Santa Rosa Masters Down Under

"Hot" SRM Shirts Spread Around the Globe

2008-05-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

"I was mobbed," recalls one SRM shirt bearer. "Surrounded by well-dressed traders fighting over my last tank top. Made the best deal of my life."

"My shirts were worthless there," says swimmer John Morales. "A Russian man approached me all excited, willing to swap almost anything for the Flower Power T-shirt on my back, until I turned around and he discovered that the ones I was offering were sloganless. The deal was off. And he didn't speak a word of English! What's WITH these people?"

The national press has even picked up on the sizzling trend:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/colleges/wsu/story/297468.html

AND NOW NEWS FROM THE HOME FRONT

2008-04-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are in order for long-time noon swimmer, Jack Putnam and his patient girlfriend Jennifer. They tied the knot today after over a decade of courtship. We wish the happy couple all the best.
John

Perth.....thank you for the memories

2008-04-26T03:33:00.000-07:00

Some of the things which will remain with me for the rest of my days.....

- Seeing the Southern Cross

- Swimming in the Indian Ocean

- The special beauty of Australia

- and of course the medley relay !

Thank you everyone. It has been a trip which will never be forgotten and to be relived countless times.

Looking forward to coming home.....

Warren

Okay! Now We're Done!

2008-04-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

Warren and I were left behind on Anzac ( australia new zealand army corp) Day! A type of Veterans day. Besides swimming the open water swim in windy conditions, we had a huge crowd watching us suffer. Fighting choppy salty water and non stinging jellyfish, we survived the swim and earned ourselves 8th and 9th place! We attended the closing ceremonies last night and said goodbye to the swim meet.

Today we are off to Rottnest Island, to do some snorkling and relaxing in the sun. Later, we hope to get to Kings Park. It's going to be a long day. We have no accomadtions for the evening. Our flight leaves at 5 am.

We are coming home! Look forward to seeing everyone upon our return.

John and Warren

The Mens 200 Free Relay

2008-04-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

Thought you might enjoy this one as well. Who knew our water polo player could sprint a 50 freestyle? We figured he was only good for about 20 meters. And our fourth place in this relay would have won us a medal at Stanford.

Big Trouble in Little Australia!

2008-04-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Shortly after winning multiple medals at the XII Fina World Masters Championships in Perth, swimmer John Morales has been linked to a belly dancing scandal. We have here, the tape that leaked early this morning that could , should the panel deem it necessary, lead to his medals being revoked! See for yourself.

Parting Picture from Perth

2008-04-24T03:27:00.001-07:00

Warren closed the pool events with a 4:48.58, dropping his best by about a second and snatching up sixth or seventh. Tomorrow we're off to the open water swim, 3 kilometers through shark-infested fresh water. There's also been scuttle about "non-stinging" jellyfish.

Thanks to everyone for supporting the blog. We really appreciate all the comments! We look forward to telling you in person about our experiences and sharing all the video.

G'day from Down Under!

Warren, John, Joe, and Mali (and let's not forget Dave...)

Paquitín

2008-04-24T03:26:00.001-07:00

Paco, some friends from the homeland say hi: Barney Shepard and Yomarí Suárez. They wish you well.

John

A Bronze for the Bronze Boys

2008-04-24T01:38:00.001-07:00

"You California boys need to work on your tans," the announcer said when they hung the medals around our necks. The Russians standing on the podium next to us looked pretty pale in comparison. (Dave was off with his water polo team during the medal ceremony, thank goodness... he's as white as the Russians.) --Joe

Joe garners 5th in 50 back.

2008-04-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Joe came back from a tough 100 back and smoked a tremendous 50 back. I believe his time was 31.76, which got him 5th. His time was faster than his relay split. Awesome job. Mali swam a 42 in her 50 back and looked spectacular. She improves with every swim and her smile gets wider and wider. Warren is up in a couple of hours in the 400 free. He has our last pool event. Warren and I are in the open water swim tomorrow. Should be good conditions. Wish us luck.

John

Joe and John Were Toast

2008-04-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

Joe swam the 100 back yesterday, and I swam the 200 fly. Joe turned at the 50 in fourth, but everything fell apart with 15 meters to go. It happens to the best of us....no gas. The swim reminded me of Paco's and Rob's 100 back at champs. Complete body shutdown and a longing for the wall. I believe Joe still got 6th, and all in all took it well. John's 200 fly was not much prettier. My heart wasn't in it. I was not looking forward to the pain. I happened to be swimming next to my old roomie, Dan, who was not too excited about the swim either. So we swam the race neck to neck for three laps, swimming very conservitavely, and battled it out on the last lap. Battled is probably the wrong term....lets say floated. Dan just floated in ahead of me for fourth and I got fifth. I am not going to complain.

Thanks for all the comments and for reading the blog,

John

A Medal for Dave

2008-04-23T02:45:00.000-07:00

As you probably know, we recruited water polo player Dave Hendrickson for our two relays. As Dave had missed medaling in the polo rounds, we were determined to send him home with some hardware. After a morning panic, where they threatened to dq us because they claimed Dave wasn't registered as a swimmer, they took Honest Joe's word for it and let us enter the water. We blazed a 1:47.3 (or so) in the 200 free relay, for a fourth-place finish. Unfortunately, the cheap Aussies only gave medals to third. Fired up for the medley, we were fifth at the 100-meter mark, but the incredible John Morales brought us up to a strong third, and the animal, Warren Schenstrom, smoked the freestyle, garnering the team four bronze medals. It was definitely one of the highlights of the meet! Not having swum seriously in years, Dave swam an astonishing 34.6 to hold it together for our team. He definitely deserved that medal! --Joe

For Jim Clemmons

2008-04-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Your old roomie says hello. Tim has been setting world records with every swim.

John

What Happens in Perth...

2008-04-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

Look what happens to John a few thousand miles away from home.

Finally!

2008-04-21T19:16:00.001-07:00

Hi all! This should be the link for heat sheets and results, possibly 24 hours behind due to waiting for any protests to race results.
www.2008finamasters.org.au/infochamps.htm

Australia has been good to me

2008-04-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Had a great race in the 200 Im yesterday. Four of us turned together after th breaststroke, and I beat all but one(my old roommat Dan). I got some revenge in the 100 fly though. I got third and Dan got fourth. Dropped over 2 seconds in the 200IM...2:27.99 and dropped a couple of tenths in the fly...1:03.4+. Relay day today and its indoors. The noise will be THUNDEROUS!!!!

Go FLOWER POWER!

John

Relay Day !

2008-04-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone,

We are all set to go for two relays this afternoon - our goal is to place in the top three and stand on the award stand! Everyone is really excited...Dave is out of the medal round for water polo. We will do our best to make sure he goes home with something!

Let's see, even though there is very relaxed life style here, days move very quickly. We do our best to keep you guys up to date. There is only brief periods were things settle down enough to post.

There is a reason the Brittish have a stiff upper lip - it is from the meals! It seems to have rubbed off on the other side of the world. Our adventure into a resteraunt was just OK.

By the way, for those of you are curious, water circles from the left to the right. Doesn't appear to be anything different other than normal. This is probably why they do the same in the warmup pool - it is the natural order of things. It is harder for us to establish new habits and learn some new muscle memory patterns.

Missed placing in the 50m free by a hundreth, right on the bubble at 11th - broke the run, but
I will live. We are still smiling!!!

take care,

Warren

Wieslaw Musial

2008-04-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

I first heard of Wieslaw at the Stanford Worlds. He was 49(top of the age-group) and had just set the world record in the 200 back. Later I googled him and found he was a Polish Olympian who now lived and swam in Canada. I first saw him here swimming the 200 back against Joe. Joe had a great swim , but he got walloped by Wieslaw. So who am I sitting next to for my first event(400 IM)? None other than Wieslaw. In the marshalling area you have plenty of time to meet your competitors and we quickly became friends. I told him how I had seen him swim 2 years prior and looked forward to racing him in the 400 IM. Now here is the interesting part. I thought I was nervous! Wieslaw made me look catatonic. He told me in his broken English how he hated this event, that he could only swim backstroke, he hadn't been swimming well, why was he doing this, ect... Anyway, it opened my eyes. Here is a guy who has swam in the Olympics, numerous Masters Champs, and still gets nervous. Or was he playing mind games with me? It turned out no, that was just his personality. One of the friendliest guys I have ever met. Oh, and we had a great race. We were close in the fly, he buried me in the back(7 seconds), I caught and passed him in the breast and held on in the free.. We ended up 2nd and 3rd. We have since run into each other numerous times and have chatted quite often. We also had a great battle in the 200IM. Anyway, for those who still get nervous at competitions, you are not alone. Ex-Olympians do also.

John

Preparing for the Next Race

2008-04-20T21:37:00.001-07:00

Joe has the day off from swimming today, after garnering ninth in the 50 fly yesterday (it was close!), so he's resting up for the relays tomorrow. Luckily there are plenty of sights around the pool to help keep him focused on his goals.

More news from the land down under!

2008-04-20T01:29:00.000-07:00

Things are moving very fast down here. We are in a moment of pause, while waiting for Joe's 50m fly. There have techincal difficulties for us, things we take for granted in the States.

My 800m free was evenly split at 5:00 and 5:02. That was with a midnight hour body time clock. We are still waking up in the middle of the night here - good to go! Jim was right, I can't wait to swim that race on famaliar ground.

Mali had a get comment after the race. We were sharing experiences about the new driving conditions. She said that they had the cleanest wind shield in town. I laughed, because of the inside joke. The windshild wiper control is the left hand side. The turn signal control is on the right hand side. I can't tell you how many times I have turned on the wiper blades, while making a turn!

My 100m free time was a personal best - by four tenths! We are knocking at the door of breaking a minute. I swam the same heat as Jim Montgomery and Rich Abbott, two phenonminal swimmers - even though I get slaughtered.

It is kind of strange, we have traveled thousands of miles and see many of the same thing at home. Kmart, Woolworths, Burger King (aka Hungry Jack). The world has become a corporation.

Will make another post soon......

Warren

And Then There Was John

2008-04-19T22:43:00.001-07:00

More medals for Santa Rosa Masters. John took second place 400 IM with a time of 4:19.30, and Warren took sixth with a 5:41+. It was an agonizing three days of waiting and watching my comrades garnish all the hardware, but the waiting proved fruitful. Now that the butterflies are gone, I have the 200 freestyle to contend with this afternoon; Joe has the 50 fly. I may have broken the PMS record held by my buddy Matt Kanzler, but I need to check.

Thanks for all the comments on the blog! We love the support and are trying to make you proud.

John

No Worries !

2008-04-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Just a short note this morning. We promise to post more at length later today.

This is yesterdays results! Joe did a 200m back in 2:27, good enough for second!!

I posted a 1:00.39 in the 100m free, for an 8th place. These were both best times for each of us.

Later today will be the 400m IM for John and I.

They won't make it through the medal detector

2008-04-18T02:30:00.001-07:00

Why are these two hunks smiling? Because they are soon to have some hardware around their necks. Santa Rosa is on the boards! Joe garnered a third and Warren an eighth in the 800 free. Joe swam a 9:46 and Warren a 10:02. Best times for both. So the pressure is off them and put on me. I have 2 days to prove myself. Joe has the 200 back tomorrow and Warren the 100 free. Wish them luck. Oh, and Mali has the 100 free also.(that is if she stops checking my typing)

John

Satiated in Singapore

2008-04-17T02:37:00.000-07:00

Joe's having a hell of a time chatting up all the pretty flight attendants that populate Singapore Airlines, including this high-class lounge. What with all the gourmet food they ply us with every 45 minutes in business class, he'll need that new speed suit just to rein in his newly enhanced physique. Some taper...! But don't worry, boys, I'll have him there for the relay on Tuesday at the latest. That is if we don't oversleep and miss our flight...

--The Official SRM Perth Cheerleader

Good Day Mate!

2008-04-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

It is great to have finally reached our destination! The flight over was long and brutal. I saw John catching flies on the flight over the Pacific. He was lucky... I spent most of the time watching in flight movies.... most of them bad and only tolerable for an hour or so, before switching to the next one. Tried to sleep, but it was fruitless. The entire flight over was in darkness. It was strange to be so alert with a midnight sky. As we approached Sydney, daylight was breaking and we were able to see downtown, the opera house and bridge. It was a pleasent surprise.

The next hop wasn't so bad - alot shorter. I had a chance to catch up with our fourth relay member Dave Hendrickson. There was also another person whom I swam with many years ago - Greg Smith. It was great to relive experiences of the past. Most of the plane was filled with people going to the world championships from the various sports. All with stories similiar to our own. Upon our arrival in Perth, the weather was sunny and warm. Paradise at last.

The next adventure was driving on the left side of the road. The local driver tips are to look right and stay left. Those two tips turned out to be very helpful. The biggest adjustment is getting used to cars coming at you from unfamaliar directions. It is very unsettling. Right turns are a pain. You have to cross the entire intersection, with a right turn light. Been rubbing the curb a few times. One thing I learned very quickly was to keep John on the curbside.

The house we are staying is very nice. A quiet, affluent neighborhood - John did good!

Thursday we will be warming up at the pool and running a few errands.
My first swim is friday, tommorow 800 m free.

By the way, everyone hear is very friendly and helpful.

G'Day Mates

2008-04-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

Warren and I are finally downunder. If I had to hear one more,ARE WE THERE YET?, I was going to toss him out the door. With a bit of chemical assistance, I was able to sleep through half of the long flight to Sydney. I was sure out of it though when we transferred planes. Sydney was a very blurry city. I vaguely remeber seeing the Harbour Bridge and Opera House as we came in, or maybe it was a dream. Warren and I were able to split up on the plane and enjoy a bit more room. We met our fourth relay partner(Dave Hendersen) on the trip from Sydney to Perth. He was travelling with his water polo group.
We landed in clear weather, but it has been raining just about every minute since. It is warm though! Our house ,we are staying in, is very cute, and just 5-10 minutes from the pool. The pool site is spectacular. Three X 50 meter pools and 2 X 25 yard pools. I think we need a complex like this in Santa Rosa. Warren and I took a dip in the indoor pool yesterday. We were both relieved we still knew how to swim. Warren has done all of the driving and I have done all of the screaming. Every right-hand turn is a near death experience. I am glad I am not behind the wheel. Hopefully it will be easier after a few more days. I promise to include some pictures in my next report. Until then.

Happy swimming and no worries,
John

Flower Power Takes 2nd at Champs

2008-04-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

We ended up second to the Manatee Machine at the Championships this year. I would be pissed off if the Manatees weren't such a great group. Congrats to Brian Stack and his team. What a great meet for Santa Rosa though!!!!! Incredible swims all around. I commend all you first time meet swimmers. Your anxiety and enthusiasm were contagious. I think we will all agree, there is nothing more fun than participating in those relays. The stars and stripes never looked better! I hope we all realize now that swim meets are not just about swimming. Swim meets are a chance to meet and hangout with hundreds of others who share the same passion......swimming.
Warren and I head off to Perth this evening. We are both very excited. Thank you to all the well wishers at the meet. We will try to make Pacific Masters and Santa Rosa Masters proud. We will do our best to keep you up to date on what is happening Down Under.

Happy Swimming, John

Short Course Champs Day 2

2008-04-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

Flower Power blossomed today in Pleasanton. Everyone swam spectacularly today! Adrian and Joel swam their first races ever. Deborah re-entered competition after 30 years, and didn't miss a beat. Jan became the first Santa Rosan to crack the 5 minute barrier in the 500 free(awesome swim). Yours truly won the 45-49 swimmer of the year 2007. I was proud to accept the award for Our team and Hermine. World Psyche sheets are up. Joe, Warren, and I are placed well in our events. Both our relays are seated 4th.
Check it out: http://www.2008finamasters.org.au/infoswim.htm More Championships tomorrow. I can't wait!

John

PS more pictures on flickr.com link in top right corner

Pacific Masters Championships

2008-04-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

Today was the first of three days of competition at our championships. I signed up for one event a day. Why did you sign up at all, you might ask? Well, for a couple of reasons: 1. For me, I need the mental confidence that I am ready for Worlds. A couple of fast times would put me in the right frame of mind. 2. Championships are a team event, and I want to support the team, if only in a minor role. 3. I get an extra day off of work. Anyway, I accomplished all three goals. I swam the 800 relay, and we got third place(major points), broke Jim Clemmon's 50-54 age-group record in the 400IM, watched my teammates swim spectacularly, and I got to enjoy 75˚ weather instead of working. By the way, I just want to put in print what a class act Jim Clemmons is. That is both in and out of the water. He was one of the first to congratulate me. That means a great deal to me.

John

A Tribute to Sheila

2008-04-08T17:11:00.001-07:00

After reading John and Warren’s posts, I had to ask myself “why am I really going to Perth?” Sure, there’s the quest for that elusive medal, and the opportunity to be on a relay with swimming greats John Morales and Warren Schenstrom (and let’s not forget our breastroke recruit from Santa Clara, Dave Hendrickson), but the real reason I’m going to Perth can be summed up in two words: Mali Apple.

Most of you already know the “Sheila” with the Pom Poms in the picture above, but I’d bet there are few that know the story of how this particular Sheila came to be a swimmer. And since John’s been bugging me incessantly to contribute something to his fine blog, and Mali was kind enough to provide this picture (although she might not have had she known that I would make her the focus of my post!), I knew I couldn’t pass up this opportunity…

On a cold and breezy day four-plus years ago, not long after we met through the M4W section of the upscale cyber-marketplace, Craigslist, Mali decided she wanted to join me for an afternoon swim. What I didn’t know at the time was that Mali had an inordinate fear of swimming, having experienced near-drowning many times as a child at the hands of her sadistic older brother. But that day, Mali gamely sucked in what seemed to be two lung’s worth of air, put her face in and began a tortuous journey across the expanse of the JCC’s 25 yard pool. Time seemed to stand still as Mali fought valiantly against the swells, finally emerging at the far end, completely out of breath, and shivering down to her core. “This relationship will never work”, I thought to myself. “I’m going back to Craigslist…”

But unbeknownst to me, Mali had already decided that she was going to be a swimmer, signing up at the local pool in Sebastopol for evening lap swim. Within a few short months, Mali had outgrown the program with its amateur coaching, and lured by the Sirens’ Song of Masters Swimming, Mali discovered Hermine’s infamous “Morning Thunder” workout at Ridgway Swim Center. Alternately ignored or chastised for her atrocious strokes (butterfly comes to mind), Mali nevertheless persevered until that glorious day when she heard these words through the fog: “HEY Mali, move over to lane 4!” In a split-second, the realization that Hermine really DID know her name had made those cold, dark, crack-of-dawn morning practices all worthwhile. Not to mention getting to move up a lane…!

Bolstered by that success, Mali quickly expanded her sphere of influence in Masters Swimming, spearheading such renowned projects as the “My Coach is Hotter Than Your Coach” t-shirt, and becoming a one-woman recruiting center, pitching the benefits of Coach Hermine and her motley crew to anyone who would listen.

So I’d like to use John’s Blog to pay tribute to our very own “Sheila”, who has come so far in such a short time, and who has inspired me and countless others to drag our butts down to the pool on a (more) regular basis.

Thanks Mali!

Joe

P.S. And although she claims to be going to Perth solely to be the team cheerleader, we're betting the allure of the 50 meter pools in the Challenge Stadium will be too great to resist...

The days are moving faster....

2008-04-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

The excitement of this vacation is already begining to build! After two years, it is still hard to believe this trip is becoming reality. It has been a long, long time since I have done any traveling abroad and certianly never this far away from home.

One of the things, I look forward to is the complete immersion into a different culture. All new tastes, sounds, smells and sights - everything will have no previous sensory experience. I enjoy this type of learning. Not to say, that the likely hood of embarrassment will be very high, but hey what the heck - were just crazy americans... right. By the way, John, I promise not to point and laugh (to loud) and of course will never let you forget!

Finally, there is tremendous amount of support from everyone - thank you

Getting closer to showtime!

2008-04-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

"What have I gotten myself into?" As we trained long course, at Petaluma, this morning, the prior phrase was used quite a bit. Long course will do that to you! I swear the pool is a tad long(ie.15 meters), but Warren swears it feels a bit short. Guess which one of us was swimming butterfly.
Long course or not, we are all headed to Perth in just over a week. My taper is in full bloom. Late to get in the pool, and early to get out. Above is a picture of our World Champ participants. Starting from the left: Warren Schenstrom, Joe Dunn (behind th infamous Lion Water Fountain), Norm Stumpfel(Standing in for Mali), and yours truly. We have PMS Champs in a week. Some of us opted out, but others will participate in a limited capacity. It's for the team!

John

Two weeks to go!

2008-04-01T17:55:00.001-07:00

Warren, Joe, Mali, and I went to a swim meet at Berkeley last Saturday. The weather was not very conducive to fast times, but we all did pretty well none the less. I forgot my camera, so I hope you enjoy a picture of my kids and I. I think the four World participants are starting to think about how best to taper. Each has their own idea. All feel a little rest is not a bad idea. Our teams short course championships are in about a week. I plan on swimming one event a day. Some think I am crazy to swim at all. My wife, Erin, turned the "big 50" today. She says she doesn't feel a day over 49.

Video too?

2008-03-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

My first try at adding video. I want to give you the complete experience while I am downunder. I went to a Senior Games event at Stanford a couple of weeks ago. Yes, Senior Games! For those 50 and over. Anyway, I had a couple of good swims. Above was my best Masters time in the 100 fly. I was swimming in the Stanford Competition Pool. I didn't mention last time who will be traveling with me to Perth. My roommate will be "the war dog" , Warren Schenstrom. Training pal and great friend. I have never seen him swimming better. Also making the trip are the Santa Rosa Masters San Rafael contingent, Joe Dunn and Mali Apple. Joe plans on doing some damage in the backstroke events. Mali intends on setting many personal records. We have another meet this weekend at Cal Berkeley. Just a bit more fine tuning.

three weeks away

2008-03-22T13:27:00.001-07:00

It was two years ago that three naive 48 year olds thought they would go to the Worlds at Stanford and kick some butt. Well, maybe not kick some butt, but at least get some hardware.
Their experiences were all different. One missed a medal numerous times by just tenths, the second was aced out of a relay medal by hundredths, and the third threw out his back and wondered why he even signed up. Needless to say, the three returned home with there tails between their legs. A fire was lit though, and the three have trained diligently for the past two years to seek revenge on this dreaded Worlds. Yes, a little older and a tad wiser, but none the less very determined. You might ask why they are putting all this effort into a stupid medal, and the answer would be.....they have no lives. Yes, 3000 dollars is a bit much for a medal, but at the age of 50 we all claim senility. Wish us luck as we pursue our dream and try to keep family and friends updated throughout our journey.