2010 Across the Lake Swim

We’ve had several requests wondering when the registration will open for the 2010 Across the Lake Swim. Rest assured, we WILL be opening registration a lot earlier than in previous years. In fact, we hope to allow registrations as early as March(-ish), possibly sooner. Please check back here for updates. Next year’s race will be even more exciting as we have some cool new stuff in the works including new features, contests and some other surprises!

Have some feedback about the race? We’d love to hear from you – especially your ideas on making the race better. Send an email to: feedback@acrossthelakeswim.com

Mark your calendars! July 17, 2010 is the date for the 62nd Annual Across the Lake Swim. Keep checking this site over the winter for all the latest race updates.

With the race season coming to an end, and the final weekends of August busy with the Apple Triathlon and Ironman Canada, it’s time to start thinking of, dare I say it, Fall sports. As a result, there will be no more time trials until next year. Kudos to Pascal Sutherland for achieving the fastest 800m loop time of the season: 10:12! Yes… 10:12!! But heck, the season ain’t over yet, so you’ll still see many of us chuggin’ our way around the loop at least ’till the ice starts forming on the goggles.

We already have some exciting things planned for next year’s season and we look forward to seeing you all in 2010 at the Gyro Swim Loop.

Come to the Gyro Swim Loop this Saturday, August 15 starting at 7am (6:45am registration) for two special events! Fresh Air will be here for a wetsuit and goggles demo day. Come out and take a new wetsuit for a spin around the loop and test out some fancy new goggles.

Also, our open water swim experts: Brent Hobbs and Nick Rabinovitch will be here to teach some open water swim fundamentals like sighting, drafting, swimming straight and other swim techniques. This is a perfect time to brush up on your open water swim skills as the Apple Triathlon and FINA Open Water Swim race are the following week.

There will be no time trials this Saturday, August 8th as we’re participating in the Rattlesnake Island Swim.

The lake is very shallow this year, so some swimmers opt to return by swimming the outer loop again instead of swimming the 300m length parallel to the beach. We ask that these swimmers swim INSIDE the loop so as to avoid some nasty collisions. Tangled arms and headaches don’t make for good swimming conditions. Just remember to keep the buoys on your right hand side at all times. This also increases the loop distance to 1000m, so you get a bonus 200m courtesy of Mother Nature. Of course, you could still swim the shallow length and just pull yourself along the bottom and perhaps look for some nice sea shells along the way to display on your bathroom window sill.

The Apple Triathlon (www.appletriathlon.com) will most likely be a non-wetsuit swim again this year, so now’s a good time to shed that skin and practice your wetsuit-less open water swimming. The Gyro Swim Loop is a perfect practice place as it’s shallow all around the entire loop.

Peachland’s Rattlesnake Island swim is coming up! This is a challenging 3.1 or 7km swim from Rattlesnake Island to Peachland. Click here for more information.

Please report any boats moored to the buoys or inside the Gyro Swim Loop to the City Bylaw Officer at: 250-469-8650. They will try and get a tow boat to the Loop to get them towed. How sweet is that?

Even though the 61st Annual Across the Lake Swim is in the history books, the Gyro Loop Time Trials are continuing every Saturday! This is a great training tool for your triathlon or the FINA Open Water Swim on August 21st and 22nd (click here for more information). Come out to the Gyro Swim Loop at Gyro Beach and register at 6:45am. The time trials start at 7am and you can swim a single or double loop (800m/1600m). Your results will be posted on our website so you can track your progress!

Dirk Handke spent the day photographing like a madman and took over 530 shots! You can view the Across the Lake Swim page he created by clicking here. Or view all the wonderful 530 shots here. We’d like to thank Dirk for taking so many great shots of the race! Stay tuned as there are even more photos arriving soon!

The 61st Annual Across the Lake Swim took place on July 18, and turned out to be the biggest and (we think) best race ever! People signed up in record numbers, and we had everybody racing from total novices (who were reportedly jumping up and down with excitement during the ferry ride to the start line) to seasoned open water swimmers, looking for a new personal best. And personal bests they got! The majority of repeat swimmers improved their times, thanks to the favourable conditions and seamless organization. Connor Vander Zalm was the first to exit adding to his consecutive wins.

The houseboat option proved to be popular and much appreciated; the entertainment and food options at the finish line made the time fly by; and the weather was perfect with a variably cloudy sky that kept the temperatures down. The water was warm enough to swim without wetsuits; however, most swimmers chose to wear a wetsuit nevertheless.

Favourite moments happened when swimmers got off the houseboat on the west side of the lake in “lemmings” style, walking to the edge of the deck and jumping one at a time into the warm water; when our announcer Nick Rabinovitch finally discovered that he himself was the recipient of this year’s Jan Morrow Award; when the oldest participant, Charlie Burns arrived as the last finisher with 44 seconds to spare to the cutoff time; and how the crowds cheered on as the youngest swimmer, 8 year old Taryn O’Neill, exited the water after swimming the entire distance. We have lots of wonderful pictures that will be posted on this website as soon as they become available.

Thank you again to all our sponsors – this would not have been possible without you. We also much appreciated the coverage in the local media, print and radio, and hope that you will continue to support this seasoned local tradition.

A huge thanks to all the volunteers! We’ve had so much positive feedback about how friendly and organized you all were! We really do appreciate all your efforts in making this race the best open water swim event in Canada.

Rest your tired arms – stay safely out of the fire’s way – and enjoy the rest of the summer.
The ATLS team.

We want to hear from you! Please let us know how your swim experience was this year by sending an email to: feedback@acrossthelakeswim.com. We’d love to get your input – good or bad. What did we do well? What needs to be improved? We’ve already started to work on next year’s race and your feedback would be invaluable!

The 2009 race results are now posted online. Click here to view.

When you pick up your race package, open up the zippered pouch on the inside – you could be a winner! … and who says you never win anything?

The online registration is now closed, but you can still register in person at the Fresh Air Concept store only until 6PM tonight. Hurry though as we’re almost sold out!

Race package pickup is Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17 at Fresh Air Concept store, 555 Groves Ave. Click here for a map.

Wait till you see all the goodness we stuffed into these environmentally friendly green bags! We guarantee you won’t find a better race package anywhere. Psssst… be sure to look in the secret zipped pouch on the inside – you could be a winner!

If you’ve reserved Houseboat Shuttle tickets, don’t forget to pay and pick them up as well.

So come down and get your race packages – before we start selling ‘em!

For those joining us this Saturday from out of town, and for those locals who are lousy at directions, here is a map showing the race start and end. Click here to view.

The date is rapidly approaching and if you wish to register, you had better do it soon! Registration closes this Friday at 6PM. We’ll see you at the race on Saturday!

This Saturday, July 18th is the 61st Annual Across the Lake Swim so there will be no Time Trials. The Time Trials will resume same time, same place the following Saturday, July 25th. See you there!

Saturday’s Open Water Swim Clinic Part 2 was another smashing success with almost 45 swimmers taking part. Congratulations to Richard Montgomery who swam away with the FREE Orca wetsuit graciously donated by Kelowna Cycle. Dwight Carroll will be swimming his heart out as the winner of the FINA 1.5 km Open Water Swim entry and Sheila Sangare correctly guessed the Pina Colada song and won a free entry into this year’s Across the Lake Swim!

The registration deadline is just one week away – so hurry and get your registration in! You can register online, drop off a completed registration form at either Fresh Air store location, or print and mail in a form – but it must arrive at a Fresh Air location before Friday.

This is going to be the biggest and best race ever! We have some great sponsors, a houseboat shuttle to get you to the start, cool new medals, a fabulous t-shirt, some awesome prizes (including two, yes TWO Blue Seventy wetsuits!) and plenty of goodies in the race package! Still on the edge? Did you know we have the police patrol boat, 16 lifeguards, 8 power boats and numerous kayaks to ensure your safety? And for added confidence, you can bring your own kayaker or canoeist to guide you. So don’t miss out and get your registration in today – then you too can say: “Wow, I swam across the lake!”.

Download workouts by three people that know a little about swimming: English Channel swimmer Brent Hobbs, Okanagan Masters Swim Club Head Coach Jonathan Smirl and Okanagan Masters Swim Coach and current Gyro Loop Time Trial record holder Pascal Sutherland. These workouts are designed specifically for the Gyro Swim Loop and will help you get ready for the Across the Lake Swim, a triathlon or any open water swim race.

• Download Brent Hobb’s Open Water Swim Workouts
• Download Jonathan Smirl’s Open Water Swim Workouts
• Download Pascal Sutherland’s Open Water Swim Workouts

This Saturday July 11th, we present Part 2 of the FREE Open Water Clinic featuring Open Water Swim Coach Nick Rabinovitch and English Channel swimmer Brent Hobbs!

Starting at 7 am (with registration at 6:45 am), Nick and Brent will cover essentials of open water swimming and will answer any questions you may have (like should you pucker your lips or let them flap when you are blowing out air? Answer: Breathe out through your nose then others won’t hear your thick lips flap). After the clinic, get timed as you swim the 800m Gyro Swim Loop to try your new found skills! The cost is $3 to cover insurance (you must sign a waiver if you are not a member of MSABC or haven’t signed a waiver at a previous Time Trial).

Check this out: You could win a FREE ORCA wetsuit courtesy of Kelowna Cycle! Wow! Now I’ve seen this wetsuit and it’s a stylish piece of neoprene which will surely turn heads as you saunter to the water’s edge. Once in the water, you’ll swim like Christopher Atkins in The Blue Lagoon and you’ll notice a significant increase in your swim speed. Disclaimer: It may not really increase your swim speed. We just said that to entice you to come out and enter the draw – but you will swim like Christopher Atkins – that’s a fact.

This Saturday, July 11th Kelowna Cycle is giving away a brand-new Orca wetsuit as a door prize, to be drawn from all participants of the Time Trials. You don’t want to miss this one! You must be a participant in the Time Trials to be eligible to win! So come out and get timed as you swim around the Gyro Loop. You can do one loop (800m) or two and there are all levels and abilities in a fun environment.

And for all you single female swimmers, we even have a good looking single male lifeguard on standby (who by the way likes Pina Coladas, getting caught in the rain, is not in to yoga, has half a brain and likes making love at midnight in the dunes of the cape). The first person to tell me (Peter Rudd) on Saturday morning who sang that song and the name of the song will win an entry into this year’s Across the Lake Swim! You must answer both!

This Saturday, July 4th come out to the Gyro Swim Loop for a Demo Day and a FREE Open Water Swim Clinic presented by open water swim coach Nick Rabinovitch and English Channel swimmer Brent Hobbs!

Starting at 7 am with registration at 6:45 am, Nick and Brent will cover some essentials of open water swimming, including sighting, buoy turns, swimming straight, swimming in rough water, mass start strategies, wet suit and goggle issues, as well as answering any questions that arise.

After 30-45 minutes of instruction, you are invited to try out your new skills, with a timed 800 meter swim on the new Gyro Loop and a mass start simulating a triathlon race (cost is $3 to cover insurance; you must sign a waiver if you are not a member of MSABC or haven’t signed a waiver at a previous Time Trial).

In addition, Blue Seventy and Aqua Sphere will be on the beach to provide demo gear for anybody who wants the opportunity to try a new wetsuit or new goggles. We also have SoLo bars available for refueling after your efforts in the water. Come early, as the parking lot will be full this weekend! (Demos are available from 7 am to 10 am)

Another exciting event will take place next Saturday, July 11th. Kelowna Cycle is giving away a brand-new Orca wetsuit as a door prize, to be drawn from all participants at the Time Trials that morning. You don’t want to miss that one!!!

The regular Saturday morning Time Trials using the new Gyro Swim Loop have been a great success, and our regulars love the active start of each weekend in hands-down gorgeous surroundings. Some people swim without wetsuits, and we see a wide range of paces during the Time Trials. Cost is $3 for one timed loop, and $5 for two. All results go on this website so you can track your progress! A great training tool for the Across the Lake Swim, coming up in a little over two weeks – Register soon as the Across the Lake Swim is limited to the first 400 entrants.

The City has responded to our request to add a buoy line just outside of the new Gyro Swim Loop buoys, to serve as a deterrent to boaters coming too close to swimmers. Despite this, boats (usually with water skiers in tow) continue to be noticed very close to the outer buoys, and even occasionally inside them, so a continued vigil remains important, as does brightly colored swim caps. The RCMP has been informed of our safety concerns, as has the marina at the Eldorado where boats fuel up. We will continue to inform the boating and water skiing community that there are swimmers out at Gyro every morning, all summer long. We hope that all users of this loop can also inform your boater friends to keep clear of the loop to keep everyone safe. If anyone captures a photograph of boats in or near the Loop, please contact us by sending them to: webguy@acrossthelakeswim.com.

We’d like to welcome two new Sponsors of the Kelowna Fresh Air Across the Lake Swim: Solo Bars and Starbucks. Both will be at the race displaying their products and will be offering free samples. Our race wouldn’t be a success without our Sponsors so we encourage you to support them!

On June 27th (10am-3pm) the Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon is doing a car wash to raise funds. They receive a government grant for every volunteer and they need your support! The washes are at the following locations: Petro-Canada at 97 & Leathead, Petro-Canada on Hwy 33 and the Mohawk station in West Kelowna. If you can help volunteer, please contact: Tabitha 250-980-3368 or Mike 250-861-1465. Be sure to tell your friends to bring their dirty vehicles to the car wash!

After, ahem, a short delay, we’re pleased to announce the Gyro Swim Loop Time Trial results are now online. Click here to view.

Mark your calendars… Saturday, July 4th 7-10 am Fresh Air will be at the Gyro Swim Loop along with Blue Seventy Wetsuits and a few other suppliers to demo wetsuits, goggles and other swim products. Come and take that wetsuit you’ve been checking out for a spin around the loop.

So who doesn’t like to save a buck here and there? I don’t see any raised hands so you’ll want to take advantage of our bargain early bird registration pricing of $45. Thing is, it ends on June 27th, then the price raises to $55 – and we can’t guarantee you’ll get a shirt (although we’ll do our best) – and you should see these shirts, a totally new design. Mind you, $55 is still a hot price, but that 10 bucks could go towards that swanky new set of swim goggles you’ve been eyeing up. So get off yer duff and register!

Swimmers of all levels pitted themselves against the clock this morning and swam the 800m Gyro Loop. The water was calm, clear and a scorching 18 degrees. The fastest time of 11:03:48 was posted by Mike Stamhuis. This is the current loop record!

The Gyro Loop Time Trials are a weekly event held every Saturday morning at 7:00am (sign up at 6:45am). Next week we will be adding a 1600m time trial for those interested in doing two continuous loops. Your results will be posted on this website so you can track your performance over the season. It’s a great way to train for the Across the Lake Swim or any open water swimming event!

So come out and join the fun – it’s just you against the clock! Swimmers of all levels are welcome but you must be able to swim at least 1000m continuously in a pool. We even have an official Lifeguard on duty on a surfboard to make sure we are all safe.

See you on Saturday!

We’ve attached a thermometer to the first marker (0 metre) so you can get an accurate water temperature. Look below the marker, it’s attached to the chain. If it’s not there, it’s been stolen! The water is warmer than you think!

The Okanagan Princess is a new luxury houseboat that we have been able to secure to both transport swimmers from City Park to the Old Ferry Dock, as well as to allow a limited number of spectators to enjoy the race from a moving “poolside” grandstand. We have offered this service in an attempt to relieve the very limited drop off and parking capacity on Old Ferry Wharf Road.

There will be two sailings leaving from the City Park boat ramp on the morning of the race. The first will leave at 7:30 AM SHARP to transport up to 90 swimmers to the start line at the Old Ferry Dock, where they will be asked to jump into the water about 50 meters from shore (there is no longer a dock there). The Princess will scamper back to City Park to collect up to another 30 swimmers, as well as up to 60 spectators, with the intent of leaving as close to 8AM as possible, in time to return to the swim start line before the race commences at 8:30. The spectators will enjoy a leisurely cruise back along side the swimmers, being able to watch the race and their favorite swimmers for the entire crossing before being returned to City Park to partake in the finish line ceremonies by about 9:15.

If you want to be ferried across to the start line, or you have supporters that want to watch the race, tickets we be made available on a first come, first served basis, for a maximum of 90 (swimmers only) to leave at 7:30, and 60 spectators and as many as 30 more swimmers to leave at 8 AM. All tickets are $5. You can pick up and pay for tickets on the race package pickup days (July 16 & 17).

We are now accepting nominations for this year’s Jan Morrow Award until July 1st, 2009. Click here for more information about the award.

Starting Saturday June 13, 7-8 AM come to the Gyro Swim Loop for an all-out, 800m open water pursuit! Sign up on the beach at 6:45am. Cost is $3 for a timed loop, or two for $5. Race starts at 7 AM sharp, and swimmers leave every 10 or 15 sec depending on numbers, and the discretion of the timer. Your results will be posted on this site so you can track your progress! Please bring an old numbered swim cap. If you don’t have one, we will supply one for you.

Proceeds to the Across the Lake Swim, and further development of the Loop. For more information, contact: Mark at fromberg@telus.net.

It is now official: the new buoys for the Gyro swim loop are up! GPS’d at exactly 800m the loop will be instrumental in training for the Across the Lake Swim, triathlons and other open water swims.

These hardy souls braved the frigid waters to christen the loop on May 30th, 2009. At 13.5 C or about 56 F this was no cake walk, but everyone did at least one loop.

Yes! We will be posting the current water temperature on an “almost” daily basis. The lake water is iceberg cold right now, but soon enough you’ll be wanting to dive in and frolic about in the beautiful warm water. Who needs a trip to Maui? Just close your eyes and imagine… ah, the pineapples, the palm trees, the Mai Tais and the smell of Maui Babe suntan lotion. But who needs all that stuff? Just check back here to see if it’s warm enough to dip your sore, achy, calloused toes in.

You could win one of two brand new Blue Seventy wetsuits courtesy of Fresh Air (www.freshair.ca). On race day we will randomly select two winners who will walk (or swim) away with a new wet suit. You can’t win unless you’ve signed up for the race, so be sure to register early as the race is capped at 400 participants this year. YOU HAVE TO BE A RACE ENTRANT AND PRESENT TO WIN.

As you can see, it is now official! A beautiful, functional and dynamic new website dedicated completely to the Across The Lake Swim. For almost 25 years, the Kelowna Masters Swim Club has overseen the annual organizing of this great event, and with its phenomenal growth in recent years, the executive felt it was time to develop its full potential, beginning with this website, crafted with the tireless work of our webmaster Peter Rudd.

Although it will always be a work in progress, we hope you will find it useful for all your open water interests in the Central Okanagan. Check out the new “Gyro Swim Loop”, the Annual Race Information, and check back periodically to read the latest “news” relevant to you, the open water swimmer. And of course, contact us, with your feedback, your suggestions for improvement, and your willingness to volunteer to share in the success of this great and historic event.