2009 Fresh Air Across the Lake Swim

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 will be $5. You can register here for tickets, to be picked up and paid for 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.