Welcome to the CIM Swimming Blog

Channel Island Masters (CIM) is a registered United States Masters Swimming (USMS) club with the primary purpose of providing an enjoyable yet challenging swimming environment to everyone looking to get more out of their swimming experience.

We welcome men and women of all ages and abilities, from the newcomer only able to swim 1 length of a 25 yard pool, to the elite Masters swimmer or triathlete training for competitions. We provide coached workouts, technical analysis, videotaping, but most importantly an atmosphere that is fun, dynamic and comfortable.

Check out the CIM blog for details and links to various CIM activities and events, as well as contact information, pool and ocean swimming locations and workout times.

We look forward to seeing you in the water!

Activities/Events Calendar - 2009

UPCOMING CIM ACTIVITIES

***Last Update: December 4, 2009***
This is the place to find out everything about what our Channel Island Masters group is planning for 2009. By the way, we're always looking for new ideas on fun activities, so please let us know if you would like to be part of our planning committee. This post will be updated regularly with dates and details of all upcoming events of interest. Note also that some event details and highlights call for a little more special recognition, and will be placed in separate posts, so please check those out too.

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DECEMBER
-December 13 / CIM HOLIDAY PARTY 4-7 at Island Brewing Company
-December 19 / LAST CIM WORKOUT OF THE YEAR...SEE YOU IN 2010!
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JANUARY
-January 4 / Workouts resume - SB YMCA
-January 11 / Workouts resume - Carpinteria

2009 END OF THE YEAR HOLIDAY PARTY!

NOW THAT WAS A FUN PARTY!!

Thank you everyone for making our 2009 Holiday Party one of the best ever! The night was filled with plenty of food, drink and entertainment, and as you can see by the pictures, it is safe to say that everyone had a pretty good time!

Special thanks goes out to Island Brewing Company for graciously hosting our little shindig, and to everyone bringing a little extra something for the potluck (I went home with some amazing leftovers, as well as some really cool Christmas gifts!)

For those of you who were unable to attend, we took over 150 photos (thanks Liz!) so you can get a pretty good idea of what you missed.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTOS

Holiday Break

Our holiday break this year will be as follows:

From December 21 - January 3 for the Santa Barbara YMCA

From December 21 - January 11 for the Carpinteria Community Pool.

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During the break there will be no CIM swim workouts scheduled. However, the pools will be open (on a holiday schedule) during our break, with the exception of Carpinteria, which will be closed for annual maintenance from January 5-11.

Our first workout in 2010 will be Monday, January 4th at the YMCA, and January 11 out in Carpinteria.

Thank you all so much for your support and a wonderful year of swimming!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year everyone!

2009 Carpinteria Triathlon

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE PARTICIPATING IN THE 2009 CARPINTERIA TRIATHLON!

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RESULTS: Olympic Distance Click HERE

RESULTS: Sprint Distance Click HERE

RESULTS: Olympic Relay Click HERE

Click HERE for photos.

LAST OCEAN SWIM OF THE 2009 SEASON!

What a great way to close out our 2009 ocean swim season! My sincerest THANK YOU to everyone for all your help and support...YOU'RE AWESOME!

Stay tuned to the Channel Island Masters Blog or Facebook for all of our upcoming activities. Although we are "officially" done for the season in the ocean, if the weather holds out, we still may be jumping in for a Sunday swim after the Carpinteria Triathlon.

For more photos of our last ocean swim of the season, CLICK HERE.

3rd ANNUAL SUMMERLAND TO CARPINTERIA SWIM

WHAT A FUN AND EXCITING SWIM, THANK YOU!

PHOTOS ARE UP! / CLICK HERE

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3rd ANNUAL SUMMERLAND TO CARPINTERIA OCEAN SWIM

It's that time of the year again to start looking forward to our annual long distance open water swim. Last year's event was a huge success (thanks to all of you =), and this year we're expecting an even better swim experience. Channel Island Masters is hosting the long distance ocean swim, with 2 courses to choose from. The long course starts at Summerland's Lookout Park, and the shorter course begins at Santa Claus Lane. Both courses conclude at Carpinteria City Beach. Here is your opportunity to be added to an exclusive group who can say they actually SWAM from Summerland to Carpinteria. All the details for this challenging and exhilarating swim are listed below. We look forward to seeing you there!

DATE: Sunday, August 30, 2009

COURSE: 2 STARTING POINTS
Starting point #1: Lookout Park - Summerland (4.7 miles)
Starting point #2: Santa Claus Lane - Summerland (2.2 miles)
Finish: Carpinteria City Beach (Ash Avenue)

The conditions can vary from calm and glassy, to moderately choppy with swells and surf. The course passes a number of land points and shallow reefs that may require a slight amount of navigation around higher surf areas. Water temperature is expected to range from 61 to 68 degrees with excellent open water swimming conditions. The course goes WITH THE CURRENT, which should provide an enjoyable and scenic setting for this event.

TIME: 8:00 - 9:00 am / Registration, Breakfast, Safety and Swim Preparation Meeting / Meet at Carpinteria City Beach (Ash Avenue). Participants are encouraged to sign-in at the swim starting location, but sign-ups will be accepted up until the start of the event. A continental breakfast will be served from 8-9 am. The Swim Prep Safety Meeting will be held at 9:00 am to brief everyone on the conditions of the course, and safety precautions. ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST ATTEND THE SWIM PREP SAFETY MEETING.

9:00 - 10:00 am / Long Course Swim participants gear up and are transported to starting point for 10:00 am Long Course Start.

10:00 - 11:00 am / Short Course Swim paticipants gear up and are transported to starting point for 11:00 am Short Course Start.

REQUIREMENTS: THE EVENT IS OPEN TO A MAXIMUM OF 50 SWIMMERS PER COURSE. All entries to this event must be approved by the Event Manager (Vic Anderson). All levels of swimmers are welcome to join us on this adventure. Swimmers new to Open Water Swimming are also welcome to join this event, and will be assigned to a kayak/swimmer group. minimum swimming requirements of this event are:

-swimmers must be able to swim continuously at a comfortable pace for at least 20 minutes (any stroke). Participants are required to assign a swimming skill level based on their ability to swim a mile. An ADVANCED skill level equals swimming at a <30>40 minutes per mile. Please note, the Long Course (4.7 mile swim) is open to Advanced and Intermediate skill level swimmers only. Also note that the supervised courses have a cutoff time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. Swimmers are welcome to continue past the cutoff time, but without kayak/boat support.

SAFETY: Safety is always our number 1 priority, and at no time should anyone risk encountering a hazardous situation in order to continue the event. Although this event can be considered as strenuous and extremely challenging, the course is set-up to allow all levels of experienced ocean and fitness swimmers to participate. A complete summary of the event's safety guidelines will be discussed during our Preparation Meeting. A flyer is also available at Master's swim practices or by contacting the Event Manager (Vic Anderson - 805-403-5425). Participants are required to sign an Incident Waiver to enter this event.

One of the benefits of having this event along the coast is that we are always within a couple hundred yards from shore at all times during the swim. If at any time a problem is encountered, the first response will be to head towards shore. Emergency resources can be contacted immediately by cell phone carried by kayak groups. Remember, THIS IS NOT A RACE! Swimmers/kayakers are encouraged to take breaks whenever necessary (in or out of the water). One of the primary concerns that all participants need to be aware of are the hazards associated with cold water exposure. Hazards potentially encountered during this event will be discussed during the mandatory Preparation Meeting.

POTLUCK DINNER: We will be gathering at Island Brewing Company following the swim for a Potluck dinner. Please bring a side dish, main dish or dessert to share with others. Beverages (water, juices, soft drinks, beer) will be provided. The Potluck will begin between 3-4 pm.

COST: $25 / Includes fluorescent swim cap and snack bag, energy snacks/drinks during the swim, as well as beverages (water, juice, softdrinks, and yes - 1 beer!) and appetizers at the Potluck following the swim. A portion of the cost will go towards assisting in the payment of kayak/boat rentals.