raves and rants, your favorite, least favorite or most interesting ow swim from 07

Well, I did just two open water swims this year, although I certainly trained a lot for them, especially the first: The Great South Bay Maggie Fischer Memorial Cross-Bay Swim (5.25 miles): If you want a SUPERBLY organized event and a good challenge. The cause is also excellent--benefits the Family Bereavement fund of the Hospice care network. The swim was named for a high school girl who died in a car accident a few days before she was to participate in the 1999 swim. Her parents have shown immense dedication and care in helping to ensure that all goes smoothly--they are totally a class act! After the swim, everyone, including the kayakers receives a long-sleeve t-shirt and an invitation to an amazing lunch at a local restaurant. Swimmers receive caps (required to wear), finishers' medals and beach towels embroidered with the event name. You do need to be ready for a challenge, b/c there's some pretty fierce chop in the second half of the race, and you're required to have someone to kayak for you, although organizers will help you find a kayaker if need be. My kayaker was awesome (thanks for the lead, sdswimmer, btw!) and really helped see me through (I didn't really have to do a lot of sighting b/c I just kept focusing on the kayak which stayed near me at all times). I'd recommend this event to anyone with some open water experience--although one person I talked to did it as her first open water swim... though she's a strong swimmer with competitive experience. for more info: www.greatsouthbayswim.com My other o.w. swim was a more low-key affair--the September Splash in Wildwood Crest, NJ (2, 1, and 1/4 mile swims; I did the mile)--but fun and it marks the first time I felt confident and comfortable during an open water swim, no trouble with sighting or anything, just enjoying the swim, having a nice regular breathing rhythm, and only going off course once--when I tried to re-pass someone who passed me near the end! But I think whatever time I lost by being led off course slightly, I gained by pushing myself more than I might have otherwise. This swim has been around several years at least. I did it in 2002 as a total newcomer to open water swimming and never having been in a masters' swim program... I was an injured runner in search of some kind of race I could still do! Was impressed by their organization and still think it's a well-run event. Not a lot of "schwag" (tho you got a t-shirt and a cap), but great as just a fun event w/ time to meet and talk to friends before and after. The kayakers and support ppl do a great job too, in monitoring swimmers. For more info, www.lmsports.com. No bad o.w. swim experiences this year, thankfully!

I competed in the 15th Sharkfest Alcatraz Swim in June,..it was AWESOME!!! It was well run,..festive,...fun,..scarey, exhilerating and oh so rewarding. I wore a wet-suit, ....but I have already registered for next years Sharfest in the non-wet suit class. Here in So. Cal. there are some great swims,..the San Clemente 1 Mile Open water race, the Coronado One Mile Rough Water Swim, and my favorite the Oceanside Pier Swim. All of these events were a whole lot of fun. %%%%%%%%%%%%% ><>

My best and worst are the same swim! I did the Provincetown 1.4 mile Swim4Life this year for the first time, and it was the most perfect swim I have ever had! All the stars lined up: GORGEOUS weather (upper 70's no clouds), GORGEOUS water (a little chilly at 65 degrees but unbelievably clear) and the entire town coming together to rally around a great cause (HIV prevention and education). Plus the drag queens in cheerleader costumes cheering us in at the finish were hysterical! What made it the worst swim was that it was pretty unorganized. I don't mind registration chaos that much, but this took the cake. They boated us out across the harbor to Long Point in waves since we all couldn't fit on one boat. I was in the second wave of swimmers being boated across the harbor, and when we got to the start, we noticed that the first wave of swimmers were ALREADY IN THE WATER AND SWIMMING AWAY! :confused: The captain said "Go ahead and jump off and start!" So very unintentionally, I got a taste of my first Alcatraz start - jumped right off the boat into the water and hit it! Very funny. I personally didn't mind so much, since I had my watch with me and knew my correct time when I got out. But I'm sure more competitive swimmers were a little ticked off!

My favorite OW event of 2007 was also my favorite OW event of 2005: the Cascade Lakes Swim Series at Elk Lake in Oregon. Five races over three days: 2mi/3000m on Friday evening, 500y/m and 1mi/1500m on Saturday, and 1000y/m and 3mi/5000m on Sunday. You can enter them all, or a "long series" or a "short series," or just one. It's a beautiful setting with a clear blue lake beneath snow-capped mountains, and the event organization is very smooth. In 2008 the 5k at Elk Lake will be the USMS national championship. My least favorite was a 1mi race in some water that really smelled pretty bad. I was glad I had been vaccinated against Hep A.

My son and I swam the Long Bridge Swim in Sandpoint Idaho this year for the first time. A great event in a beautiful setting in Lake Pend Oreille. The organizers did a super job in getting around 550 swimmers started successfully. Safety was superb and the spectators could walk along the bridge on a walking trail and view their family or friends as they swam. The distance is 1.76 miles and the water temp was around 72 I think. You won't find a prettier place to swim an OW event anywhere in the States. I would invite anyone up here to give it a try. You won't regret the time spent in beautiful North Idaho. See you next year. Spudfin

I entered my first and only open water race this summer, the Sylvan Lake Open Water race (yes, that's right, the acronym is SLOW) and came in dead last in my category. The other competitors in the 2.5k race were wearing wetsuits... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! It was a fairly casual affair, but seemed well organized, from my limited experience of such things. Next year I hope to do the FINA sanctioned no-wetsuit 5k, I'll probably still come in dead last, but at least I'll be doing it on equal grounds. My best open water swimming experience of this year was the Swimtrek tour I did last week on the Croation-Dalmation coast. The guides took such good care of us, the water was so clear and clean, the other people on the tour were a really fun bunch who kept me laughing all week. After being face-down in the Adriatic for a week, I feel much more confident in waves and chop. And in swimming through WWII submarine tunnels, which doesn't come up all that often, admittedly.

Lets gather together around clutching our favorite warm drinks and discuss our recent swims! As the ow season in the USA draws towards its close some of us are already thinking about what we want to try next year, give us some suggestions! I'll lead off, Best swim by far was 8.2 mile Pennock Island in Alaska, the water was cooler than Tahoe but the people warmer, the whole town seemed glad to see us, there was a continuous swell of camaraderie and support out welling for locals, officials and fellow competitors from start to finish and the fantastic banquet afterwards. The water and air are fantastically clear and the wildlife an added adventure. Well worth the price and it’s a fundraiser, you may even meet the people who benefit from it. the worst swim I've ever done is the 11.5 mile (we measured it at 10 miles)trans Tahoe this year, the area seems to be all about money and many of the folks seemed downright hostile towards the swimmers, the race itself had too many chaotic churning powerboats piloted by amateurs (the fact that i was run over by 1 and my kayaker narrowly avoided a second doesn’t help my outlook). This swim was about and for the Olympic club if you're not a member..I'd skip it. In addition to the pricy entrance fee you should know you’ll need to find & pilot your own boat (which makes the power boat renters chortle) and it will cost upwards of $600 plus fuel. Okay so what sticks in your mind, what do you reccomend for try in 2008? Short, long, warm or cool. If you want to do a swim in the Sierras, Forget the Trans Tahoe and do Donner Lake. Much nicer swim, water is slightly warmer and a great party after. I also did the Bridge Swim at Sandpoint Idaho and will definitely go back again. It was an awesome event. I also plan to do the Cascade Swim series in Oregon next year if it doesn't conflict with the kids' Summer LC Championship meet.

I agree with poolraat. Donner Lake is a great swim. 2.7 miles. Point to point. Beautiful water. Great post race party and awards. I highly highly highly recommend it.

I FINALLY achieved my goal of swimming Big Shoulders in under an hour! :applaud: It's only for 2.5k but it was something I had to work hard on. I also did an OW swim in a local lake (near Chicago). It was in Lake in the Hills. The lake is a long oval course. (1 mile). What was really nice about the course is that they had 12 or more buoys to mark the course. It was great because the next buoy never seemed that far away. It made sighting easier and almost fun! I look forward to it next year. JIM

I FINALLY achieved my goal of swimming Big Shoulders in under an hour! :applaud: It's only for 2.5k but it was something I had to work hard on. I also did an OW swim in a local lake (near Chicago). It was in Lake in the Hills. The lake is a long oval course. (1 mile). What was really nice about the course is that they had 12 or more buoys to mark the course. It was great because the next buoy never seemed that far away. It made sighting easier and almost fun! I look forward to it next year. JIM Jim, Congrats on your Big Shoulders swim. I swam the 2.5k there this year as well. It was a nice way to end the season. I also did the LITH 2 mile and agree that they course was very well marked. I also did a 2 mile in Crystal Lake. maybe you can add that to your list next year. A very low key, fun swim. They also have a 1 mile distance. I regret that I got shut-out for the Alcatraz Shark Fest by not entering in time. I enjoyed it the previous year. next year I'll look for another travel swim.