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Newsletter
September 8, 2008
by Tim Sheeper
In this edition:

Mountain View Masters Swim Meet

The 5th Annual Alan Liu Memorial Short Course Meters Meet will be produced
this coming weekend by the Mountain View Masters, honoring their late
beloved coach.

This is a relatively small meet with a wide array of events including
relays.  This meet is the last team focus meet of the year for the Menlo
Masters.

The meet begins at 9:00am.  There is deck entry for each event, as long as
you are there 30 minutes before the start of the event.  I will be forming
relays teams with willing and able team members.

If you want to enter the meet before Saturday, please turn in your
consolidated entry card to me ASAP and we will get the entry down to Eagle
Pool before the end of the week.

This is the link for the meet information:
http://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/08mvmscm.pdf

This is the link for the consolidated meet entry card:
http://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/entrycard.html


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Building Futures Now News - Update

Building Futures Now is our Menlo Masters founded and sponsored non-profit.
Here is some news on what we are doing. Building Futures Now is a
non-profit organization dedicated to opening the doors of the Bay Area's
top schools to high-potential, under-served students from East Palo Alto
and East Menlo Park. See www.buildingfuturesnow.org
 
. Our 14 BFN kids have just started 4th grade in 9 different schools in
East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park. They had a lot of fun and gained a lot
of confidence both academically and socially attending our program's
rigorous five week summer school.  
. Thank you to these Menlo Masters for generously volunteering on summer
field trips: Greg Gaffney, Martin Michael, John Goldman, Marianne Brems,
Kim Freitas and Ann Burton.  Thank you to the amazing reading buddies who
provided daily 1-1 reading time throughout the summer: Aaron Katzman (our
youngest volunteer), Lee Katzman, Virginia Justus, Kathleen Liston, Mike
Fero, Vivian Johsens, Kelly Couch, Sue McGlennon, Rhiley Keegan, Megan
Conn, Michele Santilhano, Laurie Ausserer and Steve Choi. We also want to
recognize the generous donation of Tracy Fujieda and Jason Golbus on the
occasion of their wedding. They requested that guests contribute to BFN in
lieu of gifts (via idofoundation.org), Our website is striking and
informative thanks to design work by Whitney Wood and Kathleen Liston and
implementation by Virginia Justus and Lorraine Sneed.  Sig Paulazzo, John
Goldman, Lee Katzman, Tanya Sattler, Lennard Hachmann, Mitchell Johnson,
Marianne Brems and three generations of Sheepers wielded power tools and
paint brushes to convert the garage into the Blue School. The tiny space is
used most efficiently thanks to professional space planning by Angie
Merlone along with structural advice from Steve Schwanke.  Donia Bijan
developed nutritious kid-friendly recipes for our children's summer school
breakfasts and planted a garden for lunch veggies. What an incredible team!

. Diana Spieker & Krista Skehan shared their gorgeous, new book Alphebetica
with our children, talked about how they wrote and illustrated it and gave
each child their very own signed copy. None of our young people had ever
met an author or illustrator before nor owned a signed book.  One of the
older children told the younger ones that they'd better find a really safe
place at home to keep their book because it was very special. For more
about their work see www.personifypress.us
. Nine Menlo Masters have agreed to be Mentors for the upcoming school
year. We are still looking for 5 volunteer mentors to pair up with 5
children. Community-based mentoring involves three meetings per month over
a one year commitment. Mentors spend time with their child talking, playing
and going on outings.  Mentoring can provide a child with a strong,
positive connection with a grownup which has proven educational, social and
emotional benefits.  BFN's Mentor Kickoff will be September 20th where
mentors and families will be introduced.
. We need chaperones for our once a month school year field trips coming
up. 
September 23: Kate DiCamillo Author talk (Because of Win Dixie, The Tales
of Despereaux) at Keplers with  Ice Cream after 10-2 pm and October 4:
Mountain Biking at Tennessee Valley in Marin 8:30-4pm. A very cool
organization, tripsforkids.org provides kid's bikes and guides. This will
be a terrific day on the open trails of Marin Headlands (we welcome
Triathletes!). Please email Laurel Wessler,
lwessler@buildingfuturesnow.org.
. Kim Freitas has been instrumental in the organization and implementation
of summer field trips for the kids along with an end-of-the-summer swim
party at Burgess Pool.
. Lindsay Welton, a Menlo Swim School teacher and senior at Menlo-Atherton
High School is beginning a learn-to-swim program for the 14 BFN kids,
beginning this month on Sunday mornings.
. Finally, drop us a note if we forgot to acknowledge your help and
contribution. This is an enormous team undertaking. We are uplifted by each
person's time and effort


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2008 Open Water Results

The open water season is coming to a conclusion with only 1 more swim on
the competitive calendar.  We have had Menlo Masters represent our team at
nearly all the sanctioned open water swims this year.  Check out their
results at:
http://www.menlomasters.com/results/openwater2008.html


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Swim Across America

In September Menlo Masters will be participating in the pool event for Swim
Across America (SAA). SAA is a non-profit organization that raises money to
fight cancer and provide awareness. (In the Bay Area the beneficiaries are
the Survivors of Childhood Cancer Program at UCSF and Children's Hospital
and Research Center Oakland.)
 
As a team we will collectively swim 3000 miles (the distance from coast to
coast) during the month of September.... We will probably swim it several
times over! Each person that participates is asked to raise at least $50.
There are incentives along the way. (see the attached file.)
 
To participate all you need do is to register at this link:
http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=553&srcid=565&frtid=179
Make sure you register to swim with the Menlo Masters team.
 
We will be joining other master's teams in the Bay Area to make a
difference in the lives of children and the families of children that have
been struck by cancer. If you have any questions please contact Judy
Strauss, our team captain, at: judy@swimacrossamerica.org.

http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=561&srcid=560
 


September is SWIM ACROSS AMERICA MONTH

Collectively, swim 3000 miles as a team and raise money to support cancer
research.  Money raised in the Bay Area will go to the Survivors of
Childhood Cancer Program at UCSF Children's Hospital and to Children's
Hospital & Research Center Oakland.


SF Bay Area Pool Swim Incentives for
Individual Swimmers and Teams

$50......................SAA swim cap
$51-$250.............SAA swim cap and t-shirt
$251-$500.....................................SAA cap, towel and t-shirt
$501-$750..........SAA cap, towel, t-shirt, and hat
$751-$1000.....SAA cap, towel, t-shirt, hat and flip flops
Over $1000.....SAA bag with everything and much more


Teams that raise $50,000 or more will get a 3-hour swim clinic for their
team given by a former Olympic Swimmer.


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Dyanamic Duo

The 2008 version of the Dynamic Duo is scheduled for Saturday October 11,
2008.  We will have 3 heats.  This is just a reminder to put the date on
your calendar.

Each swimmer who participates will be paired with another swimmer and the
two swimmers will combine together and swim in relay format and complete
2000 yards.  The fastest team to 2000 yards wins the heat.

Swimmers will be registering online for a time slot and then the coach will
pair them with another swimmer in the heat in an attempt to make all teams
even so the competition is as fair and as close as possible.

Stay tuned for entry details and deadlines.


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Water Polo Scrimmages

Beginning this Friday night September 12, Menlo Mavens Water Polo will host
a Co-Ed Water Polo Scrimmages beginning at 7pm.  Scrimmages will then take
place every other week after this.

Scrimmages are open to all levels of players both males and females.  The
sessions will be presided over by Coach Lindsay Holland, for both
officiating and coaching.

Please come out and join in on the excitement.


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