Our very own UC San Diego Masters Sports program has more going on than just swimming, running and turbo training...it's called social-izing! Even though we host 28 professionally coached workouts each week (that's 1,456 workouts per year!!!!!), it's important to remember that the workouts are filled with people with common interests. That makes for a very interesting mix of athletes who train and socialize together throughout the year.
Our swimming program trains at one of the best aquatics centers in the United States. Boasting two 50 meter competitive swimming pools, the Canyonview Aquatics Center is host to our swimming program, as well as the UCSD Men's and Women's Swimming and Water Polo teams. To top it off, there is ONE GREAT BIG JACUZZI (pictured) that offers a refreshing pause to all of our athletes! Yeh! The Jacuzzi truly is the ‘BUZZ POINT' of the aquatics center. Swimmers and triathletes alike gather both before and after scheduled workouts, to exchange ideas and trade training stories. So, don't think of our workouts as just a workout. Think of us as a great opportunity to retool your energy and rehash your life. Train hard and smart...then head off to the Jacuzzi for a moment of relaxing therapy!
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FESTIVUS 2011
Each year, the UCSD Masters Swimming Program hosts a one of kind of event, the first Saturday of December, right here at the Canyonview Aquatics Center. This year it's on December 3rd. It's called the FESTIVUS WORKOUT. It's history is deep within the past T.V. comedy hit, SEINFELD. If you're not familiar with the program, FESTIVUS was a holiday one of the character's Father started in lieu of the other December Holidays. It's basis is centered around an aluminum pole (pictured), Feats of Strength, the Airing of Grievances and Festivus Miracles. We added our own twist by centering our Festivus around a swimming workout followed by a pancake breakfast for all to enjoy.
At the beginning of the workout, every one is encouraged to scream out everything that bugs them...now this gets to be a little loud, but it's interesting to note here, that an enitre minute is allowed for the AIRING OF GREIVANCES, and after about :20 seconds, many people just run out of things to complain about...really! Following this sometimes humbling expereience, a short warm up ensues followed by 20 different challenges (Feats of Strength) that each lane of swimmers has to complete before going on with the workout. Within the workout, are many opportunities to see and feel different Festivus Miracles...they rise to the surface (so to speak), throughout the workout.
After an hour and a half of this tom-foolery, we congregate poolside for pancakes and bragging rights for those who completed their Feats of Strength successfully. So, if you're ready to get in shape, and really hit the holiday season with something different, then our FESTIVUS WORKOUT might just be right up your alley!
Every October, the UCSD MASTERS SWIM PROGRAM goes forward in time to help the swimmers with their swimming technique. Pretty exciting, right? We call it our Developmental Swim Season. Anybody can walk and run...we've been doing that since we were just kids. But swimming is a different kind of a fitness routine.
If you're a swimmer, you already know that swimming is a very technical sport. There's more to do than just jump in and go. First of all you're in the water...trying to stay afloat, and full of air. Your ultimate goal is to move forward through the water with the least amount of resistence. Then you need to move your arms and legs in a specific manner to make everything work as one. Since a swimming pool is just a big rectangle, pretty quickly you'll have to turn around and come back to where you started. Everything in action at the same time...that's what it's all about.
Our goal during this time of the year is to teach more than coach. With a little help from your freshly honed skills and a few brain cells, all you'll need to do is follow the stroke progression and in a few days you're swimming better than ever! Join our program to experience a great fitness environment on a regular basis....yeah, we have workouts 7 days a week...plenty of options for anybody's schedule. Our special STUDENT DISCOUNT is only $55.00 for a full quarter of swimming...or running...or multi-sport training. Over all, thats a total of 338 workouts in one quarter....hmmmm, do you think thats enough? See you in the pool.
Fall Pancake Breakfast
Every quarter our very own UCSD MASTERS SPORTS program hosts a normal/but/crazy event at the Canyonview Pool, right after a Saturday morning swim workout...a pancake breakfast. Now you might not think that pancakes are all that crazy, right? That just means you haven't been to one of the 'these' pancake breakfast's. Not that we're just talking about pancakes...what we are talking about is what's IN the pancakes. On is gonna be syrup, or fruit or jelly...but IN can be pretty much anything you can think of...plus some outrageous and unique ingredients. Have you had a Spam & tomatoe pancake? Or how about a sardine & marshmellow pancake? Eh? Now you see what I'm talking about, right?
The Date: Saturday, October 1st
The Place: Canyonview Aquatics Center- Canyonview Pool
The Time: Right after the 7:30-9:00am swim workout (c'mon down for a swim first to jumpstart your appetite)
Swimming 101...
Swimming in the summer is so cool, but there's more to swimming than just cooling off. If you are training for a triathlon, rough water swim or pool swim meet, the training routine takes many different 'roads' to success. In every workout, the UCSD Masters Sports Coaching Staff trains the athletes through all of the energy groups that an athlete might use in their competitive events. For fitness athletes, we basically train them as if they are actually getting ready for a competition in their favorite sport. Ya' know, life is a competition, and it's important to be in tip-top shape to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For swimmers, this means swimming all of the four competitive strokes...butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. We offer a coaching for those swimmers who don't know all of the strokes, and push those athletes that need to be pushed, to get the most out of their swimming. It's what's in the water that matters...and we're talking about bodies here, ya know? Come in for a swim, and see how energized you feel when you're done! Check out our schedule at http://recreation.ucsd.edu/Masters.html.
