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Santa Clara Swim Club boasts the premier Masters program in
the South Bay. The program is designed as a fitness program,
allowing the intended swimmer an opportunity to receive quality
sets aimed at pushing the individual's level of conditioning.
We are not a program that is designed to offer stroke corrections
or create an environment that fosters a learn-to-swim type attitude.
We are willing to offer advice if asked and we have a quality
staff that is available for one-on-ones if desired, but these
need to be arranged personally between the swimmer and instructor.
We feel we best maximize our ability to offer a quality, structured
swim environment through this approach. Our goal is to provide
sets that challenge, a workout routine that if followed will
provide excellent conditioning, and if desired and done so proactively
stroke corrections, etc. are available to those seeking such
additions to their swimming regime.
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What makes Masters swimming such an unique swimming environment
is that it gives every individual an opportunity to find their
place within a given workout session. Unlike the purely competitive
swim environment of the USS, Masters swimming is filled with
diversity in age, ability, and level of commitment, that no
one should feel intimidated by the chance to get involved. Many
programs do have former Olympians or other "serious"
former swimmers, but they may also have numerous first timers
who have found the joy of swimming later in life. How this all
blends together is what makes each program unique and successful
for the individuals enrolled. How to get involved with the right
program for you may take some testing of the waters, but you
will find the right one if you stay with it, ask questions,
and find the right mix of people to swim with.
What defines one Master swimmer from another? In your typical
Masters workout, you have two groups of athletes participating,
the competitive, and the non-competitive swimmer. The competitive
swimmer being that individual who has made a commitment to themselves
to being active in some form of competition, be it pool races,
open water, triathlons, etc. The non-competitive swimmer is
that swimmer who enjoys the pure fitness benefits the sport
of swimming offers in terms of cardiovascular fitness, stress
reduction, weight control, etc. Within the competitive environment
you also have varying degrees of swimming background and commitment.
In many workout sessions you have that group of so-called "fasties"
in the first couple of lanes, swimming back and forth with a
look of ease. Many of these swimmers have had an enormous competitive
background growing up and for them going to the swimming pool
for workout is something they probably have done most of their
life. Most swimming jargon is second-hand and they find Masters
swimming a natural transition from their days of age group,
high school, or college swimming. Within the competitive swim
environment is the fastest growing group of athletes to the
sport who up to now may not possess the extensive background
of swim competition. Many of these newly competitive swimmers
are triathletes and/or late bloomers to the sport. These swimmers
tend to want stroke technique, need assistance in pacing, and
descending sets or best average sets are new to their vocabulary.
Also being comfortable swimming other strokes besides freestyle
may take some time. It is this group of swimmers though, that
provides the greatest opportunity for accomplishment in the
Masters workout setting. This is the group hungry to learn,
able to understand, and ready to listen to advice on stroke
and swim training that will help them improve. The non-competitive
swimmer is that individual who may try the workout or may just
opt for their own lap swimming. These swimmers find the sport
of swimming to be enjoyable and beneficial for them as an excellent
form of exercise and they have chosen to make swimming a daily
part of their life. Assistance with helping them to better maximize
their time in the pool is usually a positive step towards encouraging
them to become an active member of a workout session.
How does a Masters program work for all these groups? All swimmers,
regardless of their ability and background, need to feel welcomed
and at ease with what is going on in a workout. Swim sets, while
it is fun to be entertaining, must be easy to follow, understand,
and provide some constructive feedback. Designing sets to make
sense to every swimmer is better than designing a workout that
only a few will understand. Allowing for flexibility within
the workout, ie. be it with fins, paddles, buoys, etc., also
gives the different diversity of swimmers a feeling that it
is okay to work at a pace that is comfortable to their development.
Creating a team concept where the accomplished triathlete can
feel welcomed swimming with the seasoned swimmer, is another
way to create an environment where diversity is accepted, not
challenged. Also there are no slow swimmers, for everyone is
doing their best with what they have, therefore each swimmer
is trying no matter what their interval may be. The number one
reason why most people get involved in a Masters program is
to either become or stay fit. When you think about it for a
moment, just getting such a diversity of people to go on an
interval is a remarkable feat.
The Santa Clara Swim Club (SCSC) has won a reputation as one
of the premier Masters programs in the South Bay. SCSC has a
tradition of excellence that has produced optimal results for
all swimmers. The goal at SCSC is to provide a swimming environment
where the fundamentals of an efficient stroke and the skills
required to feel strong and at your best in the water fulfilled.
The opportunity for you to enhance your enjoyment of the sport
and the water will be provided at each training session, with
the goal of enabling you to reach the next level in the sport
of swimming.
Masters swimming is a sport that has gained enormous popularity
in the last ten years. The benefits from participation in the
sport have made it extremely popular with a wide variety of
people. The successful programs have learned to mesh the diversity
of the participant in the sport into a program that does its
best to meet everyones needs. The true key to any program
though, comes from the individuals involved. It is up to you
to make the program yours and to make it a vehicle to help you
reach your potential and to reach your goals. The coaching staff
is here to work with you as you set the personal goals you need
to reach your success. We hope that this handbook will serve
as an useful guide to our program and to the many benefits of
Masters swimming and Santa Clara Swim Club.
"If One Advances Confidently In
The Direction Of His Dreams, And Endeavors To Live Life Which
He Has Imagined, He Will Meet With A Success Unexpected In Common
Hours."
--- Henry David Thoreau
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