raves and rants, your favorite, least favorite or most interesting ow swim from 07
Former Member
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.
Parents
Former Member
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.
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.
