Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/997709
24 WAC Magazine | wac.net Q. What's your current training routine like? A. I attend group classes three times a week for strength, balance and flexibility. I do Aqua Boot Camp on Fridays for an awesome workout in the pool. I also run on the treadmill two times a week and occasionally swim laps in the pool. With warmer weather, I add outdoor runs and weekly swims in Lake Washington. Q. How has the WAC helped you? A. I've made friends who have enriched my life through new athletic endeavors and social activities. We've celebrated successes together and supported each other during challenging times. Q. When was the last time you curled? A. In 1997, at the U.S. Olympic Tri- als. Although we didn't make it to the Olympics, it was exciting to participate and to know curling would be part of the Olympics. Since then, I've hung up my curling broom. living fit exercise of the month / meet the athlete 1 2 Exercise of the Month Spiderman Push-Up WAC Fitness Instructor Alice Harrington demonstrates a Spiderman Push-Up. This exercise strengthens your chest, triceps, core, and shoulders in addition to improving balance. Alice uses the Spiderman Push-Up as part of the deck portion of her Aquatic Boot Camp classes on Wednesdays and Fridays. Begin in a plank position with your hands underneath your shoulders and your body in a straight line. As you bend your elbows and lower your torso toward the ground, bend one knee toward the elbow on the same side. Return to plank position and plant your foot behind you in its original position. Repeat using the opposite leg. Complete 8–10 repetitions on each side. 1 2 A N I TA N O W A C K A ( 2 ) Meet the Athlete Nancy Pearson By Mae Jacobson, Associate Editor Nancy Pearson competed in and won four U.S. women's curling championships in her twenties. Those victories qualified her team for competition in the World Women's Curling Championships in 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1988. Years later, when she felt like her exercise routine had fallen by the wayside, Nancy joined the WAC. She made fast friends in the Tri/Cycle Club and took up triathlon swimming. Q. Tell us about your early athletic career. A. I started curling when I was 19. I joined a Seattle-based women's team and we made it to the first-ever World Women's Curling Championships in 1979. Curling wasn't an Olympic sport yet, so the world champion- ship was the only venue for success at that level. We placed fih in the world that year, our best showing. Q. Now you're a swimmer. Why did you tackle that endeavor? A. To swim in the Seafair Triathlon relay. I took swim lessons at the WAC, attended Aqua Boot Camp, and found fellow swim- mers in the Tri/Cycle Club who generous- ly mentored and encouraged me. I also worked with an open-water swim coach. When I decided to swim Seafair as part of a relay team I was just about to turn 60. Training and competing again before my birthday was a great gi to myself. YO S E F C H A I M K A L I N K O