January Newsletter 2019
Dear Members,
In December we were able to complete the installation of the new LED lights on the courts and open the new outdoor cardio area. The response from the members has been remarkable! Our tennis players absolutely love the new LED lights and our fitness enthusiasts are excited to have new and different cardio options. Despite the rain we have had over the last couple of weeks, many members have been taking advantage of the new outdoor equipment.
We are excited to announce that construction of the new Pickleball courts will begin on February 11th and will take approximately one week to complete. Should we have any more rainy days before the 11th the start date may be pushed back to a later one. We will be converting court 13 to (3) permanent pickleball courts and adding a fourth on the backboard surface area. To learn more about Pickleball and why it is becoming more and more popular, please read the article in the Pickleball section by Jen Murphy.
The beginning of the New Year is a perfect time for us to reevaluate our exercise routine and look for other methods or programs that help us produce better fitness results. Evidence continues to mount that short duration but high intensity interval training (HIIT) produces great results. The combination of a routine which produces results but is short in duration is a winning combination. The Sprint 8 program on the new cardio equipment has just that!
Sprint 8 workouts are 20 minutes in duration and should be done 3 times per week with a minimum of one day rest between workouts. After a short warm up you will complete 8 two minute intervals that are broken into 30 second all out periods followed by 90 second active recovery periods. This high intensity style of workout conditions both the aerobic and anaerobic processes of the heart and can be done by anyone at any age. If your fitness level has plateaued and you are interested in rising to a higher level we suggest you give Sprint 8 a try. To learn more about this program you can view the video on the Matrix equipment. Decide! Commit! Succeed!!
With all of the rain over the past couple of weeks it is a good time to remind everyone of our wet court policy. The courts will remain closed until the entire blue surface and 6 feet of the green surface behind the base line are dry. The courts are evaluated individually and will be released for play by the front desk staff once it is determined they are completely dry. This is for both our members’ safety and to prevent damage to the courts. Members wishing to receive text messages concerning the court conditions are asked to sign up on Rainedout.net. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.
We are proud to announce WAC is hosting several Elite Olympic Triathletes that are training at the club. This is a wonderful opportunity to observe potential Olympic athletes train at the highest level and perhaps even look forward to watching them in 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan. Athletes include: Eli Hemming (USA), Matt McElroy (USA), Kevin Bishop (USA), Marty Andrie (USA), Zach Wilson (USA), Russell White (Ireland), Kacper Stepniak (Poland) and Vittoria Lopes (Brazil). Please join me in welcoming these amazing athletes to our club.
Have a Healthy Day,
John Sutcliffe
General Manager
Automobile Break Ins
Over the past couple of months we have had a number of cars broken into in both the parking lot and on the street. In each of these cases either gym bags or other valuables have been left visible in the car for the thieves to see. These are smash and grab thefts that only happen when the thieves see something they think is valuable. We do not recommend that you leave anything visible in your car while you are in the club. We are looking into security cameras that we hope will be a deterrent to the thieves but even after they are installed we do not recommend that you leave anything visible in your car.
Upcoming Events
SuperSwim with Ian O’Brien
We are honored to have a number of Olympic hopeful triathletes training out of the club for the next 3 months. Their coach, Ian O’Brien, who is the former USA National Development Coach, has graciously agreed to coach a number of events while he is at the club. The first will be our SuperSwim (recovery) on 2/3/19 from 2:00 to 3:15pm just prior to our viewing party. Ian promises this workout will be much different than what we are used to in our master‘s workouts and that fun will be had by all! We’ll be joined by our Olympic hopefuls but do not worry, Ian will tone the workout down for us!! Hope to see you out there.
We also hope you’ll join us afterward for our football viewing BBQ. The price will be $15 for members and $25 for non members and will include: hamburgers, veggie burgers, hotdogs, salad, fruit, chips, cookies, iced tea and water. Please join us to root on the RAMS. GO RAMS!!
Calcutta Tournament – March 29-31 (details to follow)
Healthy Living
4 Simple Changes for Improved Health
Here are 4 simple changes you can make today that will help improve your health and wellness. They may seem simple but that is intentional. Rather than focus on large scale changes that require big lifestyle changes, start with these 4 simple ideas to build upon. Start simple; with the goal of achieving larger lifestyle changes further down the road.
• Hydrate. Simply drink more water. We do not function at full capacity when we are dehydrated. Divide your body weight by 3 and aim for that number in ounces of water per day. Remember, food provides about 20% of water intake and many fruits and vegetables are more than 90% water by weight. Make an effort to monitor your fluid intake and you’ll be functioning better in no time.
• Sleep More. When was the last time you felt you had great, quality sleep on a regular basis? Getting a good night’s sleep can greatly impact your outlook on life and, in turn, your health and wellness. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. When it comes to body weight, it may be that if you snooze, you lose. Studies have shown that people who sleep less than 6 hours per night are 30% more likely to be obese than those that sleep 7 to 9 hours per day!
• More Exercise. Most people look at exercise as a means to burn calories and lose weight. Instead, think of exercise as a great way to gain energy and stimulate your mind and body. With so many demands fighting for your attention every day, it can be challenging to find the time to workout. Consider incorporating the Sprint 8 program into your workout routine. These are 20 minute high intensity workouts that are done 3 times per week. No more time excuses!
• Eat more Whole Foods. Don’t tackle a healthy diet all at once. Simply start replacing empty calories with whole foods. Whole foods include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Foods that are as close to their natural form as possible. It won’t be long before you realize just how good “good food” feels. Soon your cravings for greasy burgers and fries will change to healthier options.
Spinach Scramble
Do you Skip Breakfast?
Many people skip the a.m. meal because they’re rushing to get out the door. That’s a mistake. You need food in your system long before lunchtime. If you don’t eat first thing, you may get so hungry later on that you snack on high-fat, high-sugar foods.
Breakfast kick-starts your metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. It also gives you the energy you need to get things done and helps you focus at work or at school. Those are just a few reasons why it’s the most important meal of the day.
Researchers have found that on average, people who eat breakfast are thinner than those who don’t. That could be because eating foods with protein and fiber in the morning keeps your appetite in check the rest of the day.
You don’t need to eat a big meal for breakfast, but it’s a good idea to have something small within an hour of waking up. Here is a quick and easy recipe to start the day with.
Spinach and Egg Scramble with Raspberries
This quick egg scramble with hearty bread is a great breakfast for weight loss. It combines weight-loss poser foods, eggs and raspberries, with filling whole-grain toast and nutrient-packed spinach. The protein and fiber help you fill up and the whole meal clocks in at less than 300 calories.
Ingredients
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 ½ cups baby spinach (1 ½ oz)
• 2 large eggs
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 slice whole-grain bread, toasted.
• ½ cup raspberries
Preparation
• Heat oil in a small non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook 1 to 2 minute until wilted, stirring often. Transfer the spinach to a plate. Wipe the pan clean, place over medium heat and add eggs. Cook, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking. Stir in the spinach, sale and pepper. Serve the scramble with toast and raspberries.
Nutritional Information
• 296 calories
• 16g fat
• 7g fiber
• 21g carbohydrates
• 18g protein
• 372mg cholesterol
Carrot Ginger Juice (No Juicer Required)
There are times when I want to drink my veggies, and I end up spending too much money on a bottle of pure vegetable juice at the store, due to the fact I do not own a juicer. Maybe you’ve had this experience, too?
This makes me especially excited to share this carrot ginger juice recipe with you because it does not require a juicer. This recipe only requires a blender and fine strainer. The strainer could be a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh strainer lined with a cheesecloth — or you could get creative and make your own.
(Of course, if you do have a juicer, this carrot ginger juice recipe would work perfectly with that method as well.)
This juice provides a plethora of nutrients from the carrots, and I absolutely love the flavor combination of carrot, ginger, and lemon. The ginger produces a slight spicy flavor and the lemon juice supplies the perfect hint of sour. I hope you enjoy this juice as much as I do.
Ingredients
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 7 large carrots chopped
• 1/2 inch knob of ginger peeled
• Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
1. Place the carrots, ginger, lemon juice, and water into a blender.
2. Blend until fully combined into a homogenous liquid. Depending on the blender, the blending time may be between 30 seconds and 1 minute.
3. Using a strainer such as a nut milk bag, line a pitcher or a bowl.
4. Pour the carrot mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher.
5. Squeeze the strainer bag to ensure all the liquid has been removed from the pulp.
6. Serve immediately or place in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Did You Know:
Sprint 8 from Matrix
We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Matrix Fitness for our new cardiovascular equipment in the new outdoor fitness area. Matrix is among the world’s premier-and fastest growing-commercial fitness brands. Matrix produces high-quality, durable and innovative equipment that is attractive to both beginner and fitness enthusiast alike.
One of the most attractive features of the Matrix cardio equipment is the built-in Sprint 8 programming designed for beginner, intermediate, advanced and elite exercisers. Sprint 8 is a sprint cardio workout that optimizes High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that delivers amazing results in just 3 twenty minute workouts per week. These workouts are hard but they work!
Sprint 8 is flexible because it can be done on a variety of cardiovascular equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, ascent trainers, rowers and bikes. The new equipment includes (3) Ascent trainers, (2) Recumbent bikes and (1) Upright bike that incorporate Sprint 8 programming. There are 4 levels in the beginner, intermediate, advanced and elite programs.
Sprint 8 workouts are 20 minutes long with (3) minute warm-ups followed by (8) 2:00 intervals and finishing with a 2 minute cool down. The 2 minute intervals are comprised of 30 second all out sprints followed by 90 seconds of active recovery at a lower intensity. These short but highly effective workouts produce tremendous results while eliminating the most common obstacle to exercise, TIME. We encourage you to integrate this HIIT style of workouts into your workout regime. Please check with your physician before starting these high intensity workouts.
Fitness Corner
PT Peter Loncto
This spring, as it happens every spring, the IHRSA annual trade show and convention will be
taking place in San Diego. This is the opportunity for the racquet and health club industry to
show their latest equipment, ancillary goods and tech services to club owners, management
staffs and trainers from around the world. In addition to the equipment show, there are many
lectures, round tables and presentations centered around the wellness industry’s latest trends
and best practices.
I have been privileged to attend the last couple of years with John and the folks who run the
other CAC clubs. It is a fantastic and educational several days.
This year, the folks at IHRSA sent an email to the members announcing a 75 minute session
called IGNITE!, and asking for applications to participate as a speaker. Every speaker will have
5 minutes to talk about anything that might interest the attendees. These 10 speakers will then
participate in a question and answer period. Each applicant needed to describe in 100 words
or less what their presentation would be about.
Under the heading of “ Be careful what you wish for”, I responded. My topic was “ Becoming a
Certified Personal Trainer at age 65”. Well, it seems that I piqued the selection committee’s
interest and they asked for more details. Long story short....I will be one of the 10 presenters at
the IGNITE! Session.
In thinking about what I will be saying as I tell my story, it has occurred to me once again just
how happy I am that I have chosen this path at this stage of my life. I have been fortunate to
have had several interesting and rewarding jobs in my life, but nothing has been as much fun
and as satisfying as my current situation. When people ask me what I do, I often reply “I
change lives”. In the process of putting my thoughts on paper, I am reminded how lucky I am
to be involved with people who are seeking to improve their lives by improving their wellness.
It is a rare honor and privilege to be a part of your health and wellness journey and, as we start
a new year, I urge everyone to give some thought to getting into action and to realize the
benefits of being able to be present in your life and the lives of your loved ones.
If you are not currently utilizing the unique gym facilities or taking part in the many free group
exercise opportunities here at WAC, do yourself a favor....get involved! Find something that
works for you, whether it’s yoga, TRX, Resistance Strength and Stretching, Aqua Fitness, or
just trying out the wide range of cardio options. I can tell you that the results are guaranteed!
You will look better, feel better and enjoy yourself more...no matter what you are doing. I
promise. Happy New Year. Happy New You!
Goal Setting Strategies for 2019
By Angie Hoehne
Staring at a blank calendar for the new year ahead inspires a desire to make positive changes, including achievements of new goals. These goals may include personal best performances in our favorite sports. The question then becomes how do we know what goals are reasonable, yet also push us to achieve our absolute best?
Searching for these answers myself, I came across some reputable guidance from Matt Dixon, a highly sought after resource in the fitness and endurance community and author of several books, including one of my favorites, “Fast-Track Triathlete.” He suggests that “setting the lens” first will aid in successful integration of a training plan into your busy life.
Critically looking at your normal weekly schedule and honestly assessing other loads of stress in life will reveal how much time there is for athletic training without sacrificing the much needed sleep and rest cycles. Then a path of availability will surface that balances the sport/life equation and keeps an athlete healthy to conquer the long training weeks ahead.
Optimizing your available hours is the secret to a sustainable training program. Plan your recurring weekly workout schedule ahead of time with differing objectives and intensity levels for each session. For each workout session, you need to understand the purpose of that particular workout, have enough energy and mental resources available, and make a habit of executing the intentions of that workout.
This is an excellent stage in the planning process to research and ask a professional coach in your discipline for assistance with building a plan that maximizes the benefit during the hours available to achieve the best outcome possible for your life situation… and that same desired outcome is ultimately your goal! The Westlake Athletic Club has experienced professional coaches that would be happy to assist you at this point, including myself! I wish you a happy new year filled with healthy training that empowers your performance to achieve the best outcome possible for your life situation - your goal!
Tennis Corner
Get the most out of your serve
By Karl Akkerman
Introduction
Big servers today like Milos Roanic can blast the ball at speeds in excess of 140mph. While top women players like Serena Williams send it down at or above 120mph. To be successful in the modern game, players have to have an effective serve. They have to be able to hit the ball hard but also with amazing accuracy. The more points you can take on your serve with service winners and aces, the harder you will be to beat.
Step 1
Don't rush your serve. It's the one shot in tennis that you are in total control of, so don't waste the opportunity. Spend time getting your set-up right and getting your mind focused on what you are trying to do as well as where you are trying to hit the serve. Line your feet up with where you want the ball to go.
Have your front foot at an angle but have your back foot running parallel to the baseline. Point your racquet forwards to the target and use your spare hand to balance by lightly supporting the throat of the racket. Ideally the grip should be the chopper grip. This can be difficult to begin with, so it's okay to have a slight forehand grip, but look to move it around as soon as possible.
Step 2
The key from here is balance, timing and rhythm. Raise your hands up together just a short distance then bring them down together. As you do this, start to turn your body away from the court so that you are sideways on to it. You also need to be transferring your weight from your front to back foot. Try to feel a smooth, coordinated action, all the different parts of your body should be working together - not fighting
against each other.
Step 3
Once you've made the sideways turn and your hands have reached their lowest point, you need to separate your arms and bring them back up in different directions. Your left arm should be straight to enable you to accurately throw the ball up in the correct spot. The ball should be slightly in front of you and to a height about 6inches above your outstretched racquet. Your right arm needs to come back into a throwing position. This is the most difficult part of the action, because at the same time as coordinating your arms, you need to transfer your weight from your back foot on to your front
Step 4
As the ball gets to the top of the throw up, accelerate the racquet head at the ball in a throwing action.
Look to reach up to the ball as you hit, the higher that you can make contact the more power you can create.
Step 5
Follow through across your body, then look to recover quickly so you are ready for your next shot. You may not know how to pronate your serve. If you do, this motion causes the ball to travel with flat or top spin. It allows you to hit the ball by 20 mph faster than the traditional slice serve. The pronation serve is done by rotating your serving hand thumb down below the other four fingers after contact above your head at the highest possible reach. Most people turn the thumb up above the other fingers and this causes a sideways slice spin. The slice serve is a good serve if you are trying to move the server out wide on the deuce side or a body serve. But, if you hit it too hard, the ball carries out. The flatter pronated serve is a weapon and should be added to your serve repertoire. It is a very difficult shot to learn as old habits are hard to break. So ask your tennis coach to show you how to do it. Take a lesson. Only the top players (4.0-5.0 level) incorporate this shot. If you want to move up, learn how to hit this powerful serve.
The serve is arguably considered the most important shot in the game as it starts the point. It sets the point in action. So don't neglect practicing this shot. You don't have to hit it 120+ miles per hour, but 20 mph will make a huge difference in your game
Video Clip from Chris Dudeck
Congrats to our USTA Men’s 3.5 Team
(Westlake's Finest: Dennis Specht-Captain, Todd Isroelit-Captain, Rich Lee, Ben Markowitz, Paul Gianni, Reza Afshar, Woody Coale, Joe Dotzler, Steve Bleier, Dave Farkas, Ron Nathanson, Jerry McKeen, David Rosenberg, Doug Johnson, Eddie Torres, Tim Bearer, Bill Reis)
Sometimes all the USTA tennis balls align and you're blessed with both a great team and great results! That was the case this past fall 2018 when WAC's Men’s 3.5 USTA Team - Westlake’s Finest went undefeated at 8-0 and qualified for the North Area Play-Offs. Captain Dennis Specht and Co-Capt. Todd Isroelit remarked that on the way to this impressive accomplishment, literally EVERY team member contributed with key wins at important matches throughout the entire season.
The North Area Play-offs were scheduled for the weekend of Jan 4-6 at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center in El Monte. Our matches were set for Sunday at 8am and 3pm. Unfortunately, the sky opened Saturday night and soaked the courts. We finally played the first match at NOON vs. San Fernando Valley. All the 3 courts went to 3rd set tiebreakers!
We lost that match 1-2. Our 3pm match vs. Bakersfield finally started at a very chilly 6pm with the court lights on!
We won 2-1. So, at the end of the weekend we didn't advance to Sectionals but had a great time playing very competitive matches and seeing tennis friends from our surrounding clubs, like Sunset Hills and Sherwood. Plus, we got to throw some support to the WAC Mens 4.0 team that played too.
Pickleball
A Tennis Purist Who Became a Pickleball Pro (The Wall Street Journal)
Why a cardiologist who’d played the traditional racket sport for decades switched to the low-impact alternative with the goofy name.
Ken Curry, a cardiologist in Kennewick, Wash., swapped his tennis racket for a pickleball paddle. He plays four days a week at the Yakima Tennis Club. PHOTO: RYAN HENRIKSEN FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Jan. 19, 2019.
By Jen Murphy
If you’re a hard-core tennis lover, it’s hard to take a sport called pickleball seriously. There’s the funny name. You serve underhand and hit something that looks like a Wiffle ball. Ken Curry snubbed the game for years. “I thought it was a geezer sport,” he says.
Dr. Curry, a cardiologist in Kennewick, Wash., has tennis bona fides. He played on the Colorado State University-Pueblo team, and after graduation he postponed medical school to pursue a tennis career that lasted 1½ years. In his prime, he held a world ranking and in 1978 he reached the Australian Open, though he didn’t make it out of the qualifying rounds. Dr. Curry’s brother, Dan Curry, who also played college tennis, finally convinced him in 2012 to try pickleball, a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong. “My brother was always raving about it and nagging me to pick up a paddle,” he says. “After one game, I was hooked.”
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in America, with more than 3 million participants, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The association’s 2017 pickleball participant report showed that nearly 43% of core players are 65 or older. Dr. Curry, 64, had his hip replaced in 2013, and says that after decades of hitting overhead smashes and lunging to the net, a hard tennis match leaves him aching.
A smaller court and slower balls make pickleball a low-impact alternative. “I haven’t picked up a tennis racket in two years and don’t miss it,” Dr. Curry says.
Dr. Curry plays both singles and doubles but prefers playing with a partner. “I enjoy the strategy and teamwork,” he says. He competes in six to eight tournaments a year and has played in the USA Pickleball national championships four times. He and his brother finished third in the men’s doubles 50+ category in 2014. The following year, Dr. Curry won gold in the singles 60+ category. He plans to compete in the championships again this year after taking time off for family commitments.
The family pickleball obsession seems to be contagious. Dr. Curry’s adult son, Parker, is a pickleball pro in Colorado Springs, Colo. One of his two grown daughters dabbles in the sport and his Australian son-in-law, Nick Cooper, won gold at the 2018 Australian pickleball nationals. Even his wife, Patty Curry, who swore she’d never get on the court with him again, has taken to the game. “I turned her off tennis after putting her through years of drills, but she appreciates the pickleball workouts and is climbing up the ranks.”
The Workout
Dr. Curry plays pickleball three to four times a week. He does drills for 75% of the workout, then plays games for the duration. The sport is played with wooden paddles and a plastic, perforated ball on a short, square court. The net is hung at 34 inches, compared with 36 inches for tennis, and there is a 7-foot no-volley zone on each side of the net. Players score when the other side can’t return a shot. The first side to reach 11 points with a two-point lead wins. “The small court makes the game quicker than tennis,” Dr. Curry says. “There are so many more possibilities in terms of what you can do with the ball. Because the ball bounce is shorter, there’s a lot of lunging, which requires a strong core.” He spends a lot of time perfecting the dink, a higher, softer shot hit from the no-volley zone that stays low going over the net and drops quickly in the opposing no-volley zone. “It’s the most important shot,” he says. “You can’t hit the ball through people. You have to learn patience and hit soft and then rush the net. It’s like a game of cat and mouse.” On the court, he says his goal is to hit soft to his opponent’s feet up to 90% of the time, whether it’s with a forward dink, or a cross-court or backhand dink. He incorporates yoga poses into his five-day-a-week stretching routine.
The Gear & Cost
Dr. Curry plays on the Selkirk Sport team and gets discounts on products from the paddle manufacturer. He plays with a Selkirk Amped Invikta midweight paddle ($150). He wears Asics sneakers and likes Thorlos socks ($16) for their double thickness. “
A truce between pickleball and tennis
When pickleball first came on the scene in the late 1960s, it was met with disdain by many tennis purists. Many found the sound of the ball hitting the paddle annoying and didn’t want to share court time. They got irked when pickleballers lowered the net or taped the tennis court to adjust the lines of play. And many considered the game child’s play. “The first hesitation is always the name,” admits Tony Giannoni, a mental performance consultant in Orlando, Fla., who works with tennis players. “Why would a serious sport have this peculiar name?” It’s taken some time, but attitudes are slowly changing. Even tennis greats like Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi have given the game a go. Mr. Giannoni says when he first observed pickleball, the game didn’t look very athletic. When he tried it, he was surprised by how intense the sport could be, but also by how it improved his tennis game. “It’s helped me be more patient on the tennis court,” he says. “You use your volley a lot more than you use your groundstroke in pickleball, and I now have a stronger volley in my tennis game.”
Justin Maloof, executive director of the U.S. Pickleball Association, believes the noise complaint is what originally drove a wedge between tennis and pickleball players. He says new partnerships, like a blended pickleball line program initiative with the U.S. Tennis Association, can benefit both sports. In February, the Professional Tennis Registry and the Professional Pickleball Registry in Hilton Head Island, S.C., organizations that educate and certify coaches, will even debut a new program called Pick Ten that will teach both pickleball and tennis in 10 sessions.
