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Charity Open Water Swims

 
  • Liesl Schoonraad: Freeing the spirit from a limiting mind on behalf of individuals with cerebral palsy.
  • Cadiz Freedom Swim: Raises funds for the Vista Nova School for children with special needs.
  • Night Train Swimmers: San Francisco-based ultra-marathon swimmers that raise money for a variety of causes

Swim Across America

Swim Across America is a series of charity swims across America dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and a large group of past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service.

Swim Across America events include its Virtual Swim Program and pool swimming events and open water swims in Greenwich / Stamford (1/2 mile and 1.5 miles in late June), Hamptons (1.2 mile, 1 mile and 5K in early July), Boston (22-mile relay in mid-July), Nantasket Beach (1/2-mile and 1-mile in mid-July), Chicago (1/2 mile, 1 mile, 1.5 mile or 3 miles in mid-July), Boston (22-mile relay in mid-July), Long Island Sound (1 mile, 4 miles and 6 miles in late July), Nashville (1/2 mile and 1 mile in late August), Glen Cove (1 mile, 5K and 10K in mid-August), Baltimore (1 mile and 3 miles in mid-September), Rhode Island (1/2 mile and 1 mile in mid-September), Seattle (1/2 mile or 2 miles in mid-September), San Francisco (1/2 mile or 1.5 mile in late September).

Educational videos to prepare you for the Swim Across America are below for your reference.

Swim 22

Swim 22 was a Contiguous Solo Crossing Relay across the Catalina Channel.  Chris Dahowski, Mike Vovk, David Hartmire and Jen Schumacher attempted to complete 4 consecutive independentchannel crossings, with each swimming a solo Catalina Channel crossing. Each swimmer was at the mercy of the elements at a time challenging to success.  3 of the 4 made it.
What is a Contiguous Solo Crossing Relay?

A Contiguous Solo Crossing Relay is a swim where any number of athletes completes consecutive point-to-point solo swims or circumnavigations of any duration, length or type in an open body of water and where each swimmer starts after being touched by the previous swimmer who has cleared the water.   In the case of Dahowski, Vovk, Hartmire and Schumacher, each of their legs is going to be a one-way crossing of the Catalina Channel.

With each swimmer independently following the rules of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, they will collectively attempt their unprecedented Contiguous Solo Crossing Relay where each swimmer can only start after being touched by their teammate who has just cleared the water on the previous leg. So wherever and whenever their teammates land that is where the next swimmer begins.

Chris further explains, "The logistics are more difficult than training for the channel. We have four separate support teams for each swimmer, numbering at least 80 people."
The team is doing this charity swim as a benefit for the Mission of Jay Nolan Community Services that enable individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other Developmental Disabilities to live fulfilling lives by providing support services customized to their individual needs.

Mexican American Unity Swim for the Wounded Warriors and Por Ellas

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Three swimmers from Mexico and three swimmers from San Francisco broke the world non-stop lake relay record with a 55 hours 20 minutes 25 seconds effort over a course that measured 108 nautical miles (200K) in Lake Powell. 

Lake Powell sits between the border of Arizona and Utah in the western United States and offered a beautifully majestic course for the world record.

"It feels good," said captain Vito Bialla aboard the Mother Ship who did nine one-hour rotations in an effort to support the Wounded Warriors and Por Ellas.

"This place [Lake Powell] is fantastic. The scenery is outstanding and the people have been so cooperative. But now there are probably going to be all kinds of teams going after the record. This is the place to do it - warm, calm waterIt feels so good to help others," said Hall of Famer Nora Toledano, Patricia Kohlmann, Edna Llorens, Phil Cutti, Matthew Davie and Vito Bialla.  See support letter from the Arizona Governor.

Ventura Deep Six Relay

The world record for the longest continuous marathon swims is under assault again.

After a team of Floridians under the leadership of Dr. Lucky Lucky Meisenheimer set the world record in Lake Cane in 2008, two international teams in Lake Taupo, New Zealand in 2009 re-set the bar with the help of three-way English Channel swimmer Philip Rush.

The Ventura Deep Six Relay Team is taking a more difficult route to the world record - a non-wetsuit relay swim down the California coast.  Their venue of choice is not calm or warm.  Their choice is where sharks, jellyfish and blue whales are appearing with increasingly frightening frequency.  They will attempt to set the bar at a time when the Pacific is at historically low (cold) temperatures.  But they are very well-prepared to be battered by ocean swells, cross currents and punishing surface chop for over three straight days...far from shore. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Their goal will be the current male and female record of 120.6K (74.9 miles) set in January 2009 by Chris Palfrey (Australia), Dougal Hunt (Australia), Mark Cockroft (New Zealand), Steve Junk (Australia) and Stephen Spence (Australia) in 33 hours 31 minutes and 15 seconds on the male side and by Penny Palfrey (Australia), Julie Bradshaw (Great Britain), Michelle Macy (USA), Heather Osbourne (New Zealand), Barbara Pellick (Australia) and Lucy Roper (Great Britain) in 33 hours 33 minutes and 43 seconds on the female side.

The Ventura Deep Six Relay Team will attempt make its own statement starting on September 16th at 6:00 am with an audacious goal.

But with detailed logistical planning and a steely commitment by Mike Shaffer, Jim McConica, Kurt Baron, Tom Ball, John Chung and Jim Neitz, a hardy bunch of experienced swimmers, the group from Ventura, California will swim around the clock during their 202-mile (325K) non-stop continuous open water world record attempt. The team is predicting a finish sometime during the daylight hours in San Diego on September 19th - over 3-days of constant swimming in the rough and cold California coastal waters.

They will be guided by a mother ship, the Pacific Monarch, another separate escort boat, two Zodiacs and multiple kayaks manned by an around-the-clock 12-person boat crew, three observers and four additional support crew rotating shifts throughout the 3-day world record attempt. The Pacific Monarch is a 135-foot US Coast Guard certified small cruise ship with 27 cabins that accommodates 52 guests on overnight voyages.

The team has prepared themselves mentally and physically with an all-for-one and one-for-all approach, protected by their Pacific Monarch flotilla. Along the coast, each man will face ocean temperatures have been at a historic low throughout this year (yesterday, the water temperature generally averaged between 59°F (15°C) and 64°F (17.8°C) along their course), more than a few degrees colder than normal.

The entire crew and team of swimmers will stay onboard the entire time. Following standard English Channel and Catalina Channel rules, the six swimmers will use the same rotation throughout the entire relay, switching swimmers every hour without stopping. If one swimmer gets sick or tired, the same rotation is required according to the rules. Even if the sick, tired or injured swimmer cannot progress much, they have to stay in the water for their required hour in order to adhere to the strict rules of the sport.

The Ventura Deep Six Relay Team are swimming as a fund-raiser charity event for their local swim team. Starting from Ventura Harbor, the swimmers will initially head north to the Santa Barbara Pier. After turning at the pier, the team will head south past Los Angeles, then Orange County and then head towards the final stretch to La Jolla Cove in San Diego where they plan to finish on Sunday afternoon.

They will be tracked by GPS throughout their entire swim with latitude and longitude markings reported every five minutes from the Pacific Monarch's GPS.

However romantic the journey appears, it will be difficult. They will face massive blue whales, sharks, large swells, oncoming currents, stiff whitecaps throughout the afternoon hours and cold water temperatures over the course of three days. But if any six can break the existing record, these six mencan.

Track them online, cheer them on and support their cause.
 
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