Venetian eSplash 24 Mar 2018 – 40 Mile Swim Message
In this eSplash:
- 40 Mile Swim Update
- Future Events and Important Dates
40 Mile Swim Update
As the Spring/Summer season of 2018 nears, the seventh annual 40 Mile Swim Challenge approaches as well. Last summer, in spite of rain, power failures, and hurricanes, 57 swimmers achieved or surpassed their 40 mile goal. In all, Venetian lap swimmers put 3237 miles under our feet, flippers, and kickboards. Were we swimming in a straight line, that would be enough to get us to Lima, Peru, or to Greenland, and even to Punta Delgada in the Azores. The top swimmer, once again, was Jessica “the Shark ”Landisman Williams, who completed 239 miles. Also surpassing 100 miles were Jessica “Manta Ray” Kirkwood and Jennifer “the Orca” Richardson. Additionally, the majority of swimmers who achieved their 40 mile goal actually surpassed 40 miles!
I hope everyone who received their water bottles is enjoying them. You’ll enjoy them even more this summer as they keep your drinks chilled for almost 24 hours (You may have also discovered that they keep beverages hot for almost as long). What I didn’t know until the bottles arrived, is that Basecamp, the manufacturer of the bottles, donates a portion of their proceeds to the Warrior Spirit Retreat (www.WarriorSpiritRetreat.org), a place where wounded warriors learn to heal. That makes them extra special.
This year, we have very special incentive for you to achieve your 40 mile goal. Many of you know that our beloved (former) pool manager, Colm Jenkins, is an artist who is working on his MA in fine art and plans to teach art. Colm has volunteered to produce a poster sized original silk screened print just for Venetian’s 40 Mile Swim Challenge. It will be sized so that you can buy a ready-made frame for it. Here’s a sample of Colm’s work, a silk-screened Frida Kahlo portrait (you’ll see some unavoidable glare from the windows of my front door):
Though Colm has resigned his position as manager of Venetian, we’ll all be able to have something to remind us of him and our Summer of ‘.
Here are the other swimmers who met or achieved their 40 Mile goal in 2017. Congratulations to all:
| Rick Alembik | Rachel Fiore | Aaron McClennen |
| Lewis Amos | Tony Fiore | Warner McConnaughy |
| Libbie Banks | Lindy Grabbe | Laura Moore |
| Marcia Borowski | Maya Hahn | Michael Purser |
| Lynne Borsuk | Christy Hall | Larry Nodine |
| Sam Brown | Kendall Hamilton | Ken Nuttall |
| Terry Chorba | Jack Hardin | John Painter |
| James Coblin | Jim Harvey | Margaret Doonan Pierce |
| Diane Cortese | Joanne Hauserman | Robert Pope |
| Nick Cortese | Terri Kruzan | Teresa Robertson Pope |
| Scott Davis | Sharon Lehman | Gabriel Ramirez |
| Reynolds DeLisle | Elizabeth Lide | Linda Rathje |
| Laura Doonan | Leila Mooney | Jennie Richardson |
| Missy Douglas | Blaine Herman | Robin Rock |
| John Duffield | Jessica Kirkwood | Meg Rosselot |
| Cheryl Esbach | Jimmy Lockhart | Bill Sexson |
| Janet Fath | Sara Markowitz | Michael Simon |
| Laura Fehrs | Juliet Mavromatis | Jessica Landisman Williams |
Submitted by Maya Hahn with apologies to anyone inadvertently left off the list
Future Events & Important Dates
Monday, April 9: VPCA Board Meeting, 7 PM
Saturday, April 21: Spring Work Day (Rain Day is Sunday, 22 Apr)
Sunday, April 22: Swim Team Open House, 3-5 PM
Saturday, May 5: Pool Opening Day! Pool Opens at Noon
Saturday, May 5: New Member Welcome Party, Venetian Dance Hall, 4 pm
Submitted by Nick Cortese, communications@venetianpools.org