Mt. Tam Retains Title

   What a great event.  There’s nothing like the Marin Cup to bring out the spirit of Club support.  It’s like Marin County’s version of the Davis Cup.  Once again Mt. Tam was able to come out on top, but more importantly, we hosted a great event.  In the end, Mt. Tam won 23 matches, just edging out Rolling Hills that won 22 matches.  What a finish!  

Men’s Open Hot

     The quality of play in the Men’s Open doubles has elevated to a level Marin County has not seen in many years.  With prize money and the recruiting by Bo and Steve, spectators are provided with a great venue.  This year’s runner-ups and winners were Eric Roberson, Chris Rasmussen, Alex Strom and Robert Yim.

March Madness in Café

College basketball takes the spotlight this month, and the Mt. Tam Café will feature every big game on the big screen TV. 

New Court Cleaner Extraordinaire

Besides doing a great job of cleaning the indoor and outdoor courts, this new court scrubber electrically charges the water to better attract dirt and debris.  In the process, we use only 12 GALLONS of water to wash the outdoor courts instead of 600 gallons by using power hoses.  We also can do the outdoor so efficiently that at least four of the courts will be open for play all Monday morning.  Nice addition to our team.

Group Exercise Etiquette

Contact your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Are you new to class? Recovering from and injury? Introduce yourself to the instructor at the beginning of class.

Be respectful of the instructor and class participants. Classes are a group activity. Individual workouts are a distraction and not permitted.

Be respectful of the instructor and class participants. Heavy perfume or body odor is a distraction and not permitted.

While we are thankful classes are popular and full, participants may only set up for themselves and not for anyone else. We observe the First Come, First Serve policy in classes.  Thanks for your attention to this!

Fitness News and Updates

Mark your calendars!

Annual Spring Fitness Extravaganza Sat., March 20^th 8-2pm.

Zumba Demo class for kids and adults; Comp. Body Composition and Membrane Testing; Comp. chair massages from Mt. Tam Health and Wellness department; Demo Cardio Tennis class (inside courts); Health and Wellness Workshops; Aquatic challenge; Kim Kulp, Nutritionist/RD available for Q & A; LULULEMON Trunk Show; Raffle Chi Running and Chi Walking Instructor and Health Coach; Plus much more!

CPR/First Aid and AED certification workshop – March 21^st 3:00 - 6:00pm. Cost is $35. per person. Members and non-Members are welcome. Payment must be made at the workshop. Space is limited. Sign up on the Fitness Board and reserve your spot today.

Nutritionist and Registered Dietitian now available to Mt. Tam Members. Kim Kulp is a registered Dietitian with a BA from UC Davis, has completed graduate work as an internist in dietetics from SFSU and Certified in training with both Adult and Child/Adolescent in Weight Management from the American Dietetic Association. Kim has taught weight management classes at Kaiser Permanente and is currently employed as a clinical dietitian by Novato Community and Santa Rosa Memorial Hospitals. Kim counsels small groups and/or families as well as individual clients in sports nutrition and medical nutrition therapy. Kim is a great addition to Mt. Tam and will be available for Q & A on March 20^th at the Spring Fitness Event. You may also reach her at kim@healthtastesgreat.com or 415-246-3876.

Cancelled: Stretch & Flex 6:30-7:30pm on Wednesday’s with Leigh C.

Cardio Tennis is coming soon! Thursdays 12-1pm, April 1 - May 27 (8 weeks)

Sign up in advance for all 8 classes: $100 (members) and $140 (non-members)

Drop-in rate for one or more classes: $15/class (members) and $20/class (non-members)

Sign up on the Tennis Board starting March 1^st.

Swim News and Updates

   When you read the posted rules in the pool area…….

Think it doesn’t include you.

Think it is stupid.

Realize the rules are posted for the safety of you and others.

  If you picked #3 you are correct! Rules are not meant to be broken. During the winter we all share the indoor pool.  Lane 5 is for disabled swimmers, recreational swimmers, water exercise and swim lessons.  That is a small area for so many needs but “let’s all get along.”  Lanes 1-4 are for lap swimming. 

  One rule for the hot tub is often disregarded.  Children under 5 are not permitted in the hot tub.  At Mt. Tam we feel that 5 is an appropriate age to enjoy the hot tub. Children's smaller bodies heat up faster than adults and this can raise their internal body temperatures to dangerous or even fatal levels very quickly.  Children must be tall enough to stand on the bottom of the spa or hot tub with their heads completely out of the water.  Aside from the obvious issue of safety, the hot tub is meant to be a relaxing place for people to unwind from the day, soak aching muscles or warm up for a swim, not play time.

   Registered USMS swimmers and unregistered swimmers completed their hour-long swim on January 29th and 30th.  Collectively, the 14 participating swimmers covered  40,305 meters or over 25 miles in one hour!  Jeff Gunderson with the most meters, swam 4105 meters, and the female star was Mary Mcquiston, who swam 3600 meters.  I am proud of all who braved the hour swim.  It is a long time to keep up a pace!

   Get a head start on summer!   The next 7 week kids swim clinic is Feb 22 through April 8. Tadpoles ages 4&5 work on their beginning swimming skills in small groups.  Groups 2 & 3 are designed for swimmers who love to swim but also like to participate in other activities and may not have the time to devote to a swim team. Group 4 is for the more advanced swimmer and includes swimmers who would like to spend some extra time on their technique to enhance their swim team experience. 

Tennis Pro’s Tip of the Month

   What did you learn from watching the Marin Cup?  Since the entire tournament is doubles play, how many of you noticed how often teams positioned themselves, one up and one back.  The days of both players coming to net are beginning to vanish.  Even at the pro level, with groundstrokes becoming such a weapon, being able to master net play has been challenged.  Look for more of this in the future, along with many more down-the-line shots.

Junior Program

The after-school junior program is in full swing. The schedule and class description is below.

Tiny Mites  - M/Th-3-3:30/F 4-4:30; 4:30-5

Beginner/Adv Beginner – Tu/We/Th – 3:30-4:30

Intermediate – Mon 3:30-4:30, Tu/We 4:30-5:30

Advanced – Mon  4:30-6 

Spring Junior League

Once again Mt. Tam will have a Junior Spring League team. Matches are against other clubs in the area. We will field an 8^th grade Division 2 and Division 1 team as well as a 6^th grade & under team this year. Please contact Steve Summer if you are interested in participating.

Free Tennis Clinics

The free tennis clinics for March are on the following dates:

Tuesday, March 2, 1pm

Saturday, March 13, noon

Tuesday, March 16, 1pm

Family Night

Friday, March 19, 5:45pm

Steve will mix and match players while the little ones get to watch a “G”-rated movie in Childcare.

Network News

   Get ready for warmer weather by checking out a pair of sunglasses - or how about some breathable shirts that handle the heat and keep you cooler.

USTA Updates

   The USTA season begins the week of March 15. All of the home matches are posted on the Club website @ http://www.mttamrc.com/tennis/tennis-calendar-1. Many home matches are on weekend afternoons on courts 4, 5 & 6. Please check the calendar so you can come out and support the Mt. Tam teams.

Adult Tournament News

   Once again Mt. Tam had several players competing in the Babolat World Tennis Classic held in Palm Springs in late January. The World Tennis Classic is one of the largest tennis events with over 750 participants competing. Linda Bucklin had the best showing winning the women’s 60’s doubles and advancing to the semi-finals of the 65’s singles. Charlie Hoeveler reached the semi-finals of the men’s 65’s singles event. Chrissy Costamagna teamed with Kristen Lehmkuhl in both the 40’s and 45’s doubles. She also reached the quarter-finals of the 45’s singles event. Mike Childs competed in the men’s 65’s doubles and reached round 16. Congratulations to all of these players.

Junior Bio

Name: Andrew Badertscher

Age: 13

Andrew has been playing tennis for 4 years. He started off in the beginning group but has advanced to the intermediate level. He has played on the Mt. Tam spring league teams for the past 2 seasons and will be playing on the 8^th grade team again this year. Andrew’s favorite player is Andy Roddick. He likes his sense of humor and how hard he serves. Next year Andrew will be going to Redwood, where he hopes to play on the team. When he is not playing tennis, he likes to hang out with friends, read books and go to parties!

Why We Don’t Post Fliers…

   Some of you may or may not have noticed, for obvious reasons, we do not post any notices or fliers concerning local events, charities or fundraisers.  The reason is two-fold.  First, if you accept one, you should accept them all.  Where do we draw the line?  No one wants to be put in the position of determining what cause is better than the next.

   Second, most members come to the Club to get away from this type of input.  They want their visit to be focused on enjoying their workout, match, or swim, and not be reminded of outside obligations or issues. We get approached quite frequently by businesses that would like to reach our membership to help sell their product; not going to happen. This is a private club, and this practice is part of the service expected.

   Does this mean we are not involved in our local community needs?  On the contrary, Mt. Tam is one of the most charitable small businesses in the country, donating over 40 memberships per year to local school programs and providing free Safe and Sober Grad Nights for several local high schools.

Serving Shoulder-Opposite Hip: Correlation?

   This past month I was again the head therapist over at the SAP Open in San Jose.  After several years of working on the tour, one thing has remained true….Some of my first observations about common injury patterns of tennis players are still intact.  Most players come in asking for help with low back pain, lethargy in the legs or lack of range in their serving shoulder.  In addition to all this, one thing that I have seen over and over again is pain in the opposite hip from which they serve.  Let me explain.

   Basically, what this comes from is the intense force of impact on the opposite hip when we land after serving.  To do this 5, or maybe 10-times would be no big deal, but if you think about it, it is very possible to hit 100 serves in a good 3-set match, and to do that several days in row can really take its toll.  At a certain point, the hip, glutes, sacrum and whole pelvic complex can not withstand the impact.  The sacrum and iliac crest (hip bone) start to slip slightly upwards, sometimes causing what is called sacroiliac joint dysfunction or SJD.  With SJD, the pain can be in the low back/sacral area, the outer hip or in some cases the upper portion of the hamstring.  Most often as well, the outer glute muscle, the gluteus medius, gets excessively weak and the body starts to compensate.  At this point we need help as even sometimes rest does not fix this up-slip of the pelvis.

   If you think you might be experiencing this, it is very important to seek manual treatment. Tissue work, mobilization of the hip and low back, as well as some strengthening exercises, are crucial.  If you have any questions or would like to discuss your situation please contact Jory Serota at ext. 34 or yogichands@yahoo.com.

Shoulder pain and how it can relate to the spine

   The shoulder is a very vulnerable joint: it relies primarily on the muscular attachments for stability while it is designed to move through extreme range of motion.

   Movement happens primarily between the humerus (upper arm bone) head and glenoid fossa (socket); other surrounding joints are also involved (collarbone, chest bone, shoulder blade), but for simplicity I am not including those here. What we typically do not consider is the participation of the spine and rib cage. In order to move the shoulder most efficiently and through its greatest range, the spine must move while the shoulder moves.

   Here are some examples: While lifting the arm up to reach for an object, the lumbar spine (and pelvis) and thoracic spine move into extension while the ribs expand. When sitting in the car and fastening your seatbelt (crossing arm over), the spine rotates as does the ribcage.  Reaching down to pick up something from the floor requires the spine to slightly flex.

   Now imagine that part of the spine (or ribcage) is stiff or injured. This can have a direct impact on the shoulder mechanics. A tight segment in the thoracic spine can create a hyper-mobile shoulder due to excessive force when reaching, such as overhead sports activities (tennis, swimming, golfing). The other way round, a chronic stiff shoulder (for example adhesive capsulitis) can create stress on the spine (back, neck, ribs) in order to reach as needed. Through repetition over a prolonged period of time, injuries in the spine or ribs can be the result.

   I experience occasional mild impingement symptoms in my left shoulder, especially when swimming more than my usual regime. I am aware that part of my thoracic spine is less mobile than other areas of my spine. And this leads to my shoulder getting stressed: In swimming, the shoulder moves through such large range and needs the entire spine, especially the thoracic section, to be fully integrated. If that part of the spine is not extending enough, the shoulder joint can get compressed with each overhead movement. 

   The most important intervention is to avoid aggravating activities while the shoulder heals and to learn proper techniques, may it be for swimming or other sports. It is helpful to use ice, anti-inflammatories if appropriate and, once pain has subsided, to strengthen key shoulder/blade muscles and to improve healthy spinal movements. Evolving the techniques for each specific sport is crucial to avoid chronic shoulder pain or more serious injury.

   Another cause of shoulder problems related to surrounding structures is poor posture. When sitting at your desk and using the computer, the alignment of your body determines the amount of stress on your shoulder. For example, sitting tall versus slouched. The classic poor posture features, rounded shoulders, rounded upper back and forward head position changes the direction of the shoulder socket. When lifting the arm, the supraspinatus tendon can get impinged (or subdeltoid bursa). This can lead to tendinitis or bursitis.

Poor posture also creates compression in the neck.

   Summary: Spinal and rib flexibility, healthy movement organization, good postural habits as well as strengthening key muscle groups, are all important for peak shoulder performance. Work with your coach on refining your techniques, consider Feldenkrais to improve your movement habits, strengthen your rotator cuff, shoulder blade and core muscles and avoid excessive overuse situations.

Keep reaching for healthy shoulders!

For more information you can contact Marion Kregeloh at Ext. 36