pool.
--Brian Olver
Welcome to breaststroke week! While doing breaststroke this week, here are a few tips and clips to help you improve your stroke.
I'd like to first point out that breaststroke is much different than the long axis strokes we just finished working on, and because of that, I personally do not think there is only one "right" way to swim breast. You'll see in the following clips there are various and dramatically different styles of breaststroke even among the world's elite. However, upon inspection,
you will notice that there are many similarities as well.
1) Kitajima underwater. This is probably the best video footage you can find on breaststroke. Notice that his kick is fairly narrow and very quick. And, at the end of every stroke he immediately returns to a
full streamlined position. These two factors allow Kitajima to get more distance per stroke than any other male breaststroker in the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lYWPKVl-Bo
2) Another underwater clip - slow motion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtww6M4Dghs
3) This clip of Megan Jendricks and Agnes Kovacs underwater really allows us to see two distinct styles of breaststoke. Jendricks, on the far side, illustrates a fairly traditional technique always moving forward, while Kovacs, on the near side, opts to dive downward leading with her hands and following it through with her entire body. But, notice how quickly both of their arms recover and push back forward, thereby reducing the amount of time they are stuck in the "vertical" position, which causes the most drag.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbFhrDb9ulc
4) Leisel Jones is the current world record holder in the 200 breast, but her stroke is totally unconventional. She manages to power through the water utilizing her strong legs. Her head stays low to the water, and she slowly lowers herself back into
the water (like Jaws). But, it clearly works for her. You will also notice the water that shoots up in front of her face on every breath - this is because she squeezes her elbows and forearms together very quickly to propel herself forward. (3 min., 14 sec.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26WXA2b_Wo4
5) And finally, Brendan Hansen is the world record holder in both the 100 and 200 breast for men. His breaststroke is TEXT BOOK. His hips remain level and all of his energy is used to drive him forward. On his recovery, his shoulders are shrugged tight to lessen the resistence as he moves through the water. Combined with his powerful legs and amazing endurance,
he really can't stop him. (I love this clip.) (5 min., 44 sec.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLuGCo0nSg8
I hope this helps everyone! See you in the pool.
--Brian Olver
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
