And just in case you forgot, here is a shot from last year’s Super Harvest Moon equinox swim!

Hi everyone! Be sure to come on out to Ohio Street Beach on Saturday morning, July 23, the cheer on Team Carol! Here is our fabulous roster of swimmers:

Laura Kochevar
Sharon Bielski
Mary Rose Birch
Katie Bublitz
Stephen Hernan
Amanda Hunt
Donna Hynes
Kelly Hynes
Laura Hynes
Michael Hynes
Jonathan Leuchs
Scott Rooney

FYI, we’re just shy of reaching our team fundraising goal of $5,000 for the July 23 Swim Across America event, and each of our swimmers has his or her own individual fundraising goal as well.

So please check out the Team Carol Website for this event and feel free to donate to either individual swimmers or to the group as a whole.

And we hope to see you all out at the lake on the 23rd!

Thanks!

As for myself, I typically choose an event based on the venue. Some of the ones on my bucket list include:

Lake D’Annecy, France

Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

Sandycove Island, Cork, Ireland

Trunk Bay, St. John, Virgin Islands

(click to enlarge)

But perhaps the best manifestation of Zurich’s swimophilia is the annual Limmatschwimmen, where the city allows participants to commandeer the river for an afternoon and float down the Limmat en masse. I don’t know about you, but this certainly looks like a lot more fun than doing a 5K or 10K run for a cheap t-shirt and a goody bag filled with useless advertisements!

Also, I would highly recommend you make your lodging arrangements now. High summer in Bayfield is about as close to heaven on earth as you can get. And many people book their hotel reservations there a year in advance – and have been doing so for years. Don’t miss out on this awesome Lake Superior swim!

However, the one on my short list is the Sandycove Island Challenge in Cork, Ireland. It’s taking place this weekend on the other side of the pond. Anyone interested in getting a Chicago contingency together for their 2010 event?

*** RED ALERT ***
As we all know all too well … The summer of 2009 never arrived as promised and very very soon the Chicago Park District will pull all of the swim ladders at Oak Street Beach…. With a lot of phone calls I was able to find the new and improved person who is in charge of them, Mr. Larry Moser. His phone# (312) 746 5561

Seeing that he has yet to return my calls, I have left a message trying to convince him to leave them in.

1) If someone one slips and falls in this winter, it’s a long cold swim to try to get out
2) Many people continue to swim in the fall, winter, and spring
3) The fire and police scuba squads use the area for training and rescues, and they use the ladders
4) The city can save money by not removing the ladders and re-installing them the next year
5) The winter ice has not damaged Ladder #1 over the last 10 years, and it has stayed in year round
6) The new ladders at Montrose are welded in and cannot be removed

*** Hopefully if all of us call to plead our case they might leave in the ladders…
Call now and do not wait or you might show up for a swim next Tuesday and find all of the ladders gone….

Diver Dave
Ladder #1
Oak Street Beach

There are three events scheduled:

25-Mile Marathon – An open water paddling race competition that starts at 9:00am in Calumet Harbor and races northward along the entire shoreline to Leone Beach (near Touhy Avenue)

8-Mile 2-Beach Race – A loop course covering approximately 8 miles and running near shore from Leone Beach to Montrose Beach and returning to Leone Beach

4X 4-Mile Relay – A 4-member team event starting on Leone Beach with each paddler completing one 4-mile leg of the race

Check it out!

Chicago Triathlon Multisport & Fitness Expo
Location: Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave
Friday, August 28 | 3:00pm-9:00pm
Saturday, August 29 | 9:00am-5:00pm

You can get some pretty good deals on all sorts of swimming, biking, and running gear. Plus I’m sure there’s lots of free stuff as well!