October Newsletter
OVAC NEWS
I have to be honest, September kind of flew by. I can't believe we are strolling into October. We had a great month and finished it with a perfect evening of Ted Lennon's music. He brought a great band and was a perfect way to chill on a Friday evening. We will have Ted play at the club more often throughout the year. I hope everyone has a chance to check him out. We added some new mats for the group fitness studio. We hope this will add more comfort for some of the classes.
I want to finish by recognizing our Cafe Director, Kelly Lamar, as she leaves the club to move up to Oregon. Kelly has put her heart and soul into the Cafe and will be greatly missed. We wish Kelly nothing but the best as she moves into the next chapter of her life. Thank you so much!
See Ya at the Club!
Ryan
WELCOME REBEKAH BULEY AS CAFE DIRECTOR AND RUBEN DUARTE AS HEAD COOK!
We want to recognize Rebekah and Ruben on their promotion as Cafe Director and Head Cook. Both have been on the OVAC team for a while and very excited to see the new changes they have in store for the Cafe. There will be a new focus on healthy, organic entrees along with uplifting old favorites. Please drop by to say hello and try some great food and drinks!
MIND BODY CONNECTION
By Georgia Cotsis
"The mind and body are not separate. What affects one, affects the other." I never used to fully understand how to focus on the mind body connection until I started doing Pilates. This way of moving became so much more than "fitness." Not only are you developing a lean and toned body, but also a deeper connection to YOURSELF as a whole. I am much more aware of how I feel physically and mentally each day.
Pilates uses exercises with coordination so the body has no other choice but to mindfully connect to each movement. This allows the body to become more aware of how it is moving through space even outside of the Pilates studio. You spend an entire session seeing how connected you can be to the mat, to the body, to the earth…that feeling does not just go out the window. In my experience teaching, I have had clients not only realize where they are sore or where they feel good, but also, they start to learn where they hold stress etc. It is amazing how connected we are as a whole being.
"It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence."
Do not forget, I am now also offering 30-minute sessions at half the cost of a package!
TENNIS NEWS
The sign up for our club tournament is up and in the lobby. Please sign up TODAY! There will be both men's and women's doubles divisions with a Calcutta pre-party.
Hats off to our men's 4.0 team who worked hard all season and qualified for sectionals which were held last weekend in Seal Beach. Their roster was depleted due to conflicts with the weekend schedule but many team members opined that had they been at a full strength they would have been hard to beat.
NEW TIMES AND DAYS FOR YOUTH TENNIS CLINICS
We are revamping our Junior Tennis Clinics to give you more options and flexibility. Please phone, text, or email before coming to a class so we can properly staff it.
Mondays and Wednesdays
4pm-5:30pm Intermediate/Advanced. Junior clinic for older kids who can serve, rally, and have playing/tournament experience. Ages 13 and up. $18 members/$21 non-members.
Tuesdays and Thursdays
4pm-4:45pm Future Stars. For our youngest players who are just being introduced to the game. Ages 5-8. $12 members/$15 non-members
5pm-6pm The Bigger Littles Clinic. Designed for older beginners ages 8-11 to learn the basics of stroke production and movement through the use of fun games and drills. $15 members/$18 non-members.
Thursdays
4pm-5pm Beginner/ Intermediate. A clinic designed toward getting more experienced beginners ready for match play through drills and gameplay with a ficus on consistency and fitness. Ages 9+ $15 members/$1 non-members.
Saturdays
9am-9:45am Future Stars - see above
10am-11am The Bigger Littles- see above
Please contact me if you have questions regarding which class your child would do best in. 805.746.0819 [email protected]
AQUATICS NEWS
SWIMMER OF THE MONTH-GIANNO DELNAGRO
How long have you been swimming?
4 years
What's your favorite stroke?
Breaststroke
What's your favorite distance/event?
50 Breast
What was your most memorable achievement so far?
When I got a blue time in the 100 Back
Do you have a goal for this year?
To make JO's(Junior Olympics) in Breastroke
What's your favorite workout?
Senior group Friday night dryland
What else do you like to do?
Play water polo
What's your favorite after-swim snack?
Fettuccini Alfredo
FREESTYLE DRILL-SIDE-KICKING
Many swimmers think freestyle is swum on their stomach with arms crawling through the water. But, good, efficient, and injury free freestyle is swum rotating from side to side on a vertical axis---imagine that you have a pole through your body from your head down through your spine and you can only rotate on that pole from side to side. To practice this vertical side position and to avoid swimming flat, practice side kicking. To side kick, position your body on its side with the top arm resting alongside your body with your hand flat on your hip. Extend your other arm straight above your head, with your hand resting just at the surface of the water, palm facing down. Rest your head back on your lower shoulder and look straight up with only your face out of the water, and start kicking, staying completely on your side. Go slow and stay relaxed, breathing regularly. Do not use your arms or hands to balance; only your legs should be moving. Make sure to switch sides either half way or at the 25m to practice being on either side (one may be easier than the other). Wearing fins for this drill is very effective, that way you can focus on your balance and position without struggling for momentum. After practicing side-kicking, be mindful of hip rotation during your freestyle on each arm stroke.
BOX SQUATS
Danielle Wommack, Fitness Director
I recently introduced one of my personal training clients to box squats and she asked me why she was being regressed from traditional squats. I use box squats frequently in my own workouts and with my clients, but I realized I had never explained WHY to this particular client. And the answer was simple – because box squatting leads to improvements in traditional squatting. But why?
Box squatting is harder. You naturally lose momentum when your body comes to a halt on the box. You cannot rely on the stretch reflex and momentum to get yourself out of the hole at the bottom of a box squat like you would with a traditional squat. You body is forced to drive out of the bottom of the squat without momentum or speed. This will translate into an even stronger drive out of the hole once you take away the box and go back to traditional squats.
Box squats give your glutes an edge. Box squats set you up so that your body can't rely too heavily on your quads to simply stand up. Rather, you will have to activate more muscle fibers in your glutes and your hamstrings to help get you out of the bottom of the box squat.
Box squats improve your squat mechanics. This is because box squats force you to use more of the muscle fibers in your posterior chain (i.e., muscles on the backside of your body). Plus, box squats allow you to slow down the actual squat movement to allow you to truly focus on the way your body is moving. By stopping on the box you can double check things like: Is your chest up? Are your knees pointed out? Is your shin angle correct? Is your spine in the correct position? These are all great things to consider before driving out of the hole.
Box squats are a great squat for new lifters. As discussed in the previous paragraph, box squats will help new lifters learn good squat mechanics by allowing for time to focus on body mechanics. Such attention to detail will go along way in preventing injuries through the development of bad lifting habits.
Box squats may save your knees. By sitting a little further back as is done during box squats, the load is reduced on the quads. This in turn places less stress on your knee joints
Box squats build consistency. Whether you are a new lifter or an experienced gym rat, it can be difficult to stay consistent with your squat depth, especially as the barbell gets heavier. The box eliminates any inconsistency as you are touching the box each and every repetition. This should translate to more consistency with traditional squats also.
Box squats don't require a barbell. Nor do traditional squats. Remember, you can squat with just your bodyweight to the box. Or you can hold a dumbbell or kettlebell while box squatting. These all "count" as box squats.
So, if you feel like you have plateaued with your back squat and can't seem to improve, try mixing up your workout with box squats for 6 weeks. You may be pleasantly surprised at what it can do for you.
