Are you an adult swimmer
looking
for a
group to swim with?
Cost:
$50/month
Practice
times:
5:45 -7:30am Mon. -
Fri.
For more
details: Contact Mark
Kutz
Kutz4@verizon.net or
339-0246
Latest
Masters News Below
August
2009
RECOVERING AT
HOME
Shelley Lantz had surgery last week
at St. Mary’s to correct scoliosis. She is at home now and
her mother (Cynthia) reports that she is doing well, up and walking
around. She will be out of the water for about 6
months. I have a card that I’ll bring to practice
tomorrow morning for us to sign and send. If you would like
to send a personal card, the Lantzes are at 9512
Pine Shadow Dr., Richmond, VA23238.
MEET RESULTS
June 28: I Love The Tavern
Triathlon, in Richmond. Kim Krongaard won the aquabike division for
women, and Leigh Robbins was 6th in her age group for
the tri.
July 11: ChrisGreeneLakeSwim, Charlottesville. Six members of our team
(Chris Stevenson,
Heather Stevenson, Betsy Turner, David Fellowes, Ed Bush, Michelle Kitt), our
coach Mark Kutz, and NOVA business manager Scott Campbell competed at the annual Chris Green e Lake cable swim. For Mark, it was his first
time back to CGL since 1983. In the 1-mile race, Dave Fellowes won
his age group (45-49), Heather Stevenson was second (45-49), and
Michelle Kitt was third (30-34). In the 2-mile race, Betsy
Turner finished second among women 25-29, Quad was fifth (35-39),
Chris was first (40-44), Scott was sixth (45-49), and Mark was
second (50-54). Congrats to Chris for breaking his own national
record (41:03.05) and for finishing second overall (NOVA’s own Abby Nunn won the
event in 40:39.67). Full results and the press release are
here: http://www.cableswim.org/
Dave Fellowes took photos and a few
can be seen here:
If anyone has some more, please
send them my way!
Aug. 6-9: U.S.Masters LC
Championships, Indianapolis. Dave Holland and Chris Stevenson made the
long drive to the Midwest together (12 hours in a Honda Civic, and still friends
J ). Dave defected from VMST
for this meet to compete with a group of IndianaUniversity alumni (Doc IU Masters). He
finished 2nd in the 200 fly (2:21.38), 3rd in
the 100 fly (1:02.26), and208th in the 50 fly
(28.02). The highlight for him was swimming on the
1st place 400 medley relay (160-199 age group) with
former Sullivan Award winner and marathoner John Kinsella.
Chris had a phenomenal 200
backstroke, going 2:12 in his first event and obliterating
the world record (45-49) by 6 seconds. Unfortunately, he was
disqualified for going past 15 meters on the start. He
handled the news much better than the rest of us, claiming it was
“easy come, easy go”. Chris rebounded to win the
100 back (1:00.55) and 100 fly (59.10), and also finished
2nd in the 200 free (2:01.76), and 3rd in the
400 free (4:21.26). All four of his times were new LMSC
records for men 45-49.
UPCOMING MEET S
ANDOPEN WATER SWIMS FOR YOUR
CALENDAR
Sept. 12, 2009, Chicago: 19th annual
Big Shoulders 5K Swim.
This year the event is also a U.S. Masters 3-6 mile National
Championship. Bill Winters has competed several times and
will return this year. Enter now if you’re interested
as the cap is fast approaching: http://www.bigshoulders.org/
Sept. 26-27, 2009: SmithMountainLake swims (5K on Saturday, 1 mile on
Sunday). Info and entry form is here: http://www.lakeswim.net/
October 25, 2009: Sprint Classic at George Mason. This meet has Rob B.
written all over it. The 25 breaststroke is on! Entry
details later.
NOVA MASTERS MAKES THE COVER OF USMS
SWIMMER
If you’ve already received your May issue
of the magazine, you might have noticed that the cover photo
shows a cartilaginous creature emitting bubbles in a familiar
setting. Yes, it’s none other than Chris
Stevenson! Although we get the opportunity to observe his
underwater proficiency on a regular basis, it is nice to see him in
focus for once. In addition, the feature article is written by
our very own Mark Kutz. Congratulations to both Chris and Mark
for some well-deserved recognition.
A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST
REGULARS
Daniel Owens, Betsy Turner, and all the young
college kids who try to keep up with us.
MEET RESULTS
On May 3, Allison Czapracki competed in
the Nanticoke River 3-mile
swim and sprint triathlon” in Bivalve, MD. She finished
6th in her age group in 1:38:42. Results can be
found here: https://www.lin-mark.us/results_files/resnan09.htm
and more info about open water can be found on Allison’s
blog: http://owswimrva.wordpress.com/
Allison Czapracki, Kim Krongaard, and Dave
Holland traveled up the road to George Mason University for the
annual Colonies Zones Championships April 24-26. Kim had the
best cheering squad as her parents were in the stands. They
didn’t seem to notice when she false started in her 200
breaststroke. Unfortunately, both officials on deck
did. You should have seen Kim’s expression when the
Referee broke the news to her with a polite
“ma’am”. Full results can be found here: http://www.patriotmasters.org/Colonies.2009.Results.htm
Last week, our underwater superhero, Christopher
Stevenson, represented us quite well at the U.S. Masters National
Championship (SCY), held in Fresno, California. Swimming at
the “top” end of the 40-44 age group, Chris put up
quite a showing against the younger forty-somethings. Of the
1,582 participants in the meet, Chris was one of a handful to win
multiple events. His individual results were as
follows:
200 free: 2nd, 1:45.55,
100 back: 1st, 50.97, 200
back: 1st, 1:51.10 (LMSC record), 100
fly: 1st, 50.81 (LMSC record), 500
free: 3rd, 4:42.67 (LMSC record), 200 fly:
2nd, 1:54.85 (LMSC record).
Another noteworthy performance that must be
mentioned here was the 100 breaststroke turned in by Richmonder and
LMSC Registrar Lisa Bennett, who set a NATIONAL record in the
women’s 50-54 100 breast (1:12.85). As an aside, Lisa
grew up swimming in New Jersey on an AAU team with Mark
Kutz. Congrats, Lisa!
Full results from the meet are
here: http://www.usms.org/comp/scnats09/realtime/
UPCOMING MEETS AND OPEN WATER SWIMS FOR YOUR
CALENDAR
Saturday, July 11: Chris Greene Lake 1
& 2 Mile Cable Swims in Charlottesville:http://www.cableswim.org/
(HOSTED BY VIRGINIA MASTERS)
MASTER’S SPOTLIGHT- DAVID
FELLOWES
·
Swimming with NOVA Masters
since: I
joined NOVA about 1.5yrs ago and have enjoyed it ever
since.
·
What is your background as a
swimmer and athlete? I started swimming in small summer programs when
I was 10yrs old --- at the British Embassy and American base pool
in Ankara, Turkey. I swam another year when living in
Iran. Swimming then took a 30-year break when I moved
to Elizabeth City NC (city without a pool at the time).
As for other sports, I was a distance runner with HS
records and lots of 10k races plus more than a decade of volleyball
and windsurfing competitions and golf. Cycling has been added
in the last two years.
·
What motivates you to wake
up and swim at 5:45am: Let’s see… listening to Kim K
chatter, coach Kutzisms and working my way into fast lane 8 one of
these days… It’s actually a great way to start
off the day and the best way to stay in shape. I even go out
of my way to swim with other Masters programs when on business
travel 70+ nights a year… From outdoor competition
pools in Phoenix and Ft. Lauderdale, open water swims with the
Waikiki Swim Club to outstanding HS, collegiate and public pools
throughout the US and Canada – and even George Mason
University’s pool in Fairfax last week.
It’s great being able to swim on the road!
·
Outside of the pool, who are
you? Married
to a wonderful wife (Lynn) with two great kids - Miranda(10) and
David(9) who are NOVA swimmers too. I’m also an area
vice president of sales for an international telecommunications
company --- selling high capacity data services to other
telecommunications service providers like AT&T, Verizon, Google
and Sprint.
·
People might be surprised to
know that: I dropped 65lbs over 18 months…
starting with lap-swimming at a local health club before NOVA
Masters, cutting back on meal portions and cycling on
weekends. Getting back into shape last year (’08)
allowed me to compete in my first swim meet in over 30 years and
finish with respectable times in a 2-mile cable swim and an Olympic
distance triathlon.
·
Favorite Kutzism:
“I don’t
care WHO you are – this is FUN!”
Followed closely by “Age has its
privileges.”
To see Dave’s photo, visit the NOVA
Masters Spotlight page:
March 25, 2009
MEET
RESULTS
WHEREAS, on March 15, Kim Krongaard, Jocelyn Adelman,
and Dave Holland attended the 1st Annual “Dreaming
of Spring” Meet (SCY) hosted by Warrenton Masters;
and
WHEREAS, the meet was the first masters’
competition held at their new 10-lane natatorium; and
WHEREAS, the mayor of Warrenton was on hand signing
“Pool Record Proclamation” certificates for anyone
winning an event; and
WHEREAS, the NOVA contingent collectively claimed ten
first places;
THEREFORE; IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, let it be
herewith decreed that I don’t care who you are, it’s
fun to get a parchment with gold seals and blue ribbons and
whereas(ses) all over it. Fu ll meet results can be
found here:
Chris Stevenson is currently on
“sabbatical” but obviously that term does not apply to
his swimming. The only one who has been to more swim meets
this month is Mark. Chris and Mark both attended Senior
Champs at UVA a few weekends ago and showed the young kids the true
meaning of a “senior” champ. Mark was the
paceman, and Chris was the raceman. He qualified for finals
in the 100 back (50.67 prelims), 200 back (1:52.93 prelims)20and
100 fly (50.85 prelims) and led off NOVA’s 400 medley relay
that finished second. NOVA won the team competition in
convincing fashion. Results:
Chris’s times in the 100 back, 200
back, 100 fly, and 200 free (1:44.37) were new LMSC records for the
40-44 age group in short course yards.
Chris was coerced into taking an
obligatory weekend off but was back in the water at the annual
Albatross Open (SCM) in North Bethesda, MD on March 22.
Because your age for meets in meter pools is your age as of Dec.
31, Chris competed in the 45-49 age bracket for the first time (he
really doesn’t turn 45 until October). Despite the
premature aging, he found his way to the right pool, setting two
new LMSC, USMS, and WORLD records in the 100 back (58.33) and 200
back (2:09.05). Premature aging has its privileges!
CONGRATULATIONS, CHRIS !! Results are here:
UPCOMING MEETS FOR YOUR
CALENDAR
Fri-Sun, April 24-26: “Colonies
Zone SCY Championship” in Fairfax, VA:
Sun, May 3: “Nanticoke River
3-mile swim and sprint triathlon” in Bivalve,
MD:
Saturday, May 16: “First Annual
Gator Swim Meet” in Roanoke, VA:
MASTER’S SPOTLIGHT- KIM KRONGAARD
Kim has been a regular devotee of NOVA
Masters since 2006. We asked her to share some words about
her athletic background, the path that brought her to NOVA Masters,
and her life outside of lane 10:
I grew up being a part of a wonderful
summer league swimming program in Northern Virginia, but stopped at
the age of 11. Swimming came easily for my five siblings and me
(especially breaststroke). I just wished I had stayed with
it. I ran cross country my senior year in high school and was a
walk-on at Radford University.
I became involved in triathlons wh en
I lived in San Clemente, CA- my husband Mike was an officer based
at Camp Pendleton and I was based in LA as a=2 0flight attendant -
plenty of down time to train and get my Masters of Education at
Cal.State LB. I swam with a masters’ program in San
Onofre- an outside pool with a view of the Pacific Ocean! Oh, how I
miss that! I was in lane 10 then, and I am still in lane
10!
I competed in a few Body Building shows, judged purely on muscle
development- none of that beauty stuff. Thank goodness Mark &
Leigh pegged me as a “sprinter”-now I am learning to
capitalize on that quality!
I returned to Northern Virginia to
begin family life and start a business with the Golds Gym Family.
We currently own three Golds Gyms in the Richmond area, and I teach
a few classes in my spare time. Once my three kids were in
school, I started training with my husband for the sprint
triathlons, and began training with the NOVA
studs! I comp eted in my first Masters Swim Meet
last year and it keeps me training hard. I learn something new
every time I swim with these dedicated athletes! I love to bug the
coaches with my questions. Just like I tell my kids, “hard
work DOES pay off, and being uncomfortable is part
of the process. So stop complaining and make something
happen!” My biggest obstacle to date (besides the
200 test sets!) is teaching my three kids to follow the above
advice!
February 20,
2009
MASTERS’ MEET AT NOVA HAS
COME AND GONE
The annual David Gregg III
Memorial Meet at NOVA was another successful event hosted by
VMST. Some highlights from the two day adventure in our
home pool:
- Watching Lucy Carrig tear up the pool as her mom
sat in the stands thinking “after all these years, here I am
again.”
- Quad’s (aka Mr. Ed Bush) annual brush with
the one minute barrier in the 100 free. Will it happen before
he hits 40 ?
- Mark breaking his own LMSC record in the 200 fly
without having to mount and dismount the blocks multiple times like
last year.
- Jocelyn’s pre-concert 500 free with Mark
yelling “hurry up, you’re going to be
late!”
- George’s sprint performance in the 50 fly,
i.e. sprinting to get to the blocks after walking in the
door about 30 seconds earlier.
- Amanda Kutz stopping mid-stroke in the 50 breast
to gawk sideways at all 9 lanes of her competition. Who is her
coach,20anyway ?
- Dan Doherty claiming his gold medal like a kid
in a candy story.
- Team Krongaard yelling “ GO MOM
!”
- Marie Kelleher setting national records in the
50 free and 50 breast at age 96. As our coach would
say: Age has its privileges !
- Dave and Chris swimming a 200 medley relay
together (Chris-Dave-Chris-Dave) and the DQ judge raising his arm
after saying “wait a second…”.
- Mark as Elvis. I don’t care WHO you are, this was
fun.
The team photo can be found
here:
Full results can be found
here:
New LMSC
records:
Men 50-54, 200 fly:& nbsp;
2:45.26 by Mark Kutz
Women 18-24, 50 fly: 27.60
by Lucy Carrig
If you didn’t get your
Elvis t-shirt with the Kutzisms on the back, it’s not too
late. I have 1 XL, 2 L, and 1 M remaining. They are $
12.00, first come, first serve.
UPCOMING MEETS FOR YOUR
CALENDAR
Sun, March
15: “1st Annual Dreaming of Spring” SCY
meet in Warrenton, VA: a new meet in a beautiful new
natatorium. The walls, water, and windows are
immaculate… and so are the records ! Al l event winners
will receive an official proclamation from the Warrenton mayor for
owning a pool record. Info can be found
here:
Sat, March
21: “Albatross Open” SCM meet in North Bethesda,
MD:
Fri-Sun, April
24-26: “Colonies Zone SCY Championship” in
Fairfax, VA:
MASTER’S
SPOTLIGHT
 Dan Doherty joined NOVA Masters in January 2009
and competed in his first-ever swim meet last weekend at
NOVA. He placed first in the men’s 18-24 50 breast
(novice) and 100 breast. Here is what Dan shared with us:
I am currently a junior at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland,
Virginia. I am majoring in International Studies with an
Asian Studies minor. I am also in my second full year of
Japanese language study. Next fall, if all goes according to
plan, I will spend the semester in Japan. I was in Tokyo last
January and greatly enjoyed the experience. I play tennis for
Randolph-Macon and enjoy every minute of it. As for swimming,
I swam when I was much younger, but never in real competition or in
high school. My junior year of high school I was diagnosed
with cancer; Synovial Cell Sarcoma, and underwent treatment at
Georgetown University Hospital and the Lombardi Comprehensive
Cancer Center. I missed the latter half of my junior year,
but was able to return and g raduate in 2005. I was a manager for
the Potomac Falls High School swim team my senior year and had a
blast. I’ve always enjoyed the water and was a summer
lifeguard at pools in my community. Out of the pool and off
the courts I enjoy watching movies, spending time with friends, and
have a passion for automobiles. I see both Swimming and
Tennis as lifelong endeavors and wish to pursue both with
vigor. My goal is to become better than yesterday and faster
tomorrow. ~ news compiled by Dave Holland
December 2008
Zones SCM Holiday Classic at Rutgers
On Dec. 5-6, five swimmers braved the D.C. traffic and snow
flurries to attend the Colonies Zone championship at Rutgers.
The competition was superb, but the Kutz-trained athletes were
well-prepared and well-suited in their black NOVA caps and sleek,
supple fabrics. Four forty-something males (Evan
Davis, Dave Holland, Chris Stevenson, and Bill Winters)
and one brave twenty-something female (Allison
Czapracki) collectively set 10 new LMSC records:
Age Group Gender Course Event
Time Name
40-44 Men SCM 1500
free 17:53.15 Dave Holland
40-44 Men SCM 50
back 26.56 WR Chris
Stevenson
40-44 Men SCM 100 back
55.90 Chris Stevenson
40-44 Men SCM 200 back
2:04.96 WR Chris Stevenson
40-44 Men SCM 100 breast
1:10.64 Evan Davis
40-44 Men SCM 100
fly
56.99 Chris Stevenson
40-44 Men SCM 200
fly 2:10.99 Chris
Stevenson
40-44 Men SCM 200
IM 2:24.26 Dave
Holland
160-199Men SCM 400 medley 4:10.47 Stevenson, Davis, Holland,
Winters
200-239Mixed SCM 200 med 2:36.56 Czapracki, Brundage, Stevenson,
Durrant
Special congratulations are in order for Evan
Davis and Allison Czapracki, who each
etched a name in the masters’ record books for the first
time. And yes, it almost goes without saying that
Chris Stevenson broke some more world records,
this time his own ! Chris lowered his own world records
in the 50 and 200 backstrokes, and dropped 1.5 sec from his
previous WR in the 100 back while finishing second in an epic
battle with wunder-whippersnapper Mike Ross (54.85
and 55.90). Chris also missed the 100 fly WR by less than one
second. Not bad for a guy who ages up in a few months.
Full results can be found here:
http://www1.recreation.rutgers.edu/Content/Masters_SCM_Colonies_Zone_Championship.asp
VMST Winter Meet
at NOVA - Feb. 14-15
You have two months to prepare for this premiere event. Entry
is here:
http://www.vaswim.org/meets/2009/VMST%20Winter%20Meet%20Entry%202009.pdf
Are you
registered with USMS?
If you are swimming with NOVA Masters, it is required !! You
can register online at:
http://www.usms.org/reg/
If you’re interested in doing relays at the Feb. 14-15 meet,
you should register with VMST. If you don’t plan to do
relays or compete in 2009, your best bet is UNAT.
New Member
Spotlight
Michelle Kitt is new to our group. I asked
her to send us a little swimming bio and she was nice enough to do
so. Here is what she shared:
After a 15 year break, I’ve come back to the pool to get in
shape and train for a triathlon (TBD) this summer. Swimming was my
first sport and where I’m most comfortable. I’m known
as "determined" and "committed" rather than "fast." (I swam for the
JCC Dolphin Club and my best performance was a B-time in
backstroke at age 13). I believe life is for trying things and
I’ve enjoyed some unique experiences simply because I am
willing to sign up for them! The best way to explain my day job is
that I lead the design of middle and high school science courses
for K12, Inc. - an education company located in Northern VA. I also
coach at a lifestyle and wellness center for kids, teach the
occasional indoor cycling and strength conditioning classes at
Gold’s Gym, and volunteer at the Positive Vibe Cafe - a
restaurant that trains people with disabilities to work in food
service. I live in the West End near Innsbrook and have a cat named
Penny. I look forward to meeting everyone!
~Michelle
Summer of
2008
In May, Jeff Wyatt competed in the Brazil iron distance triathlon
(2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run), finishing in a
remarkable 11:22:20, good enough for 52nd out of 201 in
his age group. Detailed results can be found
here:
In
July, most of us worked and trained. Who has time to compete
? Ok, there is always Chris Stevenson. He went to the
Virginia Long Course Senior Champs (in North Carolina, of
course) with the strong young contingent from NOVA and
held his own just fine. He finished 13th in the
100 back and was a part of two NOVA relays
that finished in the top 8. Not bad for a 43-year old,
unshaved and without naps.
In
August, Chris Stevenson, Bill Winters, and Dave Holland made the
trip to Gresham, Oregon for
the USMS Long Course National Championship. Chris won three
events (50 back, 100 back, and 200 back), setting a world record in
the 100 back with his 1:00.56. He was also second in the 100
fly and 3rd in the 400 free. Dave and Bill each had
top 3 finishes (Bill in the 50 back, 100 back and 200 breast, Dave
in the 200 fly). The highlight of the meet occurred on August
16. While Michael Phelps was making history with his
8th gold medal in Beijing,
in Oregon all eyes were on the showdown between Dave and
Bill in the 200 IM. After months of trash talking, the two
41-year olds decided that bragging rights and global history would
be on the line for 3 important race details: reaction time,
breaststroke split, and final time. Swimming in the same heat,
Dave finished in 5th and Bill in
6th. Point to Holland. Running back to the coaches on deck, the
duo discovered that reaction time battle had gone to Bill, .69 to
.74. Then there was the matter of that pesky breaststroke
split. Bill had clearly been the stronger breaststroker in
college, but those knees are ancient history. Examining the
handwritten stopwatch splits on the clipboard, it became evident
that it was too close to call. The final deciding point would
come down to a careful look at the official pad
splits: In the end, it was Holland with
the slight edge, winning the breaststroke split and Trash Talk
Title (for at least at year) from his nemesis, 42.90 to
42.98. According to the reports the next day in the New
York Times and Washington Post, it was “an epic
performance.”
Putting all kidding aside, the threesome got down
to serious business in the relays. Representing Virginia
Masters and the NOVA
senior grays with pride, they placed
third in the 200 medley relay (Chris Stevenson, David Malsbury,
Dave Holland, and Bill Winters, 1:55.46) to claim a bronze
medal.
Full results from USMS Nationals can be found
here:
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