The Art of Active Listening: The Gorilla in the Room

There was a study done a while back where a group of people were asked to watch a screen and count the number of times a basketball was passed back and forth between two teams.  The task required a high amount of concentration. During the test the researchers had a man, dressed in a gorilla costume, walk into the middle of the court, stand for a few seconds, beat his chest, and then walk off. Amazingly only 50% of the people watching the video noticed the gorilla. The rest were so intent on counting the ball being passed that they didn’t see the gorilla. It turns out that when performing a task that requires concentration our brains respond by filtering out information that doesn’t pertain directly to the task at hand.

I started writing this as a memo to the Upper Valley Aquatic Center staff to point out an important skill associated with providing good customer interactions.  Just about every business talks about how they are focused on customer service. But when American consumers are asked to rate customer service the general consensus is that it’s not very good, with some exceptions of course. But I realized that it has broader implications for all of us to improve our interactions with our children, spouses, and friends. So I thought that I’d share it with you. Good customer service begins with “active” listening. So does being a good parent, spouse or friend.

On a personal level I know that I have messed up opportunities to have a more meaningful interchange with business associates, customers, and my family because of missing the obvious signals. I missed them because I was concentrating too hard on a project that I was in the middle of, how I was going to respond, or what I wanted to get out of the conversation. So I missed what they were actually saying.  I frequently have to remind myself to look for the “gorilla” when interacting with people, especially someone who is uncomfortable or could just use some extra help. If we all get a little bit better at listening I’m sure that our lives will be enhanced. All of us at UVAC are working on improving this skill.

 By Upper Valley Aquatic Center's Executive Director, Richard Synnott

Who is Ika Kovacikova, and why does she want to swim the English Channel?

Note from the Editor of this blog:

Ika Kovacikova, wrote to UVAC a couple days ago about her upcoming swim of the English Channel. Her last fundraising push is coming up, and she was hoping that we here at UVAC could spread the news!

Ika, is pretty well set in her fundraising goal for the overall swim, but she is still raising more money. Why you ask? Well, last summer she worked for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and is looking to donate any additional proceeds she makes to them.

We here at UVAC are so very proud of Ika for making not only her dreams come true, but giving aid to those who really need it. It is a great reminder that one is able to make it through anything, and still liftothers up along the way.

So look out for Ika during her swim of the English Channel in August (2013), she will be the one in the UVAC cap (oh yeah)!  YOU GO GIRL!

-Heather Graham-
     Uvac Staff

P.S. Read more about Ika below, and visit her fundraising website and blog (links below)!

My name is Ika Kovacikova and I have been swimming with UVAC since the day the doors opened, and many years before that on NCAC. I am now a rising senior at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA.

I was first inspired to swim the English Channel when I read the book "Swimming Across Antarctica" by Lynn Cox, and that was about when I was 10 years old. I thought she was truly incredible. I have been swimming since the age of six, but I never thought I was capable of "marathon swimming" even though I have always loved to swim. In 2012 I heard about how Mackenzie Bradley ('13) and Emma Reim ('13) of Smith College swam the English Channel and all of the sudden it seemed like a real possibility. I spoke with them about it and they definitely encouraged me to go for it, so I found a boat pilot through The Channel Swimming Association, and that was definitely the start of a big adventure!

I will be donating any extra funds I raise to the Center for Injury Research and Prevention in Philadelphia. During the summer of 2012 I was an REU intern at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), which is supported by the National Science Foundation. I conducted research for the youth Violence Intervention Program (VIP) at the hospital.

The CHOP Violence Intervention Program (VIP) promotes a “trauma-informed” approach to helping patients who have been victims of nonfatal gunshot wounds, stabbings, or other physical assault injuries and admitted to CHOP’s emergency department or Trauma Unit. A trauma-informed approachconsiders how someone’s past experience affects his or her success in their clinical treatment. Since victims of interpersonal violence are 88 times more likely to retaliate or become re-injured after trauma, the overall program goal is to break the pattern of violence. The VIP provides ongoing social and emotional support for youth who were seen at CHOP, and evaluates how this trauma-informed approach promotes positive relationships between patients, health care and social services, and connects them with beneficial community-focused programs in their neighborhoods. I really learned a lot from my experience as part of the research team at CIRP. Swimming the English Channel in August of 2013 would be my way of giving back to the center, and would support efforts to prevent violence.

This summer, I am working in Chicago at Rush University Medical Center as a Health Disparities Research Fellow for Dr. David Ansell MD, MPH, author of County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago's Public Hospital. I am helping Dr. Ansell with his second book about health disparities and health inequalities in urban centers. I definitely feel like my research this summer ties in with my work last summer, as we try to illuminate the reasons why some neighborhoods experience startlingly higher rates of cancer, diabetes, and violence (just a few examples) than others, which is true in Philadelphia as well as in Chicago, among many other large American cities.

Have a great day!
Ika Kovacikova
Wellesley College '14

Ika's Fundraising Website

Ika's Blog

Landing in a great spot - an intern's view of Upper Valley Aquatic Center

With a laptop and power cord in hand, I was directed to the office behind the large window of the competition pool.  What a cool place to work I thought – it’s always great to have a window in your office – something I had rarely experienced in the corporate world.  Returning to work after taking a hiatus in my career, I felt like I had landed in a great spot!  

My view!

Upper Valley Aquatic Center (UVAC) was not an unfamiliar place to me.  I had been there many times. I remember the first time I went to UVAC.  It was a snowy day when I drove my mini-van over.  It was like entering a new world – its warm water pool and lazy river pool were so welcoming!   My family was hooked and has been ever since.  From swim lessons, to friends’ birthday parties, UVAC has been a tropical refuge on a bitter winter day, a place where my kids took their first lessons and learned their first strokes, to now a place where I am learning lots.

Interning at UVAC has been a blast - Lisa who is teaching/guiding me and making sure that I am always learning, is a great mentor and has so much expertise in marketing, especially social media.  Lisa knows so much about Facebook, HootSuite and Yext to name a few.   I have been learning so many acronyms and terms from what an “organic” search result is to SEO and responsive versus mobile websites.

I have already done two email campaigns and worked on promoting their Red Cross Certification Program.   This is where the certified instructors can come right to your camp or facility and train your staff.  I was able to research camps in the area.  As a parent of two boys, I thought I knew about all the camps, but there are tons.  Another email campaign was to promote the World’s Largest Swim Lesson (WLSL).  

Fun at the World's Largest Swim Lesson

Catherine, who is in charge of the swimming lessons program, was instrumental is having the UVAC participate in the WLSL.  I created a press release – I think it was my first one in a decade.  It was great to write about such a good cause – the WLSL is a world-wide campaign to raise awareness that drowning is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death for kids ages 1-14.  At the same time it is a competition to break the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Swim Lesson.  Last year’s WLSL had 24,873 participants from 15 countries across 5 continents.

It felt great to promote something serious in a fun way.  On June 18th a few minutes before 11 am EST, Catherine rang the bell to get everyone’s attention.  Splash Camp kids got to participate too – can you imagine what they said at the dinner table that night– taking a swim lesson to break the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Swim Lesson –  not too shabby!!  We are still waiting to hear if the record was broken – we will keep you posted.

Who knows maybe in the future I will be working on promoting the free 14 day membership or figuing out how to get more families to know that there is free child care when taking classes – not to mention a Parent’s Night Out every month.  I am so lucky where I have landed!

The Turtle Who Crossed the Road at UVAC, Was it a He or a She?

 By Zooey Zullo Customer Service Manager

How do you tell a female turtle from a male turtle? Well, it is not easy and it takes practice since males and females look alike externally.  But simply put, you flip the turtle on its back to see the where the location of the cloacal opening is. What’s the cloacal opening? It’s the opening on the underside of the turtle’s tail where both waste and reproductive matter passes.  If the opening is close to the edge of the carapace (top of the turtle shell), it is most likely a female. If the opening is farther down towards the tip of the tail, it is most likely a male.

Like all reptiles turtle lay eggs. Snapping turtles usually lay  eggs in mid-June. Did you know female turtles are usually about 19 years old before they lay eggs? The female digs out a shallow hollow in a sandy, sunny area where she deposits from to 22 to 62 eggs which look just like ping pong balls! She covers them up and departs, never to see her young emerge. Up to 90% of the nests will be destroyed by predators such as skunks, raccoon, mink and fox frequently during the first night after the eggs are laid.

The eggs will hatch after 90 to 120 days which means in September in this area. The hatchlings will head right for water even though they cannot see it. It is here in the mud on the bottom of a pond or marsh where they will hibernate until spring. Snapping turtles will often overwinter in groups at sites called “hibernicula” which they will return to year after year.

Stay tuned for how our snapping turtles got their name.

Pull-ups & YOU!

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

 I am going to share with you the ultimate step-by-step way to build up to a pull up.  The variations below will help improve your pull-up technique and make you stronger.

Each variation is ordered step-by-step to best help you gain the technique and strength to earn up to a pull up.  These exercises can be harder for some, but once the exercise gets to be too easy, it may be time to move on to the next variation. 

Variation One: Inverted Row

·         Your hands should be shoulder width apart. 

·         Angle your body slightly under the bar.

·         You should keep your core tight and shoulders back (don’t shrug!)  Grab the bar and pull your chest toward it.  Your body will remain in a straight position as you meet the bar with your chest.

*Practice this:  3 sets of 12/ 2 times a week

Variation Two: TRX Suspension Trainer Pull-Up

·         Put your TRX Training straps into “over short”

·         Place your legs slightly under the straps. 

·         Pull your body up toward the handles.  When you’re up your hands should be close to your Deltoid muscles or collar bones.

*Practice this:  3 sets of 12/ 2 times a week

Variation Three: Resistant Band Neutral Grip Pull Up

·         Place a box 1 to 2 feet away from the pull up bar.  At UVAC, there are 4 different bands to choose from.  The thicker the band, the more body weight that will be subtracted from your pull.   Safely loop your band in the center of the pull-up bar. (Keep in mind you may need a personal trainer to assist you.) 

·         Put one foot on the bottom of the band, keep one hand safely on the pull-up bar for support.

·         Push your foot flat down onto the box and put your free foot over the one in the band. 

·         Place your hands inside the V of the bar. Now, you are ready to try your first natural grip pull up!

·         Grip hard on the bar, and pull yourself upward.  Your hands should be near your deltoids.  Lower yourself leaving your arm nearly fully extended. Repeat!

*Practice this 2 X a week.  Do 3 sets of 3 to set, once this gets easier, move to 4 sets of 5.

Variation Four:  Lighter band or no band.

·         This variation takes time to earn up to this point.  But once the resistant band you first started with gets too easy, it’s time to change into a lighter band.  This will allow you to pull more of your body weight. 

·         Once here, it’ll be time to try a few repetitions without a band, and into either an actual pull up or chin up.

Good Luck!  If you would like to consult with a Personal Trainer about meeting to begin training, or if you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 802-296-2850 X 104

ALERT -Turtle Crossing at UVAC in April- June

by Zooey Zullo, UVAC Customer Service Manager

Several days last week, there were car jams on the UVAC “driveway”, while members watched and assisted huge turtles cross the road. Where are they going? How old are they? Were among the many questions peppering the air.

These are snapping turtles, most likely females or girl-turtles, migrating to nest sites. Female turtles have been known to travel up to two miles for their preferred nest site.  Males, or boy turtles, rarely travel.

Snapping turtles like most reptiles never stop growing. So very large turtles are also very old turtles. By measuring the carapace length (scientific name for the top of the turtle shell), you can estimate the age of the turtle. A hatchling is about the size of a quarter or about 1 inch long: a 10-year-old individual measures about 7 inches  and a 25-year-old individual about 11 inches. The turtles  at UVAC that I have seen are most likely 50 years and older based on the size of their carapaces. Some snappers can live to at least 7 decades or seventy years! The heaviest wild snapping turtle on record is 75 pounds.

So if you see a turtle crossing our driveway, please be mindful of “her”.

Stay tuned for another blog on how to tell if the turtle is a girl or a boy. If you have questions, please send them to our facebook page or you can email Zooey Zullo. We’ll try to answer them as best we can. 

Stretching and Warm ups - 10 Facts

Stretching and Warm Ups - 10 Facts to Know

By Angela K. Morgan  BS Health Science, ACSM CPT & UVAC Personal Trainer

Are stretching and warm ups the same thing? Should I participate in either before starting my work out? Are they a waste of time? Many people have asked the questions above and I would like to bring forth an article I recently read in the ACSM Health & Fitness Journal written by James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, to answer these questions and many more.

1. Stretching and warming up are not the same. Warming up allows your body to prep for the activity that will follow. Taking a few minutes for a low intensity full body exercise is classified as a warm up. You should warm up before stretching, because stretching cold muscles can lead to injury.

2. Studies show mixed results in the benefits of stretching. Studies have shown minimal to helpful benefits. Helpful benefits have been increased range of motion in your joints, improved muscular coordinate, along with increased blood circulation.

3. Stretch the muscles that will be used in exercise. When you stretch, you should focus on major muscles groups such as Quads & Hamstrings (i.e. Legs) if you are going for a jog.

4. Stretch in a smooth motion. If you bounce during your stretch, you are working against yourself. Allow a smooth motion to fully stretch your muscles, and stress (such as bouncing) can lead to tears in your muscle. Tears within the muscle can cause scar tissue as the muscle heals and causes your muscle to tighten more.

5. Avoid pain while stretching. Pain is your body's signal that you have stretched to far. It may take time to differentiate the difference between discomfort and pain. Be aware that you may have some soreness the day after stretching.

6. Be aware of current muscle strains. In some cases you may need to avoid stretching a strained muscle in order to not cause additional damage. Stretching should also be abstained from if a joint is inflamed/injured/infected.

7. Four basic types of stretching. Ballistic - involves bouncing and is not recommended. Dynamic - is used in addition to a warm up routine, you are stretching while moving. I like to incorporate dynamic stretches during my classes or training sessions. Static and Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) are widely used and increase range of motion. PNF is commonly used in a clinical setting because you contract your muscle for a period of time and then need assistance to stretch it.

8. High levels of flexibility can be too much of a good thing. A few studies have shown people with  high flexibility may be at a higher risk of injury. This being said, you can be very flexible and have joints that are structurally fine. It varies person to person, so approach stretching cautiously if you have not had it in your program before.

9. Age affects flexibility? Older adults inflexibility is mostly do to muscles not being used as often. This affects posture, coordination, and increases risk of injury (i.e. falls).

10.  ACSM Recommendations. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends flexibility training 2-3 days a week. Hold your stretch for 10 to 30 seconds at a point of mild discomfort and repeat this 3-4 times per stretch. For the PNF stretches, each repetition should involve 6 second contraction of the muscle, followed by a 10-30 second assisted stretch.