In Pool Swims Across America, we feature local pool swims that raise awareness for cancer research. If you’re interested in getting your local swim team or pool involved, learn more here.
The Cheshire Pool Swim to Fight Cancer raised $6,400 on April 23 in Cheshire, CT. A big round of applause for high school junior Kevin Erickson for organizing and to the members of the Yale men’s swim team for coming by to participate in the great cause. Great work by everyone that came out to Cheshire Community Pool to make waves to defeat cancer!
The inaugural Belleair Country Club Pool Swim took place on May 1 at Belleair Country Club in Belleair, Fl. The BCC Breakers did a great job hitting their fundraising goal in their first year, raising $4,030 to contribute to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa!
The first event of the calendar year featuring Swim Across America as an official charity of the 7-Eleven Franchise Owners Association took place on April 6 in Orlando. The weather was beautiful for the 7-Eleven Central Florida Franchise Owners Association Charity Golf Tournament to benefit Swim Across America (Tampa) and Moffitt Cancer Center.
The SAA family was well represented with Craig Beardsley, Craig Cordell (SAA – Tampa), Alison Pease (SAA – Chicago), Olympian Rowdy Gaines, Susan Davis (Nestlé), and Mark Gramlich (Kellogg’s) in attendance. The tournament successfully raised $20,711.00 for the SAA – Tampa which benefits the Tampa Moffitt Cancer Center.
The 3rd Annual Swim to Win Against Cancer Pool Swim took place earlier this year in Montclair, N.J., featuring student-athletes from Montclair High School and Newark Academy.
The students participating in the annual swim challenge were lucky enough to meet and participate in a Q&A session with Dr. Taha Merghoub, visiting from an SAA beneficiary, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Merghoub is also the Co- Director of the Ludwig Collaborative and Swim Across America Lab at MSK. Sarah Dillon Soden, Associate Director, Annual Giving at MSK also spoke at the event.
Dr. Taha Merghoub of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
The students learned how the nearly $50,000 they’ve raised over the last three years at their pool swim challenge has helped fund the SAA Lab where Dr. Merghoub investigates the pathogenesis and treatment of melanoma.
A special thanks goes out to Montclair High School Swim Coach Ed Koenigsfest and Newark Academy Swim Coach Billy Blomn for supporting SAA and creating a great pool swim challenge where the competition focuses on a common goal.
Learn more about starting an SAA Pool Swim in your community here.
(L-R) Mike Bruner (Olympian), Dr. Robert Goldsby (UCSF beneficiary), Susan Helmrich (SAA-SF Co-Event Director), Dr. Julie Saba (UCSF Oakland beneficiary), Heather Petri (Olympian and Honorary Chair SF-SAA) and Anthony DuComb (SAA-SF Co-Event Director).
On March 14, members of the Swim Across America – San Francisco family took part in a special check presentation at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute.
San Francisco Co-Event Directors Susan Helmrich and Anthony DuComb represented Swim Across America along with Olympians Mike Bruner and Heather Petri as they presented a $450,000 check to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. Dr. Robert Goldsby (UCSF) and Dr. Julie Saba (UCSF Oakland) both spoke at the event and thanked all the SAA swimmers, kayakers, volunteers, olympians and donors for their contributions to defeat pediatric cancer.
Event Flyer(L-R) DuComb, Helmrich, Dr. Saba, Dr. Goldsby
Your donations allow SAA to provide funding to some of the world’s most renowned cancer institutions. This is the first in a series featuring the SAA LABS that our beneficiaries have named in honor of the efforts of Swim Across America.
Swim Across America Adolescent & Young Adult Lounge
This month, we are profiling the Swim Across America Adolescent and Young Adult Lounge at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in April 2015 (featuring Tampa Bay Open Water Swim Event Director Rob Shapiro, former SAA CEO Janel Jorgensen-McArdle and current SAA CEO Rob Butcher). The SAA AYA Lounge is used by the approximately 100 young adult cancer patients at the hospital every day. Olivia Fridgen, AYA and LATTE Program Coordinator at Moffitt provided this insight.
How has the reception been to the SAA AYA Lounge by patients?
The reception from patients has been amazing. The corkboard wall on the lounge shows patient artwork, the white board has encouragement from patient to patient and the lounge journal has pages and pages of thoughts and inspirational words. It has been a respite for inpatients who need a change of scenery, as a place to spend time with their family and friends who come to visit and a great spot for the AYA (Adolescent and Young Adults) Program to host events and support groups.
Since the SAA AYA Lounge is different from other research-based SAA Labs, what interesting facts can you pass along? We are the 1st AYA Lounge in Florida, the 3rd in the country. We are also unique because our lounge provides physical space not only for our inpatients but our outpatients as well. Some of the traditional lounges are built in conjunction with inpatient units and therefore are not accessible to outpatients. Another unique mention is that our Moffitt AYA Patients actually designed the entire space – they picked out color schemes, fabrics, flooring and lighting so that we were confident our lounge was hitting the mark and what AYA patients would actually want in a space.
Do patients get treatment in the SAA AYA Lounge?
No, the lounge is a place to get away from the hustle bustle of the hospital life. The Lounge has the latest gaming systems, comfy couches, white boards, board games and art supplies. The inpatient floors of the hospital, where admitted patients would receive treatment, is steps away which provides convenience and access to the lounge.
How much did it cost to build the SAA AYA Lounge?
SAA has donated nearly $140,000 to the AYA program over the years and monies from the 2014 race were specifically designated to the creation of the SAA AYA Lounge.
Does the AYA Group anticipate this to be a trend in hospital systems moving forward?
Yes, organizations like Teen Cancer America are working with AYA Programs across the country to fund and offer physical spaces in hospitals for young cancer patients.
Why is it important for Moffitt and other hospitals to have a lounge for adolescent and young adults?
Adolescent and Young Adult patients feel like they are the only 20- or 30-year-old in the entire hospital. While we know that isn’t true, each patient is seen in their respective clinic (for example, if you have breast cancer you’re seen in the Breast Clinic, if you have Lung Cancer you’re seen in Thoracic, etc.), so they never get the chance to run into one another. The Lounge provides a space where Young Adult cancer patients can actually meet another young person with cancer. Because it’s in a communal space, it’s less awkward, more organic and can reduce the feelings of isolation many AYAs feel, which is important to their psychosocial state of mind and also can create lasting friendships. Many of our patients say that family and friends are extremely supportive, but no one quite “gets it” like another young cancer patient.
Shake off the ice and snow- spring is officially upon us and we’ve awoken from the deep freeze! To get everyone back in gear and excited for this year’s schedule of open water events (starting May 4th in Atlanta!!) we figured we’d run some numbers. Haven’t you ever wondered just how far we actually have swum across America at this point?! Let’s find out!!
We went a looooooong way in 2013…
The mileage our swimmers have covered in open-water events alone is impressive. In 2013, we collectively swam 5447.5 miles in open-water events, meaning last year, we swam across America about 1.82 times!
We have swam back and forth a few times…
Unimpressed so far? Not for long! Since our inception, assuming all of our swimmers each swam an average of 1 mile each, we’ve swum across America about 10 times. Yes- 10 times across the country since our first open-water swim!
We’re making an impact…
While the miles we’ve covered alone are cause for celebration, the funds we’ve raised for cancer research deserves its own look. The amount we’ve raised since our first swim is over $50 million, which equals over 2,501,250 pairs of Speedo Vanquisher goggles, 1,001,001 women’s swimsuits or 156,274 pool lane lines.
It’s all thanks to you…
And get this: we’ve had about 30,000 swimmers in our open-water events since our beginning. If we assume equal numbers of American men and women with average wingspans of both genders, this means that holding hands, our Swim Across America family would stretch about 31.84 miles long!
Let’s do it again!
How many times will we make it across America this season? You can help us beat last year’s collective distance and add to our Swim Across America family by registering for a 2014 swim!
If you live in the United States of America right now, you’re aware of the deep freeze that was gripping the entire country. We’re unsure of how there are even any pools left to swim in- haven’t they all turned to blocks of ice in the ground by now?!
The summer sun and open water season may be months away, but that hardly means that your local indoor pool can’t get some good use. Instead of worrying about those pesky New Year’s resolutions, why not resolve to do something for others and start a Swim Across America pool swim? Here are a few tips on how to be a Pool Swim Pro, deep freeze or sunny skies!
Have a Vision, but Be Open to it Changing:
It’s always best to have an idea of what you want an event to be like before you take it on, and to realistically assess your goals and visions. However, if things change along the way
Get Help from Us!
We put on large-scale-swims all the time, and we love helping our directors reach their goals and launch a great event. Request the official guide, “How to Host a Pool Swim” and we’ll help you, our newly minted Event Director, get everything going!
Break Out Your Calendar:
Even though SAA provides you with marketing materials, tips, fundraising software, and everything for event day, you’ll need ample time to secure a pool, a date, recruit volunteers and gain some fundraising momentum. Planning ahead is the key to building up a great event!
Fundraise Like a Boss:
It’s work, but ultimately, fundraising for your pool swim can be extremely rewarding, especially when you see the impact it has. Three major fundraising tips: Start Early, Be Pleasant and Persistent, and Get Personal. Every little bit counts, and every little bit makes a difference!
Enjoy the Day!
Event day can be stressful, but don’t forget to take a step back and absorb the magnitude of what you’ve accomplished. Have fun! Smile and get excited!
Between holiday shopping sprees, why not plan to get a workout in at the pool? This set comes straight from the North Pole- it’s our Twelve Days of Christmas Workout, and it’s 4850 yards of joy if you go through each day once. (If you’re a holiday workout fanatic and decide to go through the set like the song it’s named after, you’re looking at a whopping 23,200 yards, so have a couple extra Christmas cookies!)
On the first day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 1 x 100 easy free
On the second day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 2 x 75s drill
On the third day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 3 x 50s descend
On the fourth day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 4 x 100s IM
On the fifth day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 5 x 50s sprint ALL OUT!
On the sixth day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 6 x 100s pull
On the seventh day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 7 x 50s alternate IM/IM transition
On the eighth day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 8 x 25s no breath freestyle
On the ninth day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 9 x 75s build to 90% effort
On the tenth day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 10 x 50s kick alternate 3 build/2 fast
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 11 x 25s alternate 1 free easy/1 stroke fast
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my workout gave to me… 12 x 100s hold best average
Black Friday has come and gone, and the holiday season is in full swing. For every swimmer on your list, we’ve got a gift idea! Check out a few of our sponsor vendors and the deals they’re offering on merchandise using SAA codes!
A company based in Southern California, Hardcore Swim designs, manufactures and distributes some really cool swimsuits, all in the US of A! Their founders understand the intensity of the sport because they’re serious swimmers themselves, and their truly creative style sets them apart from other suit manufacturers.
This past year, Hardcore created a Swim Across America suit for us! All proceeds from the sale of these suits (in six styles!) go directly to SAA, so you know you’re making an impact while looking stylish. What better way to cross off that loved swimmer on your list than to gift them a Hardcore Swim Across America suit?
Another west coast company, Finis is a swimming product manufacturer founded by John Mix and Olympic Gold Medalist Pablo Morales. Focused on innovation and technique improvement for all levels of swimmers, Finis first produced the Swimmer’s Snorkel, Zoomers and the SwiMP3, all of which can be found in competitive swim equipment bags everywhere.
Lucky for us, Finis is offering 20% off all training gear during the holiday season for Swim Across America participants by entering the code “saa2013” at checkout! The dreaded winter training season is just around the corner, so why not help your swimmer feel less apprehensive about 4 hour doubles with some snazzy new fins, sparkly new goggles or a shiny new snorkel?
Born in the birthplace of the triathlon, XTERRA WETSUITS has been designing and creating the highest performing triathlon wetsuits since 2001. The founders are triathletes themselves, so their products are the utmost comfortable, buoyant and fast wetsuits out there for the best value!An added bonus- the company is eco-friendly, using limestone-based rubber instead of petroleum-based rubber. Not only is this better for the environment, it creates a more water-impermeable wetsuit, and thus, a better product.
XTERRA WETSUITS is offering Swim Across America participants a HUGE deal this holiday season- 60% off most wetsuits! All you need to do is enter code R-SAA at checkout! And while there may not be as much open water swimming in the winter months, we’re all for planning ahead! An XTerra wetsuit says that you care- they keep their wearers warm, comfortable, speedy and buoyant!
What we think about when we swim can be varied and unpredictable. Sometimes it depends on the day, sometimes it depends on the set, and sometimes it depends on the swimmer. We at Swim Across America know from experience that the thoughts that float through our heads while we’re floating through the water will fall into some distinct and interesting categories.
Here are the most common Brain Waves that we catch during a workout.
The IPod- This brain wave is a gift- or a curse. There are times when a song is stuck in your head, and the annoyance makes you as dizzy as the constant flip-turns. There are other times that a solid tune gets in there, and it pumps you up and gets you through a set. Either way, who needs headphones?
The Blank Book- There are some swimming brains that can go an entire practice without thinking about anything, really. How relaxing! These lucky swimming fools get an hour or two of brain shut-off while getting their workout in, and they’re the envy of many. (Including ourselves, can’t you tell?)
The Planner- We must be conditioned because of all those 6am workouts, but many swimmers cruise through a practice and come out with a plan for the next twelve hours. Especially during sets with long yardage, the Planner brain wave lets you dive in a groggy mess and climb out with a mental To-Do list, ready to attack your day.
The Abacus- Similar to the Blank Book, the Abacus wave almost shuts the mind completely off, save for one thing- it’s countin’ meters like it’ll never count again. Sometimes the only thing we can think about is how many laps we’ve got left, and sometimes it’s just that relaxing, monotonous time-waster that gets us through a set.
The Worst- There are times when you can’t think about anything else but the pain. It sears into your brain like the lactic acid searing into your muscles. Try and try you may to catch another brain wave, it just won’t stick. The Worst wave makes for the most miserable sets, but toughing it out is almost a right of passage in the swimming world!
The Kobayashi- You will never encounter a swimmer who has avoided this brain wave. For many swimmers, it’s rare to actually register hunger during a practice, yet that hardly stops us from daydreaming about the mountain of food we’ll get to consume after a rip-roaring workout. Do you even know what a Vermonster is? Of course you don’t… unless you’ve tasted victory over it after a 4-hour Christmas training session.
Swim Across America 