My name is Ben Van Dyk, a former masters swimmer, writing with an unusual request. I stopped swimming 13 years ago, at 50,  to launch a business. I swam with some of the venerable ‘old’ names such as Dan Rogacki, Homer Lane, Tom Lyndon, Tracy Grilli, Susan Livingston and many others.  3 years go I was hoping to resuscitate my swimming career but was unable to regain even a fraction of my former skills. I soon learned this was due to a chronic illness called Polycystic Kidney Disease. I am now facing the need for a
transplant as my kidney will be failing in about 1 to 1-1/2 years.

Currently, I am seeking a person willing to be a donor.

Could you place a notice in the NEM News asking if anyone is willing to be a donor? This is an enormous request but I have little choice but to network in every direction. Without a kidney, my life expectancy will be
abbreviated, even with dialysis. With one I can expect a potential of another 30 years.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Ben Van Dyk

vandykassoc@comcast.net

I have compiled all of the workouts I have given as a coach from 2004 to the present in a free searchable database. All are welcome to use it. There are over 1,000 workouts in there and it is growing by the day. I will be adding 1998-2003 over the next few months.

In addition, I am working with Dynoswim Swim Club to merge with their online workouts database to create the largest free online workouts database in the world.

Address to West Side Swim Club Workouts Database - http://www.swimwestside.com/workouts/wsscworkoutssearch.html

Address to Dynoswim Workouts Database - http://www.dynoswim.com/searchWorkouts.php

-Coach Nate McBride

The Beede Swim & Fitness Center located in Concord, MA is seeking an experienced swim coach to coach the evening Tuesday/Thursday 7:00 – 8:15 pm coached workout program.  Program runs year-round beginning September 22nd.  Opportunity to sub for other workout times offered:  Monday/Wednesday/Friday 6:00 – 7:15 am and Tuesday/Thursday 12:00 – 1:00 pm.  If interested, call or e-mail Karen Houghton, Aquatics Director at 978-287-1003 or khoughton@concordma.gov.

As many of you have already heard or read, Barr Clayson, a past NEM Board Member and LMSC Chairman, an unofficial NEM social director, a very gifted swimmer, and a wonderful friend to those who were blessed to have known him, passed away Sunday, June 22nd. Barr was 72… going on 42! He had many roles; too many to write about here. Just briefly, in addition to the ones already mentioned, he was a successful investment counselor, past Vice Chairman of the NE Baptist Board of Trustees, consultant to a top Boston law firm, a member of the Brown University Hall of Fame, a gracious host and a holder of numerous national and New England Top Ten times and swim records. Barr was a true visionary whose zest for living life to the fullest was truly awe inspiring. A positive role model and a family man in every sense and, yes, a successful businessman, board member, swimmer, etc. He left his mark is so many areas but several of us will remember him mostly as a very special friend with a great smile and a charismatic personality. Barr led such an incredibly rich and fulfilled life so that if you were one of the fortunate people to have been a part of his life, even if that meant only a brief encounter or two, you were truly blessed. Generous with his gifts of friendship, humor, integrity, and advice he will forever live on in our hearts.
For those of you who knew Barr, you realized the second you met him what a unique individual he was and you have your own special memories. Perhaps those memories involve a clam bake or participation in the “Clayson Relays” at his house in Weston, a post meet beer relay, a Texas Two Step dance, a conversation regarding the future of NEM, world politics, or the need for change in our health care system. For those of you who never met Barr then you missed a rare opportunity indeed.
He was simply the greatest and to say he will be missed is such an understatement. We will never forget our special friend. Rest in peace, Barr, until we meet again.

from the Lane 9 news…

New England Masters LCM Championships Features Several World Records — June 24, 2008

MIDDLEBURY, Vermont, June 24. THE New England Masters LCM Championships, held in Middlebury, Vt., produced several Masters world records this weekend. Fred Schlicher, 60, grabbed four of the records, while Len Gushe, 45, shot down the other in the 200 back.

Schlicher, swimming in the 60-64 age division, snatched the global standards in the 200 free, 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM.

Schlicher set the 200 free standard with a time of 2:12.69, downing James Lacy’s 2006 record of 2:13.32. In the 200 fly, Schlicher touched in 2:31.58 to beat Robert Poiletman’s record of 2:33.72 from 2003.

In the 200 IM, he clocked a time of 2:30.72 to crush the previous record of 2:36.07 set by John Calvert in 2006. He also posted a time of 5:30.99 in the 400 IM, whacking 10 seconds from Jean-Claude Lestideau’s 2007 record of 5:40.42.

Meanwhile, Gushe hit the wall in 2:18.25 in the 45-49 200 back to clip Wieslaw Musial’s world record of 2:18.61 set in 2003.

For those of you that made it to the second annual New England LCM Championships at Middlebury, you know it was an awesome meet. FOUR world records broken and numerous New England and meet records. Big thanks to the Muffintops for once again making it a special weekend.

Full results and breakdowns are now up on the Muffintops website:

http://www.middleburymuffintops.org/LCMChamps/Default.aspx

See you there in 09!

I am very sad to report the passing of D. Barr Clayson on Sunday morning. Barr was a long-time member of New England Masters and a friend of many of us. He will be missed by all.

The memorial service is scheduled for Thursday, June 26, at 11:30 am at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, 207 Washington St., Wellesley Hills, MA

Immediately following – All are invited to a reception at Brae Burn Country Club, 326 Fuller Street, West Newton, MA

Laszlo Eger
President - NEMSC

The meet is ongoing, records are being set and if you are not there, that’s too bad!!!

First day meet results are available on the meet site:

http://www.middleburymuffintops.org/LCMChamps/Default.aspx

To print our your registration cards…

Instructions for the Swimmer:
Log onto http://registration.usms.org and click on the link that says “Are you already registered for this year and need your current USMS Registration Number for entering a meet?” Once on the next page, there is a link that says “If you want a printable copy of your USMS membership card, you will need to fill out the Registration Card form “

Entry Deadline: All entries must either be postmarked by Saturday, May 31, 2008 or received by Tuesday, June 2, 2008. Late Entries: Late entries accepted with an additional $15 penalty. Late entries must be received by 6:00 p.m. on Saturday June 14th.

For more information, please go to the meet website: http://www.middleburymuffintops.org/LCMChamps/default.aspx

See you in a month!

The Muffintops