[tt] NYT: Getting Better With Age - Dive In

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Getting Better With Age -  Dive In
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/fashion/21fitness.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=torres&st=cse&oref=slogin
By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: August 18, 2008

DARA TORRES, the 41-year-old Olympic swimmer with the impossibly
chiseled abs who collected three silver medals in Beijing, has
proved at the elite level that getting older doesn't mean getting
slower in the water. But put her aside for now.

Even outside the elite ranks, the 40-something (and older) swimmer
of today is faster than the 40-something of yesteryear.

Researchers at the Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming at
Indiana University found that the population of Masters swimmers
(made up of 42,500 members ages 18 to 100-plus) has gotten faster
over the last 20 years in age groups from 25 to 55, said Joel
Stager, the center's director.

Why is that? They are applying better skills.

"Technique trumps training," Dr. Stager said. "Water is the great
equalizer."

Chief among the reasons for the speediness, say coaches, researchers
and swimmers themselves, are improved stroke mechanics and training
methods emphasizing intensity over distance. This is good news for
those who like to race, and for those taking to the water for
fitness at any age.

As they age, people lose muscle mass and cardiovascular capacity,
which declines by 1 to 1.5 percent annually. But for regular
exercisers, the rate of decline is slower, researchers say.

"Before, it was thought that athletes peak at 25," said Scott
Trappe, the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball
State University. But now the paradigm is shifting. "People are
paying attention to their own fitness and nutrition."

Swimmers can compensate for the body's decline mostly because the
water rewards those who are more technically proficient, and because
the sport is non-weight-bearing and enables prolonged participation.
"People can and do get faster, despite the fact that they may be 10,
20 years older than when they first started," Dr. Stager said.

Here are five competitive Masters swimmers, ages 40 and well beyond,
who help prove that.

Kicking Like Flipper

Kristin Gary swam at Duke University in the late 1980s but tired of
the long workouts. Now, Ms. Gary, 40, has recaptured the joy by
swimming for the Red Tide, a Masters swim team in New York.

Her personal best for the 100-yard backstroke is now 59.47 seconds;
in college, it was 1:00.07.

Her coach, Eric Mitchell, attributes her improvement in part to her
ability to execute the dolphin kick, an underwater kick that was not
allowed when she was in college. Swimmers can now use the kick up to
15 yards underwater in competition, on turns and after dives off the
blocks. They gain power from the legs moving in concert with the
body, which undulates like a dolphin. (Michael Phelps and Natalie
Coughlin are experts at it.)

Fitness swimmers don't need the dolphin kick, though it's fun to try
a trick from an Olympian's playbook. Those who want to be faster may
find it useful, but it depends on how skilled a person is, said Mr.
Mitchell, who makes teaching it a priority and said it requires core
strength and flexibility.

Hand and Arm Techniques

Stanley Shechter, 75, is still trying to master the dolphin kick,
finding an alternating-leg flutter kick more effective. But he
discovered that hand positioning after diving into the water can
help shave time. He practiced at Asphalt Green on the Upper East
Side of Manhattan (where he belongs to the Masters team), placing
one hand over the other, fingers together to eliminate drag, the way
Patrick Cantrell, his coach, instructed.

Mr. Shechter straightened his arms, keeping them close to his ears,
and held the pose underwater. "It's tough to hold your arms for that
long," he said. "But it works."

He attributes his improvement to practicing five days a week,
mindful not to go too far. That approach, too, represents training
filtered down from many elite programs. Coaches and swimmers have
discovered that less is sometimes more, especially in events no
longer than 100 yards. In 2003, Mr. Shechter swam the 100-meter
freestyle at the Masters national meet in 1:23.46. In May, he won
the 75- to 79-year-old division at the nationals in the 100-yard
freestyle in 1:12.67.

That's the Spirit

When improving performance, the psychological lift cannot be
ignored. Tracy Grilli, 51, believes setting goals as a team makes a
marked difference. Ms. Grilli is the administrator at the United
States Masters Swimming national office in Londonderry, N.H., and
belongs to a local team. But her Mighty Mermaids team is made up of
friends averaging age 50 from New Jersey, California and Virginia.

To prepare for an open-water swim in July, Ms. Grilli charted their
individual yardage online, for a virtual swim up the Mississippi
River. "It is the people I swim with that make the difference," she
said. "I could swim alone and say, `I'm tired.' That's not going to
make me swim any faster."

Turning Back the Clock

Not every swimmer over 40 can set records. For many, being fit is as
much a goal as being fast.

Andy Weiss has thick white hair and a chest scar from bypass surgery
but looks younger than his 87 years. "A lot of people call me a
freak," said Mr. Weiss, who swims an hour three days a week at
Asphalt Green, where he is a Masters team member. "After swimming I
feel wonderful."

He won two silver medals and a gold medal at the May nationals, but
says he enjoys the water's revitalizing power. His tips for
improving?

"Don't smoke, get a good coach, get enough sleep, a full eight
hours," he said, before adding with a laugh: "And don't get older."

Aging has not hampered Marie Kelleher. She swims four days a week at
a Y.M.C.A. in Richmond, Va., logging a half-mile each day,
alternating strokes for 30 minutes of laps. At 95, she won her age
group at a regional Masters meet in February, with a time of 3:02.75
in the 100-yard freestyle. "I started swimming because I wanted to
keep in shape," she said. "As long as I can drive myself to the
pool, I am going to keep swimming."

She was impressed, if not inspired, by Ms. Torres. "How old is she
again?" Ms. Kelleher asked.

When told 41, she laughed and said: "Well, I'm more than twice her
age."