Team News

February 13, 2026 Update

Coach's Corner

I hope by now that everyone has their power and internet restored after a crazy few weeks of "Icemageddon." Ugh. Seeing the devastation of the trees all around Nashville is heart-breaking, plus the inability to walk through our fabulous parks nearby is a bummer. But, it's been so nice to see most of you back in the pool and catch up on things. And, despite losing our pool time for a week, all practice attendees are regaining their feel for the water quickly. Keep up the good work in the pool, swimmers!

Notices/Reminders

SAVE THE DATE! Swim Across America-Nashville is moving from April to June, so a bit more time to fundraise for Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center this year. Mark down Sunday, June 14, 2026, on your calendar! More info coming soon.
- - - Note that the SAA-N website is already open and ready for you to register. Start building your team!
    - If anyone would like to be involved with the planning of this event, plesae contact me or Coach Lauren,
    - If anyone would like to help sponsor the event, please contact me or Coach Lauren.
Entries are open for the 2026 USMS SCY Spring National Championships in Greensboro, NC, April 30-May 3, 2026. You can find meet info HERE. We plan to rent a few Airbnbs, so please let me know ASAP if you plan to join us.
Have you made any swimming goals for 2026 yet? See me to discuss, and I can help you work towards them. :)

Enjoy your weekend, swimmers.

😊 Coach Chris

Events

Results!

A HUGE CONGRATS to Penny Noyes on breaking more World Records when she swam in the Rowdy Gaines Invitational in Orlando last month. Penny swam 19 events in the 3-day meet - 9 individual golds, as well as 10 relays -in a facility that was 40 degrees on deck (due cold snap in FL). Penny temporarily joined another team stacked with other phenoms, and they ended up with 4 World and 1 US Team Records. [Pic (from L to R) is of Olympian Mary T. (Meagher) Plant, Alison Hayden, meet host Rowdy Gaines, Erika Braun, and Penny, after they broke the 800 FR Relay World Record.]

KUDOS to Lauren Geiger, Brayan Stroinski, and Rachel Sandoval for challenging themselves and completing a set of 100 x 100s in January to celebrate the new year!

CONGRATULATIONS to those swimmers who participated in the 2026 NAC Masters New Year Classic on Saturday, January 17, 2026. Although it was the first meet in a while for most of them, all of our teammates raced really well. Numerous swims qualified for USMS Spring Nationals, and there were even a number of best times recorded! Special thanks to Coach Lauren Branscombe for organizing the relays and making sure everyone got to their lanes on time! Kudos to Val Bates, Lauren Branscombe, Dee Davis, Kevin Davis, Shawn Donaldson, Lauren Geiger, Josh Petrin, Mike Phillips, Rick Philpot, Rachel Sandoval, Wes Stoddard, Bryan Stroinski, Katie Winfree, and Sarah Wiseman. Thanks to all who came by to cheer and join us for a fun post-meet dinner at Streetcar Taps & Gardens afterwards!

Coming Up!

The Sewanee Spring Invitational is only a few weeks away (Saturday, Feb 28th), and it is a great chance to swim in a not-too-far-away meet! See the link below in our Bulletin Board section to see meet details. I encourage you to sign up!
We already have at least 10 swimmers committed to attend 2026 USMS Spring Nationals (April 30-May 3) in Greensboro, NC, but it would be great to have more of you come swim with us. Let Coach Chris know ASAP! See link below for meet info.
Don't forget to take a look at the Open Water competitions listed below, as well. We have a number of teammates planning to participate in various OW events in Sarasota, Arizona, and other spots, and it's always more fun to attend with a teammate or two.
We also have Fitness Challenges to explore via the USMS website; February's challenge is a 200 Kick for time, which is easy-peezy after our 400 Kick for time in December! :)

Teammate Tidbits

Wishing much love and happiness to...

Laurin and Jason Bobo on the birth of their son, Riley James Bobo, on January 18th. Can't wait to meet him! [Near-right pic]

Jake Dovgan and his wife Zoe on the arrival of their 2nd child, Thomas George Dovgan, born on February 10th. Jake messaged that he misses his Ensworth teammates very much! [Far-right pic]

Best wishes for a quick recovery to...

Carol Carr, who underwent shoulder surgery a few weeks ago after too many years of shoulder pain. Heal quickly!

ENSW "Bulletin Board"

Upcoming Events

Swim Across America-Nashville 2026 (Ensworth Natatorium)

- SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, June 14th, 2026!
- Registration is open on the website. More details coming soon!

Swim Meets

2026 Sewanee SCY Spring Invitational, Sat, Feb. 28, 2026 (Sewanee, TN).
2026 USMS Spring Nationals, April 30-May 3, 2026 (Greensboro, NC).

Open Water

2026 USMS Sprint-Distance OW National Championships (1-Mile), April 3, 2026 (Sarasota, FL).
2026 USMS Long-Distance OW National Championships (5K), April 4, 2026 (Sarasota, FL).
2026 USMS Marathon Distance OW National Championship (10K), July 18, 2026 (Applegate Lake, Southern Oregon).
2026 USMS Middle Distance OW National Championships, July 25, 2026 (Square Lake, MN).

Virtual/Fitness Challenges

2026 USMS Fitness Series, Monthly challenges from Jan-Dec 2026.
2026 USMS Go the Distance, Track your overall distance for the entire year.

Team Apparel and Gear - Options for Purchasing

We have created a TEAM STORE on SwimOutlet.com, so that you can purchase team logo apparel, as well as swimming gear, with a portion of the proceeds going to ENSW Masters! Note: We can add items, If there is something you want that is not already in our Team Store!
FINIS Yellow Ankle Bands - Coach Chris ordered some extras, so ask her at practice if you want to purchase one.
Team logo caps (latex and silicone) are available for purchase. Coach Chris also has some extra CAPS, T-SHIRTS, PULLOVER T-SHIRTS, AND SWEATSHIRTS in stock.

Misc Reminders

GroupMe!
- - Be sure to sign up for the app under our team account, as any last-minute practice changes will be communicated this way, as well as info on various other items including apparel orders and social events. ENSW Masters GroupMe. NOTE that there are now two topics for our account - the main chat, where everyone can communicate, and also "announcements from Coach Chris," which only includes notices from me. You are able to mute the group chat and keep the announcements on, if so desired.
Natatorium Doors to be Locked @7:10am During the School Year
- - Those swimmers attending late workout (8:15-9:30am) will need to enter a code on the pin pad (next to the doors on the right side) to enter the building. The entry code is specific to our Masters' team and allows access Monday through Friday between 7:00am and 9:45am only.
  - Our Masters code for the locked doors is 2314#.
Donation Ideas!
- - If you are looking to donate to a good cause, you have some excellent choices at your fingertips...

Our Swim Across America team page for 2025 will remain active through the end of October, so it's not too late to solicit donations!
The WALT Fund, created in honor of our dear pal Walt, with the intention of supporting adult swimming in general, plus specifically as booster funds for our Ensworth Aquatics Masters team. See donation instructions at bottom of newsletter.
The Nashville Dolphins, a wonderful organization supporting special needs swimmers, that is led by our teammate, Brenda Vroon.

The WALT Fund

Created in Walt Lenard's memory to honor his enthusiasm for all things Ensworth Aquatics Masters.

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to support our team.

You can hand-deliver to Coach Chris or send by mail to: "The WALT Fund" at 2100 20th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212.

Regular ENSW Practice Schedule

Monday 5:45-7:00am, 8:15-9:30am

Tuesday 5:45-7:00am

Wednesday 5:45-7:00am, 8:15-9:30am

Thursday 5:45-7:00am

Friday 5:45-7:00am, 8:15-9:30am

Saturday 6:30-7:45am

Sunday Off

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