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.