Bidding is Now Open for the 2018 GRIN State Meet

Greater Indiana Masters Swimming (GRIN) is soliciting bids for the 2018 GRIN State Championship Meet. Even if your program does not have the desire or facility to host the Championship meet, we encourage you to reach out to local age group and high school swim programs, colleges, and YMCA’s to let them know about this opportunity. Interested parties should download the 2018 GRIN State Meet Bid Application Packet for pertinent details and the application form. All bids (and any supporting documentation) must be submitted to the GRIN Chair, Lisa Brown, by October 1. The winning bid will be selected on or about November 1.

The 2017 GRIN State Meet was a tremendous success and we are looking forward to working with next year’s host. Please contact either Lisa Brown or Karen Gernert with any questions.

Upcoming GRIN Board Meeting

There will be a GRIN Board Meeting via conference call on Thursday, June 8, from 8:30 – 9:30p (EDT). All GRIN members are invited to call in. The main topics of discussion will be a review of the GRIN State Meet, the upcoming Great Lakes Zone Meet, and Club Development, as well as any new business.

Conference Call Details:

Members calling in for the meeting should use the following:

• Toll Number: (701) 801-1220
• Meeting ID: 947-708-061

Please be sure any Club Representative changes are submitted to the GRIN Secretary by Wednesday, June 7. Let your voice be heard!

Congratulations to our New State Champions – Munster Masters!

In a hard fought battle at this year’s 2017 GRIN Short Course State Championship, the Munster Masters Association won the Large Team title! With an amazing number of personal best swims, as well as both State and National records set, this was a great meet for all! Thanks again to Matt Lee and the Munster Masters Association for hosting this year’s meet in their beautiful facility. The volunteers and staff did an amazing job running this year’s meet. Be sure to check out the 2017 GRIN Short Course State Championship Results and we hope to see you all next year!

Good Luck at State!

Good luck to all those heading to the GRIN State Meet in Munster this weekend. Get ready for some fast water in an amazing facility. With almost 150 swimmers in attendance, this will be a great time to catch up with old friends and make new friends.

Be sure to check out the Psych Sheet, Heat Sheets, (updated April 7), and Meet Timeline (updated April 7). If there are any changes to your seed times, please let Karen know. Keep in mind, while seed times can be changed, no new events can be added.

Please note that all relays should be entered into the meet (minimum team designation and age) by Thursday, April 6, at 11:59p. Each relay is $8 and entry fees are payable on deck prior to the event.  All relay swimmers must be entered into the meet. If necessary, relays may be deck entered, but every effort should be made to submit entries by the Thursday night deadline. Deck entries will be at the discretion of the Meet Director and his decision is final. Please note that relay swimmers / swimmer order may be changed until 30 minutes before the relay is scheduled to be swum. Please email completed relay entry forms to karengernert@yahoo.com.

If there are any questions, please let Karen know. Swim fast and have fun!

Spring Fever Hits Kendallville!

There was a wonderful group of swimmers at this year’s 31^st Annual Spring Fever meet in Kendallville. There were many good races and lots of swimmers pleased with their times.

We got off to a good start and ended in record time thanks to Jim Simons, the best official/starter of all time!

Speaking of records! We were once again honored to have Susan Meyers, 75, and David Costill, 81, swimming with us again this year! Susan and David are remarkable swimmers and are so inspiring for us all. Susan now has National top ten times in the 50 FLY- #1 spot with 42.61, 500 FREE-#1 spot with 8:15.89, and her first 50 FREE split in the 100 Free was good for the #3 spot with 36.65. David broke National and State records in the 50 FLY with 33.32, and the 100 BACK (a flawless double-arm backstroke) with a 1:15.69.

This year’s meet was one of the best. We had a wonderful group of volunteers running the meet and had enough timers thanks to fellow Masters Swimmers, their families, and the Cole YMCA Bluefins age group swimmers and parents. Thanks to Jen & Peggy, Bluefins parents, for running the timing system. They were great!

We had our annual “marathon” swimmer Donald Kroeger, 71, entering in every event. He has done this for over 10 years. He calls it “just a workout”.  After all these years he has inspired two other swimmers to also inflict the same pain; Ali Turfe and Linda Marvin.  They all survived and are amazing!

We also had a father and two sons swimming in the meet (pictured right- father Stephen Holland and his sons, Matt and Andrew). The father and older son have been attending for years and finally talked the younger brother into joining them.  We also had an 8 year old Bluefins swimmer in the 1^st heat (in the warm-up lane) of the 500 Free to try and break the team record. Her father, Kevin Lowe, also swam. So, we had a father-daughter duo. There were lots of first time Masters Meet swimmers too!

AND Miss Indiana, Brianna DeCamp from Kendallville visited the meet to watch her mom, Jodi DeCamp swim her events and talked to a lot of the Masters.

Our surprise relay this year was the partner backstroke. Everyone picked up on the idea quickly and did quite well! (FYI – Partner backstroke is one arm backstroke while holding your partner’s hand with the non-rotating arm.) Fun for all!

We ended the day with lots of good food and camaraderie. It was a time to relax and watch the meet video – always one of the best parts of the day.

This was a great event and we look forward to seeing  you next year!

Written by Cindy Miller, Cole YMCA Masters

Upcoming GRIN Board Meetings Set

There will be a GRIN Board Meeting via conference call on Thursday, March 30 from 8:00 – 9:00p (EST). All GRIN members are invited to call in. The main topics of discussion will be the GRIN State Meet, the Great Lakes Zone Meet, and Club Development, as well as any new business.

Conference Call Details:
Members calling in for the meeting should use the following:

• Toll Number: (701) 801-1220
• Meeting ID: 947-708-061

GRIN’s Annual Meeting will take place on Saturday, April 8, during the 2017 GRIN Short Course State Championships at the Jon Jepsen Aquatic Center. The Annual Meeting will be held at the conclusion of the 100 Back (Events #15 & 16). Topics include the Chair and Treasurer reports and the announcement of our annual award winners.

Meeting Location:
Jon Jepsen Aquatic Center
Munster High School
8808 Columbia Avenue
Munster, IN 46321

All are invited to attend these meetings.

Registration is Open for the 2017 GRIN State Meet

The 2017 GRIN State Championship Meet will be held from April 8-9 in Munster, Indiana, and hosted by the Munster Masters Association. Taking place at the Jon Jepsen Aquatic Center (Munster High School, 8808 Columbia Avenue, Munster 46321), the Aquatic Center features a beautiful 10-lane, 50-meter competition pool with moveable bulkheads to allow for separate competition and warm-up / warm-down pools. The facility also includes spacious locker rooms, offices, a large classroom, and a large open area that will feature vendors and concessions – all designed to handle the needs of a large event.

This year’s meet brings a new Order of Events, the GRIN Annual Meeting during Saturday’s break, Early Bird entry discounts, and SIX relay opportunities! Registration is now open, so choose your events and make plans to attend the State Meet in Munster!