"I have come to appreciate water--an ocean, a lake, a pool--as a mode of inner as well as outer transport."
--Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim
Well, here I am, back for another go-round. I wondered if a long swim would be possible this year. Last year, I had a glorious time doing the Great South Bay Swim with my Philly posse. Joined by my kayaker, Danielle Moore, fellow swimmer John Shoen, and his kayaker Heather Hodges, we all finished and celebrated! It was such a joy to introduce some special people in my life to this amazing swim.
A few weeks after having done the swim, I fell and broke my wrist, requiring six weeks in a splint, a few months of rehab, and some one-armed swim practices (I'm hugely grateful to my coach, John Kenny, who worked with what I could do and shaped some practices and drills so I could stay in the water.)
Never fear! I didn't lack for swimming adventures. My hand still not quite healed, I couldn't pass up a trip to LaJolla Cove to swim with the sardines and sea lions at an open water camp run by one of our coaches, Jeff Rake, who has since moved to the area, a move I completely understand, having experienced the beauty of the place.
In December, the day after the doctor sprung me from brace-wearing and one-armed swimming, I took part in a 1000m "race." The arm was much better but still needed work. No worries. Off to Chantilly, Virginia, for the USA ice Swim Championships. I took the conservative route and limited myself to 50 freestyle still a bit out of practice with swimming and specifically with ice swimming (water temp a balmy 37 degrees. The cold cut into my skin, and when I reached the wall to turn back to the finish, I was feeling it in my breathing. From my bilateral breathing pattern down to a breath every stroke. But no way was I going to duck out, not when other swimmers were dashing off 200s, 500s, and 1000s (my swim cap is off to them... I need more time to get to their level!). Finishing that 50 was in many ways as joyful as when I finished my bay swims.
And now--swim pace is getting stronger, and i'm beginning to hold my own in practices. IM set? Sure! 600/150/400/150/200/150? Why not!
Deciding to enter the swim this year is an act of faith and gratitude for the healing, for the support from coaches and fellow swimmers, and for the Great South Bay Swim! Besides being a body of water I've loved since I was a child, the bay runs through my blood now at 73. It continues to liven my dreams. And swimming across it offers a chance to give back, to pay it forward.
For the Fischers, the swim is a labor of love. Since their daughter, Maggie, passed away in a car accident, they've ensured that out of that tragedy, good must come, so they've set up for each swimmer a fundraising goal of $500, to benefit and I'm only too glad to do my part to reach that goal.
The money raised benefits the Hospice Care Network Children and Family Bereavement Program, as well as a scholarship to St. Anthony's High School (which Maggie attended).
You can donate through my fundraising page. Many thanks for your support!
Photos are from the 2023 swim--the sunrise as we reached the Lighthouse dock and the finish in Gilbert Park! I've finished 9 times out of 10 attempts (DNF in 2016). I would love to make this no. 10, but even more important, I love the bay and swimming it is never the same from one year to the next. Even the DNF netted me 6 miles (got a bit away from the course), which proved to be helpful in training for an 8-mile swim that took place later that year!
