Master swimming makes a ‘SPLASH’

BANGOR – Nature, by means of a long, cold Maine winter, has provided ample opportunities for exercise by forcing us to shovel snow or to shiver to try to stay warm. However, the Bangor-Brewer YWCA offers another way for way for locals to keep in shape.

Cindi Howard, YWCA masters coach, teaches aquatic programs at the Second Street facility. Among her most recent accomplishments is starting a master swimming program.

Howard, who has coached swimming periodically for about 25 years, moved to Maine from San Diego because her husband, who is from Dover-Foxcroft, wanted to move back to the state. She contacted the Legislative Swim Committee to find out about any master swim programs in the Bangor area. She also called local entities and discovered there was no such program in place, but learned later that Husson College in Bangor offers a master swimming program.

Howard started working at the YWCA in October. She was offered the opportunity to start a master swimming program there, and that’s what she did.

“January 2 was when we actually started,” Howard said. “That very first day I think I had five [people].”

Howard said she is the kind of person who would coach even if only one person showed up. It takes time to build a program, she said.

About 15 people now participate in the master swim program and the SPLASH program. SPLASH stands for Stroke, Pull, Lap, Aerobic, Swim Hour, and is for people who want to work on such as things as fitness swimming, tri-athletic and competitive swimming. Howard said it is for “really anybody.”

“I pretty much have everybody go at their own pace,” she said.

The SPLASH program is scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 1 p.m., and people are free to come and go as their needs dictate. A board is posted in the pool area for those unable to make a particular day, outlining what to work on.

“At times I’m running four different practices,” Howard said, adding that the practices depend on when individual people show up.

“We teach all the different terminology,” Howard said of the program. For example, S is for swim, K is for kick, and P stands for pull. “E is for easy,” she said. “I teach them how to use a pace clock.”

There are two large clocks on opposites sides of Aloupis Pool and Howard directs her clients to start swimming from the “top” at the 60-second mark, or the “bottom” at the 30-second mark, and tells them how many laps to swim and for how long.

After instructing participants to swim a specific number of laps freestyle for 50 seconds, some completed the routine after only 45 seconds.

“See, the faster you go, the longer rest you get,” Howard said.

“The six to seven one is an actual workout,” Howard said of the early morning “sunrise swimmers” masters swimming program.

The master class is $30 per month or $150 for six months, and is held 6-7 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The master swim program is for adults ages 18 and up. Howard said the idea is for adults to have a good time.

A person does not need to be an exceptional swimmer to be on a master’s team, Howard said. And while the blocks are actually the preferred places from where to start swimming, participants can start from the side of the pool or from the water if they feel more comfortable doing so.

A master’s meet was held at the Aloupis Pool on March 9, with nearly 40 participants from throughout Maine. Winners were determined in each age group based on a point system. Howard said that when competing against other states a team can get points. Otherwise, competition is individual.

Not only does Howard coach swimming, she swims herself.

“I try to get in at least three or four times myself,” she said of her weekly routine. Each of her swim sessions lasts about an hour and a half.

Howard also coaches swimming for girls at Bangor High School, using the pool at Husson College, and nearly 58 girls have participated.

Howard said that compared with swimming programs for young people, adults rest more and the programs are not as intense. Young people are encouraged to swim six times a week, adults three times a week.

The master swim program has grown gradually, Howard said. She did in-house advertising, as well as advertising at local businesses to help the program get started.

“A lot of it’s just word of mouth,” she added.

Howard hopes that a free-swim clinic, to be held 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, at Aloupis Pool will help draw more adults to the program.

For information about aquatic programs, call the YWCA at 941-2808.