The 2016 POSTAL SWIMTATHLON LEAGUE is now USMS sanctioned and online entries are open through Club Assistant!
A new postal concept, this is a year-long pentathlon "league" where participants swim and submit times in quarterly stages:
STAGE ONE
STAGE TWO
STAGE THREE
STAGE FOUR
Date Range
1st Qtr. (Jan-Mar)
2nd Qtr. (Apr-June)
3rd Qtr. (July-Sep)
4th Qtr. (Oct-Nov)
Pentathlon
Short Distance
Middle Distance
Long Distance
Challenges
Events
Stroke 50s + 100IM
Stroke 100s + 200IM
Stroke 200s + 400IM
ANY
Five events are included in each Swimtathlon stage (Fly, Back, ***, Free, and Individual Medley), and cumulative times are used for league standings and results.
Meets or Practices
Short Course Yards, Short Course Meters, or Long Course Yards
Blocks or From A Push
Postal Swimtathlon League standings and rankings will be updated monthly and posted online at the host website: www.FlowSwimmers.com. Certificates of accomplishment, compete with event rankings, and awards will be presented at the end of each stage and at the end of Stage Four (15 cumulative events).
$5 from each entry (only $20) will be donated to the Flathead Lakers (501c-3) to protect Flathead Lake, the largest natural fresh water lake west of the Mississippi. It lies at the base of Glacier National Park in northwest Montana.
Click here to link to the Club Assistant meet information and online entry form: POSTAL SWIMTATHLON LEAGUE.
Feel free to contact the meet host at Coach@FlowSwimmers.com with any questions.
Several people have signed up, and there's still plenty of time to get into Stage One of the Postal Swimtathlon League! Feel free to call me if you have any questions about this new concept in "postal" swims: 303-887-3930.
$5 from each entry goes to protecting one of the cleanest lakes in the world: Flathead Lake.
Coach Mark Johnston
Flathead Lake Open Water Swimmers
I am happy to hear that you are participating, Patrick! The quality of The Swimthalon League just went up significantly!
In case you're interested, I am playing around with a few things just to see what might work best. In water starts, a swim at the end of practice, the middle, the beginning, etc.
Remember, you can swim all five events in practice now and use those your meets to "challenge" your established times.
It's easy during Stage One (50s and 100IM). Personally, I'm not so sure I'll be doing many 400IMs and 200 Flys in Stage Three!
Several people have signed up, and there's still plenty of time to get into Stage One of the Postal Swimtathlon League! Feel free to call me if you have any questions about this new concept in "postal" swims: 303-887-3930.
$5 from each entry goes to protecting one of the cleanest lakes in the world: Flathead Lake.
Coach Mark Johnston
Flathead Lake Open Water SwimmersI am totally in for this. I'm hoping to knock a few of the events for the 1st Stage off between a couple of meets we have here in Arizona during March. Once I see those flyers and get entered, then I'll figure out which of the events I need to do in practice. I really love this concept for a postal and the flexibility you've built into it so that we can mix & match meet results, practice results and, within practice, use of blocks (or not). Very creative.
It's never too late to sign up for the Postal Swimtathlon!
We have about 10 swimmers signed up with commitments from several others, and I just want everyone to know that it's NEVER too late to sign up. So far, we have swimmers from Montana, North Carolina, South Caroline, and Hawaii by way of Germany! How about that.
The short pentathlon (Stage One) is slotted into the first quarter, but you can always complete the events in that stage during Stage Four in the 4th Quarter. That way, you will be in the cumulative, 15 event, standings at the end of the year.
So, it's NEVER TOO LATE TO SIGN UP!
Remember, you can swim all five events in practice now and use those your meets to "challenge" your established times.That's a great idea. I didn't think of that.
Personally, I'm not so sure I'll be doing many 400IMs and 200 Flys in Stage Three!That's the beautiful thing about this crazy event you've created: I can't wait for Stage Four :)
Here is a link to the February Results for the 2016 Postal Swimtathlon League. Congratulations to our 20 entrants!
At this point, Bethany Lee (Hawaii Masters via Germany) and yours truly lead the respective genders. Several participants have not yet turned in times, but I'd imagine that will change this month as several meets are on tap. Once I get a few more entrants and time submissions, I'll break the results into age categories.
Please note, you don't have to swim all five STAGE events in one day. You have literary license by swimming one event per day, from the blocks, an in-water start, any course (LCM, SCM, SCY), in a meet or practice.
It's not too late to register for the league! $5 from each entry goes to a local non-profit, The Flathead Lakers, to help protect the lake's watershed.
Stage One (Short Pentathlon) closes at the end of March, and prizes will be awarded, so make sure to get registered and get all five times submitted!
Coach Mark
