Thursday 31 October 2013

Just Swim Bournemouth

Ricks Joined The Just Swam Channel Teams
for a very stormy Halloween Dip in the Sea
between this crew , 14 channel swims have been done
5 of which were solo`s by Marc..!
Time to swim.
well i say swim in the loosest terms..
it was like swimming in a washing machine  
Lucy and Ali call it a day..
Last Man standing..just
great hours swim in the sea,,
really fun..just mixing it with the waves,,
sea temp was amazing 15 degrees,
so different to the 10/11 degrees in the Swan Pool at present
 
Keith and ladies have a final chat about this mornings swim
before deciding lets do it again tomorrow 
Final Picture before hot chocolates all round at Fisherman's walk beach in Bournemouth
Keith,Lou,Lucy,Paul,Ali,Gary and Marc

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Survivalifeguard Adventure Winter Series

Its The start of Winter Swimming @ The Swan...
but this year its more than Just swimming...!!
pictured L to R are today’s brave competitors

Colin, Basher, Anji, Russ, Mark, Jim, Tom & Jeremy
not pictured Ray,Sue,Ali ,Dan
(picture courtesy of the King of the swan Mr Dan Earthquake  )
Its 8.15 on very wet and chilly Sunday morning in October ,and we are about to do the second  Survivalifeguard Adventure  Series of the winter., what is the  Adventure  Series i hear you ask..!!! we its the brain child of Swan God Dan Earthquake and a few of his Survivalifeguard team to  make winter more fun with a few extra adventures to the  normal open water swimming , as we know  the temperatures drop fast in the UK..and with that so does the temp of the water..today alone the swan temp is 11 degrees ...as the lake temperatures drop the amount of time you can safely swim for also drop fast...so instead of the normal winter of fast dips in freezing cold water and going home, Dan and the crew came up with another way to add to the cold water enjoyment , and bonus get fit and race at the same time...


welcome to the Adventure Winter Series  2013/14  


3 of the Survivalifeguard Team
Tom and Colin took part as well as looked after us when we swam
Jeremy as always did great job looking after us all.. 
Swan Pool
Home of Channel swimming
in the West Midlands

Lets Introduce the events ..
(the water disciplines)
 Swim
Basher and Russ take to the water.
we no longer swim laps around the swan in the winter as its hard to provide safe cover for everyone swimming ,so a safe loop has been created along the quay side between two buoys.the distance there and back is 250m .

Rowing
 
Channel solo and relay star Ali Horby showing her skills at rowing
next adventure is Rowing which is done between the same buoys as the swim..
off  taking care not to bash the swimmers .;-)
Kayaking
channel and open water superstar Darran corden shows basher how its done..next adventure is Kayaking which again is
done between the same buoys as the swim (250m per loop..)
and off  taking care not to bash the swimmers .;-)
Knee boarding
Channel solo star and King of The Swan Mr Earthquake
showing how to do Knee boarding,

okay the next adventure, is a real adventure for most ,
its kneeboarding show how is done hers by Dan
once again its done between the same buoys as the swim (250m per loop..)
 if you can stay on the bloody thing that is..this is tough .;-)


(the Land disciplines)
The Run
Channel Relay Swimmer and Marathon Man Raymond Brookes
okay the next adventure is the Run or Walk.its totally up to you
( you do this around the Perimeter lap of lake 
which has been measured to be 1300m )

The Bike Push
Channel Relay Swimmer Mrs Susan Brookes, (yes wife of Raymond)
okay the next adventure is the Run or Walk whilst pushing a Bike
sounds easy..? Ha you had best try it..;-)
 (you do this around the Perimeter lap of lake 
which has been measured to be 1300m)

The Bike Carry
Top all round sportsman Craig Angel doing his stuff
okay the next adventure is the Run or Walk whilst carrying
 a heavy or light  Bike this does not sounds easy..? ha it isn`t ;-)
 (you do this around the Perimeter lap of lake 
which has been measured to be 1300m)

The Cycle
Open water swimmer and all round sportsman Jim Malone.
being chased on foot by Susan..
okay the next adventure is the Bike , 
either use on off the 3 mountain bikes provided or like Jim , 
use Mark`s super x cross bike to do your laps
 (you do this around the Perimeter lap of lake 
which has been measured to be 1300m)

and that it..
sound fun..!!
all the Kit is out and ready.
lets get this party started..
okay lets quickly explain whats we are about to do , or i should Dan will explain..these are his word..
 “The SurvivaLifeguard Ideal is the ability to perform rescue or utility functions in harsh conditions. Based upon the concept of a rescuer’s journey to get help, the SLCSC Adventure Series provides friendly competition & purposeful exercise in & around the water during the winter months

Two events will run simultaneously: Multi-Event & Triathlon. Points awarded for each distance completed as per table. Heavy or light bike choice of participant. Perimeter lap of lake has been measured to be 1300m. Loop from entry slipway to orange buoy & back has been measured to be 250m. Rowing/Paddling distance of 1250m is 4 lengths parallel to swim course.

Points/
Walk

Swim
Run
Cycle
Run

Carry bike

Carry bike
Paddle
Row
Distance



(with bike)



(light)
OR
(heavy)


1
1300

250

1300







2
2600

500

2600
1300




1000
1000
2.5



1300








3
3900

750

3900


1300




4
5200

1000

5200
2600



1300
2000
2000
5
6500

1250
2600
6500







6
7800

1500

7800
3900

2600


3000
3000
7
9100

1750

9100







7.5



3900








8
10400

2000

10400
5200



2600
4000
4000
9
11700

2250

11700


3900




10
13000

2500
5200
13000
6500




5000
5000
11
14300

2750

14300







12
15600

3000

15600
7800

5200

3900
6000
6000
12.5



6500








13
16900

3250

16900







14
18200

3500

18200
9100




7000
7000
15
19500

3750
7800
19500


6500




16
20800

4000

20800
10400



5200
8000
8000
17
22100

4250

22100







17.5



9100








18
23400

4500

23400
11700

7800


9000
9000
19
24700

4750

24700







20
26000

5000
10400
26000
13000



6500
10000
10000


Any distance completed will gain points: what to do & how much is the choice of the participant. “The SurvivaLifeguard Ideal – 8 disciplines of minimum distance + gains 2 bonus points for the time lost in transition. Obviously it is easier to do one or two disciplines of whatever you are best at & this will score highly, thus the bonus for doing everything.

Winner of the Multievent series will be awarded the Uncle Tom Cobley Cup. A similar trophy will be award to the triathlon series winner. Best 10 scores determine series total. The same person cannot win both events: participants declare which competition points count towards at the end of the season. In the event of a draw, completion of the most disciplines will determine the winner. Similarly carrying a heavier bike or swimming without a wetsuit could make the difference.


Laps by each participant & honestly given at the end to the recorder. Those injured/excuse book etc may wish to volunteer to be lap butlers for those who cannot count.
winner of this mornings round  of Adventure Winter Series
Mr Raymond Brookes. there seems no end to Ray talents
he is also the Della Smith of the Swan ..
he is a Top Man 
and that's about it, we had a great morning fun doing as many sports as we could or as we wanted , in the end its still has to be fun , Ali ,Jim,Susan , Dan , Mark all did amazing ..but in the end the winner of the morning was Ray..who a mile swim, plus run,bike, and much more..it was great fun , and i can tell you when you get out of the water , feeling cold , when the normal shivers are about to kick in , they don`t when you are running or biking straight out of the water,.. it was a great way to spend Sunday morning getting , with great company having great fun..

Superstars...
( the Swan Edition 2013)
Survivalifeguard Adventure Series 
a short Video of the highlights of 2012/13 Adventure Series 
plus some of the 1st 2 races of this years 2013/14 series..
( Just Click on the arrow in the picture above to see what
the Adventure Series is all about )