DAM Monday Message - Dec 13, 2021

View this email in your browser

Coach's Message

Thank you to DAM's coaching staff for stepping up and filling the gaps left by Coach Steve's departure. It shouldn't be surprising that DAM has a deep pool (had to say it) of talented and dedicated swimmers who also have coaching certifications and experience. Some of those swimmer/coaches (Kerry Halstead and others) are creating our workouts (starting today!), which will be adaptable to ALL swimmers, and which will change with the DAM seasons and events. Some of those swimmer/coaches are leading our swim program, and your workouts, on deck. All are working together to ensure that DAM keeps swimming DAM fast, and they all deserve our thanks and support.

USMS Registration Renewal

Its time for all DAM swimmers to renew their USMS registration!

USMS Renewal <--CLICK HERE TO RENEW!

Everyone who swims with DAM must maintain current registration with USMS. The USMS provides liability insurance for DAM and its coaches, and DAM requires that all participants in our workouts, weekend lap swims, and competitions are registered.

After January 1, swimmers who have not renewed their USMS registration will not be able to swim!

The USMS offers a "Standard USMS Membership" - this is what DAM requires. The "full access membership" is not required, but it will also satisfy DAM's requirement.

DAM Grand Prix

After a two-year hiatus, your club is pleased to announce the return of the DAM Grand Prix. It’s a goal-oriented, 12 month long, participation-based event that is open to all Davis Aquatic Masters members. The Grand Prix begins December 1st and each November 15th.

The event culminates in an award ceremony at the Annual Party for swimmers who participated in swim meets and/or open water events, ePostals and Virtual Championships, who volunteered at DAM-hosted events, and more. It is both simple and very difficult to accomplish. Each day of an event that you participate in earns you one point, except the One Hour Swim, all USMS National Championships and all DAM hosted events which are worth two points. The event also includes two ‘30/30’ segments (where swimmers swim at least 30 minutes for 30 continuous days during March and September) to earn 5 points.

The program goal is simple: acquire as many participation points as you can! Depending on your level of participation, there are a series of tiered awards.

Grand Prix Awards (any combination of pool and open water events)

28 points: Grand Prix Champion Award (custom sweatshirt, t-shirt, mug and cap)
20 points: Grand Prix Gold Award (custom t-shirt, mug and cap)
13 points: Grand Prix Silver Award (custom mug and swim cap)
7 points: Grand Prix Bronze Award (custom swim cap)

All USMS sanctioned and recognized events count for points. A large, multi-day Championship earns one point per day and each small, one-day meet counts as one point.

SAVE THESE 2021/22 EVENT DATES

Date	Type of Event	Host and Location	Links	Grand Prix Points
Nov 1-Dec 31	Brute Squad	DAM, any pool	registration	Two/event
Dec 5	Holiday Party	DAM		One
Dec 1 – Dec 31	400 Kick for Time	MEMO, any pool	registration	One
Jan 1- Jan 31	One Hour Swim	DAM, any 25y pool	registration	Six
Jan 1 – Feb 28	Miracle Mile	TAM, any pool		One
Jan 29	TOC 1500	TOC, San Francisco		One
Sat. Feb 26	Sprint Pentathlon	ALB, Richmond		One
Mar 1-Mar 31	30/30	DAM, any pool		Five
Fri-Sun Apr 1-3	Pac Masters SCY Champs	Morgan Hill		One/day
Thu-Sun April 28-May 1	USMS National Champs	San Antonio, TX		Two/day
Sat, June 4	Open Water	DAM, Berryessa		Two
	Volunteer	Berryessa		One
Sat-Sun, June 11-12	Open Water	TVM, Pleasanton		One/day
Fri-Sun, July ??	Pac Masters LCM Champs	TBA		One/day
July ??	Summer BBQ	DAM, Davis		One
Sat-Sun, July 30-31	Open Water	CRUZ, Santa Cruz		One/day
Thu-Sun, Aug 3-7	USMS National Championship	Richmond, VA		Two/day
Sat, Aug 13	Open Water	Donner Lake		One
Sat. Aug ??	Summer Splash	DAM, Woodland		Two
	Volunteer	Woodland		One
Sept 1- 30	30/30	DAM, any pool		Five
Sun, Oct 2	Pentathlon Meet	SAC, Sacramento		One
Fri-Sun, Oct ???	Pac Masters SCM Champs	WCM, Walnut Creek		One/day
Oct 1- Nov 30	Brute Squad & BS Lite	DAM, Any 25y pool		Two/event

2022 USMS One Hour Swim Virtual Championships

As per club history, all DAM members are again encouraged to participate in the annual USMS One Hour Swim (OHS) challenge. We support this event because it allows our newer members to create and identify their postal pace, our returning members to recalibrate their PP and everyone to earn BIG points toward the 2022 Grand Prix.

DAM is the host club for this year’s event (2 GP points) and it’s a National Championship (2 GP points) and because we want to reclaim the Large Club title from New England Masters we weigh the points for the OHS heavier than normal (2 points), which means this year’s OHS is worth a total of 6 GP points!

Additional information and details will appear in next week’s Monday Message.

This is the final year that clubs are eligible to host the ePostals as 2022 marks a transition for USMS to begin assuming administrative duties of the three Virtual Championship events. One of the biggest changes in effect for this event is that all participants must Pre-Register before they compete. After the swim, individuals will return to the registration page and submit their splits and final times.

Here is the link to the Registration pages. Early registration for the event is $10 through tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec 14). After that date, the fee increases to $12.

13th Annual Ross Yancher Brute Squad & Brute Squad Lite - EXTENDED

The 13th Annual Ross Yancher Brute Squad Swim has been extended - you can now complete the event by Friday, December 31, 2021. Entries must be received by January 2, 2022.

Online entries (entries must be received by Jan 2, 2022)
Meet sheet
Split sheet
Mail-in entry form

Brute Squad Gear now available!

Sign up at Civic or Arroyo. Contact Lynda ( yancher@aol.com) or Sharon (brutesquad@damfast.org)
if you are in need of a timer OR with any questions.

Lap Swim - $5 fee ending soon

No Charge for Lap Swim - The Board approved the 2022 budget at the last board meeting. The team's budget outlook for 2022 looks pretty good, and the fees the Club has been generating from lap swim are no longer necessary. As a result, the Board unanimously approved the end of weekend lap swim fees. Starting January 1, 2022, lap swim will be back to "the old way" - which means you may swim at will during weekend lap swim hours. No need to sign up (just sign in), and no additional fees.

No charge for doing a Brute Squad during lap swim - The board also voted to waive lap swim fees for swimmers who complete a Brute Squad event and complete an entry online or by mail.

The weekend schedule is as follows:

Saturday
- 7-8AM : Practice
- 8-9AM : Practice
- 9-10AM : BRUTE SQUAD SESSION
- 10-11AM : Lap Swim
- 11AM-12PM : Lap Swim
Sunday
- 10-11AM : Lap Swim
- 11AM-12PM : Lap Swim
- 12-1PM : Lap Swim

The signup form is here, you know what to do! Remember - there is still a $5 charge for lap swim until the end of the year.
more info | FAQ

If you don't receive a confirmation email of your lane and station, or can't find it by 3pm Friday, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us (webmaster@damfast.org or djsperka@gmail.com).

DAM Board of Directors Meeting

The next DAM Board of Directors meeting will be held TONIGHT Monday, Dec 13, at 6:30PM, in the Brady Building. Here is a preliminary agenda. All members are welcome to attend.

DAM Birthdays this week

Sun, Dec 12	Ignacio Castano Aguado

Mon, Dec 13	Kim DeYoung

Tue, Dec 14	Ziv Lang
Tue, Dec 14	Alison Skinner

Wed, Dec 15	Annette Keochekian
Wed, Dec 15	Brett King

Thu, Dec 16	Mickey Bartko
Thu, Dec 16	Roswita Norris
Thu, Dec 16	Jacqueline Romo

Fri, Dec 17	Bruce Chang