MSSnewsletterJanMarch16

NEWSLETTER
JANUARY-MARCH 2016
THE ART OF FLOATING (ARNAUD D’ENFERT)
People who are anxious around bodies of water may be afraid of sinking to the
bottom like a stone. In fact, water supports the human body very well. In most cases,
people can float easily without using their limbs as long as their lungs are filled
with air. This is because the human body, being made of 60% water, is slightly less
dense than water provided that the lungs are filled with air. According to Archimedes’
Principle, any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force
equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. This means that water will
have the tendency to push you up to the surface because your body is less dense
than water!
A good way to feel this buoyancy is the “mushroom float”. It is a simple exercise you
can easily do with your child. While you do this exercise you will see that your head
submerges but that you nevertheless float close to the water surface. Once you have done this exercise a few times and feel how
easy it is to be supported by the water, it should become easier for you or your child to relax in the water and this should help
reduce the fear of water.
Some people “feel” the buoyancy differently depending on the depth of the pool. The deeper the pool, the more buoyant they feel
because their sight tells them that the bottom of the pool is further down. So it can be a good thing to try the mushroom float in
different parts of the pool with various depths. And keep in mind that the more you relax the less dense your muscles will be and
the better you’ll float.
MSS CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL 2015 (GILLIAN COUZENS)
What a fantastic time we had at our Christmas Carnival on Sunday, November 22! There was
a great range of MSS swimmers: the youngest was two-and-a-half-years-old and the oldest
were members of our adult swim squad! It was great to see generations of swimmers swimming
together and families having fun. Well done to everybody who had a go.
Our 6 and Unders competed in two events, the 25m kickboard race and the 25m freestyle event.
Brothers, sisters, mums and dads swam alongside some of our youngest swimmers while others
showed us their competitive spirit and great swimming skills by racing on their own.
Lots of our learn-to-swim, stroke development and
squad swimmers also competed in the 50m I.M. events,
the only chance they get in our calendar to swim these
events. It is always good to see our training skills being
put to practice in these different races. For some it was
their first time competing and for our squad swimmers
it was a good opportunity to race against our rivals from
The American Club.
The toughest event of the day was the 100m fly which
is an event we don’t see much of throughout the
year. I was very proud of all our squad swimmers who
competed in this event.
The final event was the muchTerm 1 Dates 2016
anticipated Surprise Christmas
Turf City: Monday, January 4, to Sunday, April 3, 2016
(except Damian’s, Jin’s & Yun Yi’s classes on February 7, and
all classes on February 8 & 9 and March 25).
Monday Afternoon Squad, Developmental Squad &
Classes at Ang Mo Kio: Monday, January 4, to Monday,
March 28, 2016 (except February 8).
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Afternoon Squad,
Developmental Squad & Classes at Queenstown: Tuesday,
January 5, to Thursday, March 31, 2016 (except February 9).
Sunday Morning Squad, Developmental Squad & Classes
at AIS: Sunday, January 10, to Sunday, April 3, 2016.
Adult Squad: Tuesday, January 5, to Sunday, April 3, 2016
(except February 9).
Aquafitness: Tuesday, January 5, to Thursday, March 31,
2016 (except February 9).
CIS (Lakeside): Saturday, January 9, to Saturday, April 2,
2016.
AIS, Ang Mo Kio & Queenstown: 9186 2873 or [email protected] CIS: 6473 8353 or [email protected]
Turf City/The Grandstand: 8284 9556, 9665 0328 or [email protected] 113 Holland Road Singapore 278556 www.marsdenswimschool.com
Relay. 2014 was the Santa Hat exchange; 2015 was the Candy Cane relay. I can’t help but smile when
I picture the pool filled with red-and-white-striped pool noodles being dragged, towed, pushed, pulled
and even ridden down the pool. The strategy and tactics that went into getting that cane to the other
end most efficiently made a very funny spectacle.
Throughout the day I was receiving little messages courtesy of Santa’s chief elf
Arnaud. He kept telling me that Santa was trying really hard to come and visit all
our swimmers as he loves swimming himself so much (not at the North Pole of
course; it’s far too cold for swimming up there). At the end of the relay, we heard
bells ringing and the jolly man himself was walking in through the AIS pool gates
to deliver some Christmas cheer to us all. He brought treats and stayed for a
photo which was very brave of him considering how hot it was. Thanks Santa for
making an appearance at our Christmas Carnival!
Finally, I’d like to express a very big thank you to all our wonderful parents who
converted themselves to elves for the day to help make the carnival run smoothly
and efficiently. Also a huge thanks to the MSS staff who also worked tirelessly to
make this event so great.
To see more photos and highlights from this carnival
please check out our Facebook page (Marsden Swim Squad).
NEW PAYMENT INCENTIVE FOR ADULTS!
(ANDY FOSTER)
For our adult squad and aquafitness/deep-water jogging sessions this term, we
have a new way of paying. For casual swimmers or those who may have other
commitments, you can now purchase a voucher for either 10 or 20 sessions,
meaning that you will only pay for what you attend. However, if you come
regularly more than once a week, you can request to stick with the previous
system of paying per term.
It would be great to see more parents of children we coach come along to the pool and
swim in the adult squad or get fit with our aquafitness sessions. It could be a great way to achieve a New
Year resolution you may have set! Coach Arnaud and I always have new ideas and sessions to get the best out of your
performance and ability. The first step is always the hardest, but we can’t make that for you. If you can get to the pool, we will try
our best to make it worth it. Come on, give it a go!
Our adult squad sessions are at 9am on Tuesday and Thursday at Queenstown, and 8am on Sunday at Australian International
School. Our adult aquafitness sessions are at 10am on Tuesday and Thursday at Queenstown. See you at the pool!
IMPORTANT SQUAD DATES FOR 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2016: Merlion Swim League meet hosted by and at the British Club
Friday, January 29 to Sunday, January 31, 2016: National Time Trials at OCBC Aquatic Centre
Friday, February 19 to Sunday, February 21, 2016: National Time Trials at OCBC Aquatic Centre
Saturday, March 12 & Sunday, March 13, 2016: Junior Singapore National Age Group Championships at OCBC Aquatic Centre
Saturday, March 19, & Sunday, March 20, 2016: Senior Singapore National Age Group Championships at OCBC Aquatic Centre
Sunday, April 24, 2016: Merlion Swim League meet hosted by and at the American Club
Saturday, August 27, 2016: Merlion Swim League meet hosted by and at the Tanglin Club
Saturday, September 17, 2016: Merlion Swim League meet hosted by and at the Anglo-Chinese School
Saturday, October 22 to Sunday October 23, 2016: FINA Swimming World Cup at OCBC Aquatic Centre
October 2016 (TBC): Singapore Masters at OCBC Aquatic Centre
AIS, Ang Mo Kio & Queenstown: 9186 2873 or [email protected] CIS: 6473 8353 or [email protected]
Turf City/The Grandstand: 8284 9556, 9665 0328 or [email protected] 113 Holland Road Singapore 278556 www.marsdenswimschool.com