GBM News

*** News from Great Bay Masters Swimming ***

Ironman Lake Placid
Congratulations Sarah Baker on an amazing performance in last weekend's Ironman
Lake Placid. The race is the second oldest Ironman triathlon race in North
America, comprising a 2.4 mile swim in Mirror Lake, a challenging 112 mile bike
through the Adirondacks, and a marathon run finishing in the Olympic Speed
Skating Oval. Sarah joined over 2,700 participants in this marquee Ironman event.
Sarah posted outstanding times in each race leg: 1 hour 2 minute swim, 6 hour 7
minute bike, and a 3 hour 53 minute run for an overall time of 11 hours and 10
minutes, placing her in the top 10 in her age group and just outside the top 10%
of finishers overall. WAY TO GO SARAH!!!

Preliminary JT Meet Report
Swimmers from around New England, and as far afield as Sweden, joined GBM
swimmers to enjoy perfect weather for last weekend's annual long course meet at
the Jenny Thompson pool in Dover. As usual the meet combined a relaxed and
friendly atmosphere on deck with some tough racing in the pool. We will be
posting a fuller meet report shortly but in the meantime would like to extend
our congratulations to Samia Touma, who competed in her first meet, and to
celebrate Paul Griffin's welcome return to the race pool.
We would also like to thank Bob Fredette and the officials, our timekeepers from
Cannonball, Phil and Susan Read, and Crystie and Matt for all their hard work on
deck and behind the scenes in setting up and managing the meet.

BU Meet - Advance Notice
Our next big GBM meet is the New England Short Course Meters meet at the fast
and fabulous BU swim complex in Boston. The PROVISIONAL date is the SECOND
WEEKEND IN DECEMBER. Save the date! We will confirm as soon as a firm date is
known.
As usual we will have a huge GBM team at BU ready to do battle with our friendly
arch rivals the Blue Lobstahs of Maine. Last year we wrested back the team
crown after a period of Blue Lobstah dominance, and they have thrown down the
gauntlet for this year's rematch. Please join us defending the honor GBM – and
a fun weekend in Boston!

Portsmouth Indoor Pool - Important Update

*** News from Great Bay Masters Swimming ***

We have been given an important update by SIPP (Save the Indoor Portsmouth Pool)
on progress.

Over the past few months SIPP has been working very hard to negotiate the terms
of a 5-year lease agreement with the City of Portsmouth. The lease will allow
the pool to remain open and operate under a formal partnership between SIPP and
the City. They need community support to ensure that the Portsmouth Council
votes in December 2011 to approve the lease. During the months of August and
September, public meetings will be conducted with the City Council for the
purpose of discussing the terms of the lease. The goal is to repeat last year's
public hearing when 600 pool supporters literally stood in support of the pool.
We can help SIPP secure a council vote of 'yes' by attending these upcoming
public meetings. Please also bring friends and family who support the pool if
you can.

Let's help show the City Council how important the pool is to the entire
Seacoast community.

Once the meeting dates are known we will send out this information. For further
information: Jennifer Zorn, SIPP – Public Affairs Officer:
jennifer@zornconsulting.com

Thank you!

Sunday Practice 7/17; JT Meet; Nubble

*** News from Great Bay Masters Swimming ***

Sunday Practice at Indoor pool on Sunday July 17 (because of meet at JT) – usual
time.

JT Meet Sunday July 24th. Get your entries in right away!

Meet timetable: Deck entries 7:30am - 8:30am. Warm up 8 – 9 am. Meet finishes
by noon. La Festa Pizza in Dover after the meet! Entry information:
http://www.greatbaymasters.org/JTMeet_072411.pdf

Second Nubble Light Challenge July 9, 2011

A big, bold group of GBMers again braved the treacherous seas of the Gulf of
Maine to complete the Second Nubble Light Challenge. The race follows a 2.4
mile course from the start at Long Sands Beach in York, around Cape Neddick and
through the picturesque "gut" between the headland and the Nubble Lighthouse
island, to finish on Short Sands beach in York. After facing high seas, heavy
fog and sub-50 degree waters in last year's race, the swimmers approached the
race with some trepidation. And the recent spotting of a number of Great White
sharks in Massachusetts waters provided an additional frisson of pre-race
excitement. But on the day the fog lifted early to reveal perfect swimming
conditions and the weather gods also served up balmy water temperatures in the
60s. The race was won overall by Tom Duvall, a distance specialist from the
Seacoast swim team, in a fast time of 49:16 and the overall winner of the
Women's race was Elizabeth Mancuso, who was last year's winner of the
challenging 8 mile Boston Light Swim, in a time of 58:13. There were many fine
GBM performances: Tony TH was first home among the GBMers in 55:13 for a third
place overall finish, with Kirk Larsen chasing him all the way home to finish
just 6 seconds back. Other GBM finishers were Jana S, Bob M, Matt C, Steve M
and Guy D. Congratulations everyone and thanks coach Crystie for support and
encouragement. Also, thank you Bob Reed and your race team for another great race.
Results: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/11/me/Jul9_Numble_set1.shtml
Portsmouth Herald article:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110710-NEWS-107100329

Meanwhile, super seals Bob F and Kyle M, both veterans of the Boston Light race,
decided that the Nubble race was way too short for them so they headed North to
Lake Memphremagog in the heart of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont for the 10
mile Kingdom swim. Luckily for our intrepid duo, the strong winds and white
caps made the swim a worthy challenge and the trip worthwhile. Congratulations
guys on another marathon swimming achievement notched up for posterity!

Chuck Doleac awarded Order of the Rising Sun

*** News from Great Bay Masters Swimming ***

Many congratulations to GBM Board member Chuck Doleac on being awarded the
Imperial Order of the Rising Sun, Golden Rays with Rosette! Chuck is the first
citizen of New Hampshire to receive this prestigious award from the Japanese
Government in recognition of Chuck's contributions to strengthening relations
between Japan and the USA, most notably though his Presidency of the
Japan-America Society of New Hampshire.

For further details:
http://www.seacoastnh.com/Today/History_News/Doleac_Receives_Order_of_the_Rising_Sun/