Posts by Peter Rudd

Do you know someone in the swimming community who demonstrates determination, inspiration and a positive attitude? If so, nominate them for this year’s Jan Morrow Award! Nominations are being accepted from now until midnight July 6th, 2023.

>> Submit your nomination for the 2023 Jan Morrow Award

We are excited to announce our new Open Registration option for more advanced swimmers! This system is designed to give these swimmers the opportunity to compete with swimmers of similar ability.

In the past, with our rolling start system, more advanced swimmers were often mixed in with other swimmers, which could make it difficult for them to truly compete to the best of their ability. By starting earlier and having a group start with other advanced swimmers, we believe these individuals will have a much better chance to showcase their skills and reach their full potential.

This new open registration will be a great addition to our swim and will help to make the experience more enjoyable for everyone involved. By giving advanced swimmers the opportunity to compete with others who are at a similar skill level, we hope to encourage more individuals to continue pursuing their passion for swimming.

If you are an advanced swimmer and are interested in participating in our Open Registration start, be sure to sign up early to secure your spot. We are limiting it to just 48 swimmers this year.

We are excited to announce our new Across the Lake SwimPass!

By registering for multiple swims, you can save up to 20% on your entry fees. From the scenic Kelowna swim to the challenging Across the Lake Swim Rattlesnake Island, there are 4 swims to choose from and the more events you register, the bigger the discount!

The photos from the 2022 swim are now available to view online.

Big thank you to Shaun Bos for taking the photos!

>> View the photos <<

The 2022 results are now posted!

Results for the 2.1KM swim, Teams, 25M Kid’s Shore Splash! and 50m Kid’s Shore Splash!

Hello swimmers! We can’t wait to see you on Saturday!
We have a few updates and instructions for you. Please read carefully.

Package Pickup

Package pickup is from 3pm – 7pm on Thursday, July 14th and Friday, July 15th in the parking lot of the Capital News Centre building (4105 Gordon Drive, Kelowna – here’s a map). Note that we are in the parking lot and not the building. You’ll see us as soon as you turn in to the Capital News Centre parking area.

Please bring your confirmation email with the QR code so we can scan it, either from a printed copy or on your phone. If you don’t have your confirmation handy, we can still look you up.

Yes, friends or family members can pick up your package for you. They will need your confirmation email with QR code, or your registration ID (also found in your confirmation email).

At package pickup you will receive your numbered swim cap and timing chip. The timing chip must go on your ankle over the top of your wetsuit. If it is under your wetsuit, it may not be detected and you won’t get a time. Do not lose your timing chip! There is a $50 charge if you lose it.

You must wear the numbered swim cap we give you. The caps are latex, so if you have an allergy to latex, we can give you a silicone cap in exchange for your latex cap. This can only be done at package pickup.

Arriving in the Morning

We encourage you to arrive early the morning of your swim on July 16th. 6am is best.

Parking is limited in City Park, so the earlier you arrive, the better the chance of securing a parking spot. If you are unable to get a parking spot in City Park, there is plenty of street parking or you can park in the Chapman Parkade, which is two blocks away at 345 Lawrence Ave.

Once you arrive, head to the gear tent to drop off any gear you’d like us to store for you. Place items in a bag and we will tag it for you can keep it safe until you finish your swim.

There are plenty of porta-potties available.

The buses start to leave at 7am with the final bus leaving at approximately 7:20am. Be sure to catch a bus! If you miss the buses, there is no way to get you to the Start Line.

New Swim Start

We’ve modified the swim start with a new start system this year. We no longer have set waves and cap colours. The new ‘Dynamic Swim Start’ is so much more flexible as your swim starts when you cross the timing mat on the shore, and enter the water.

Previously, you had to remember your wave number, make sure you were in the correct area, switch to a different wave if you wanted to swim with other people, listen for your wave to be called, then swim out to the start box and tread water until your wave started.

No more! Now, when you arrive at the start, you can warm up, meet with your friends or family, go pottie, then start whenever you are ready, after 8am. The start mat is open for swimmers to start their swim at 8am.

We encourage faster, competitive participants to load onto the first bus so you can enter the water first to start your swim. Less competitive swimmers can take any bus and head to the start line when you are ready. We encourage you to take a bus to the Start Line as early as you can to avoid any last minute stress.

Please do not head to the start line timing mat until you are ready to start your swim. There is very little room!

Here is an overview map of the swim start area: https://www.screencast.com/t/jdfKSW8jy

The route to the starting mat will be carpeted so you can walk in bare feet. Yes, there are plenty of porta potties available (or one big one if you don’t want to wait in line).

Support Paddlers

To ease some chaos Saturday morning, we offer support craft drop off at City Park on Friday, July 15th from 5pm to 7pm in our secure area on the beach in front of the washrooms. We have security there overnight watching over everything.

If you wish to drop off your support craft on Saturday morning, you can do so in the south end roundabout in City Park. You will need to drop off your support craft, then park as others also need to drop off their craft.

There is no area at the Start Line to launch your craft so you will need to paddle across from City Park. It roughly takes 30 minutes to paddle across the lake to the Start Line.

Paddler’s must sign the waiver and you or they can bring it to package pickup, the drop off Friday night, or the info tent the morning of the swim. Here is a link to download the Support Craft waiver.

Once your paddler reaches the Start Line, they should be within the Support Craft area, between the white swim buoys and the shoreline. See the diagram here: https://www.screencast.com/t/2NOCI54o0.

Important! It is your responsibility to find your support paddler. All swimmers look the same in the water, so it is very difficult for your paddler to find you. Encourage your paddler to wear something bright, or a big hat, or attach balloons to their craft so they are easy to spot. DO NOT ATTACH BALLOONS TO YOURSELF! They will not stay inflated for your entire swim and can interfere with your swimming and others around you. You will not be allowed to swim if you attach balloons to yourself.

We recommend communicating with your support paddler to meet you near a specific white swim buoy. For example: “Let’s meet at the 4th buoy”.

Once you meet up, your support craft should always be on the right or bridge side. They should paddle slightly ahead of you roughly at your 2 o’clock. This way, they will always be in your sight and can help guide you across. If you need to stop and rest, signal to your support paddler to stop. You can hold on to their craft as long as you are not moving forward. Alternately, if you have a Swim Buddy, you can stop, hug your Swim Buddy, rollover on your back and rest.

Finish Line

You did it! You accomplished an amazing feat; you swam across Okanagan Lake!

As you get closer to the Finish Line, start kicking your feet a little more. When swimming in a wetsuit for a length of time, your feet tend to do little work, so when you stand up at the finish, your legs may be a little wobbly. If you start kicking more as you get closer, blood goes back to your feet and they wake up!

We have volunteers at the shore edge to help you if you need it. They will not lift you out of the water unless you specifically ask for help – we want you to finish on your own. Of course, if it’s something more serious, they will be there for you (you don’t need to ask!).

There are two mats on the beach. The first mat is for identification only and does not stop your time. The second mat stops your time and is approximately 5m from the shoreline. The moral of the story: do not stop after crossing the first timing mat thinking your time has stopped! You must cross the second mat to stop your time.

Running up the beach to the second mat is doable, but not encouraged or necessary. The amount of time you will save by running up the beach with your heavy legs is negligible. It’s better to stop, take your time to get your land legs back, turn around and look at what you just accomplished, then continue to the second mat.

After you finish, a volunteer will take off your timing chip. Do not bend down to take it off yourself! There is a high probability you’ll go head first into the sand. We’ve seen it. Let us do it for you.

Enjoy light food and refreshments, as well as a bunch of giveaways and awards. There is a photo backdrop so you can have photos taken to prove you finished!

Our photographer will be on site taking photos, so be sure to clear your snot away. Again, we’ve seen it.

Have an amazing swim!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email: swiminfo@acrossthelakeswim.com and we’ll see you on Saturday!

Kelowna’s 90-year-young Conny Stamhuis is ready to attempt her sixth 2.1 kilometre swim across Okanagan Lake on July 16, 2022.

Swimming across the lake is not Stamhuis’ biggest challenge this year, however. In celebrating her 90th birthday she set herself the goal of raising $10,000 for Doctors Without Borders. Doctors Without Borders is an international, independent medical humanitarian organization that provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disaster or exclusion from healthcare, without regard to race, religion or political affiliation.

Stamhuis, who emigrated to Canada from the Netherlands at age 20, studied nursing in her forties. “It was always a dream of mine to join MSF but my husband did not believe in equality of sexes at the time so I never did.” “With the war in Ukraine and all the other tragic assaults against humanity, I feel stronger than ever that I need to make a contribution. Although I can’t join them at 90, I can still raise funds to support their efforts. I need and would appreciate all the help I can get to reach my goal” says Stamhuis. You can support Conny’s goal by clicking on this link to donate to Doctors Without Borders.

The petite Stamhuis, an inspiration to many around her, started swimming again at age 65. “I suppose you could call me a late bloomer. I just love how swimming has enriched my life and has helped me to stay active in the community,” she says. Swimming is a family affair for the Stamhuis clan with Conny’s son Michael having successfully completed the Interior Savings Across the Lake Swim Kelowna 14 times and her daughter Jonie and son-in-law Ken, being her escorts across the lake.

Stamhuis is a member of Okanagan Masters Swim Club and recently participated in the 2022 BC Masters Swimming Championships in White Rock. She set a provincial record in the 90-94 age group for the 200-metre backstroke and also placed first in the 50-metre breaststroke and 50-metre backstroke. She was inducted into the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

Here we are in June already which means the Fresh Air Open Water Swim Clinics are starting! The first clinic starts this Saturday, June 11th at Boyce-Gyro Beach in Kelowna and start promptly at 7am. You must be registered for any of the Across the Lake Swim events to take the clinics for free.

To speed up the sign in process at the first clinic, please download and print the waiver, sign and bring with you to the clinic. Download the waiver.

We will have water and coffee available, but keeping with our Swim Free Initiative to reduce and recycle, please bring your own water container and coffee cup.

More information about the clinics.

Photo credit: Alexis MacMillan

What a fabulous day! The water was warm, the rain held off and there was no current.

Results for the 2.1KM swim, Teams, 25M Kid’s Shore Splash! and 50m Kid’s Shore Splash!

Package pickup is Thursday, July 18th and Friday, July 19th from 3-7PM at the Capital News Centre, 4105 Gordon Drive in Kelowna. Here’s a map

At package pickup you will get:

• A fancy gear bag
• Your numbered swim cap
• Your wave #
• A timing chip
• Our award winning towel
• A bunch of goodies
• Additional instructions

Yes, someone else can pick up your package for you! They will need your Registration ID you received in your confirmation email.

This year package pickup is on the indoor soccer field so once you come into the Capital News Centre, take a left and head to the indoor fields.

Look for our flags which will direct you to where you need to go.