West Neck Pod's 2018 "Swim Across America"

On Saturday, August 4th, the members of Team West Neck Pod will once again be participating in the "Sound to Cove" Swim Across America event to raise money for local cancer research and treatment organizations. This is the eighth time our West Neck Pod family of Salt-ophiles has participated in this event, and together over the years we West Neck Pod teammates have raised more than $100,000 to support the cutting-edge research of the SAA beneficiaries, which again this year include our neighbor across the harbor, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, as well as the newly minted Swim Across America Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Feinstein Institute of North Shore, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital.

This ongoing fight against cancer is personal for all of us who swim in these events. Some of us are cancer survivors ourselves, and all of us have lost friends, family members, colleagues, co-workers or body-parts to this disease: Joanna Grossman's father. Paul Coster's "Mum." Joan Addabbo's brother. Tony Santomauro's mother. Tom Sherman's wife. Alice Rogers' mother. Bonnie Millen's breasts. Evelyn Cruise's father-in-law. Annmarie Kearney-Woods' best friends. My father, aunt, grandparents, and a rapidly increasing roster of dear friends...and just last month, even my beloved French bulldog Daisy Mae.

On Saturday, August 4th, Team West Neck Pod will once again dive into the Salt in honor and in memory of all those whose lives have been impacted by cancer...Whether we swim one mile, three miles (5K) or six miles (10K), we know that we won't be curing cancer that day...but every stroke we take will be bringing us closer to the cure, and we dedicate our swims to those for whom our efforts may be too late.

For those of you who are already members of the 2018 "Team West Neck Pod," thanks for joining (or rejoining) the fight. For those who've swum with us in the past, please consider "re-upping" this year -- and for those of you who've never participated in this event, come join our team as together, stroke by stroke, we continue our naval assault on our common enemy, cancer. See you in the Glen Cove Salt on August 4th! -- Carol (a/k/a "The Fairy Pod-Mother")

 

To join the Team or donate, follow this link:

 

http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/NassauSuffolk?team_id=19894&pg=team&fr_id=4761

Memorial Day Weekend 2016

Our official season opener on Saturday morning saw a dozen swimmers hit the still-chilly but deliciously invigorating waters of Cold Spring Harbor, in a somewhat aimless swim southward, the yellow racing buoys we’ve affectionately dubbed the "South Buoy" and "North Buoy" being still conspicuously absent (as detailed in my blogpost from that date at http://thewater-blog.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-2016-ows-season-begins.html)....




Margot Edlin

By Sunday morning, though, the buoys were miraculously restored, and an even larger cadre of swimmers happily plied their way from buoy to buoy in water that to my bare arms may even have been a teensy bit warmer than the day before. Back in the Salt on Sunday for the first time this season were, among others, Margot Edlin, whose Facebook pictures I’ve purloined to post here, having forgotten my otherwise ubiquitous camera – an omission probably habituated by my more recent Polar Pod excursions where cold-numbed, gloved fingers were useless for operating the camera’s tiny buttons.

Joanna Grossman

Also back – for what it turns out may be one of her last swims with the West Neck Pod – was Joanna Grossman, who announced that she and her husband and fellow law professor Grant will shortly be relocating with their family to Dallas, where fabulous new teaching jobs await them, but Salt water will be in short supply. I’m so sad to see Joanna leave – and not only because she’s been an integral and longstanding member of "Team West Neck Pod" for our annual cancer-fighting "Sound-to-Cove" Swim Across America! We’ll miss you, Joanna, and wish you and your family much happiness in the Big D.

Joanna may be leaving, but back in the Salt for the start of her fourth season with the West Neck Pod, and now signed up for her second stint as a member of Swim Across America’s "Team West Neck Pod," was Merry Lewin – who started her training on Sunday for her first 5K swim with the Team!

Welcome back, too, to Polar Podders Annmarie Kearney-Wood (who will soon have her daughter Missy married off and can then return to compulsive open-water swimming if we can overcome her recent Cross-Fit obsession) and Tony Alizzi (whose chiseled Roman good looks seem only to have been enhanced by his recent faceplant on a Manhattan street), as well as to Rob Todd, Marc Leahy, Joan Addabbo, Gary Baker, Denise Tirino and everyone else who was there whose name or face I can’t quite conjure up now. (Oh, and a hearty Pod-welcome to Denise’s gutsy friend "Josee," an open-water newbie whose caring and concern for Denise – who was temporarily hung up and struggling to make headway "out there" against the outgoing tide -- managed to overshadow her own fear and anxiety...That’s what makes us a Pod...Just sayin’...).


Julia, Connor and Gabby

Though I’d optimistically planned to fete the Memorial Day swimmers with bagels and coffee, the weather forecast for Monday turned out to be accurate, and the rain that fell periodically throughout the night was still soaking Huntington by the time I posted on Facebook that the day’s swim was cancelled. Even though I'd officially cancelled the swim because of the then-pelting rain, I couldn't resist heading down to the beach anyway, because even though I wasn't planning to swim, I still like to look and see what I’m missing....I wasn't expecting to find any swimmers there, so I decided to bring bagels and coffee for the lifeguards instead, who have been so patient with us swimmers and so tolerant of our annoying habit of thronging the beach- house and overhang and taking over every inch of bench space every weekend morning...The lifeguards were there (Julia, Connor and Gabby), and, to my great surprise, so were Marc Leahy, Stephen Leung and Pete Ventura, already suited up and ready to get into the water (with Pete’s wife Vicki watching from the bench)! The rain, of course, had stopped completely by then, so Daisy-Mae and I walked the beach as Pete, Marc and Stephen swam first to the North Buoy and then made their way towards the South Buoy. Midway through their swim the sun started to peek through the clouds, and I felt a twinge of regret – I wonder if this is what it’s like to be a meteorologist! Daisy and I left before they returned, but I hope the lifeguards shared some coffee and bagels with them!

Daisy Mae

This week of spiking summer-like temperatures holds the promise of much warmer water this coming weekend, when I hope that I’ll see the rest of you back in the Salt for the first group swims of June!

Scheduled weekday morning group swims will begin next week, most likely on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 6:30 and Friday mornings at 8:00 – but please feel free to share your swim plans with your fellow swimmers by email or on Facebook:   (https://www.facebook.com/WestNeckPod/?fref=nf).

Summer’s coming! See you in the Salt!

Goodbye, June-uary...Hello, Summer!

"Welcome to ‘June-uary,’" my cousin posted in response to my recent Facebook lament that I was still wearing flannel pajamas to bed (thanks for the coinage, John Austin Totter!). It’s been that kind of a schizophrenic month weather-wise, as air temperatures repeatedly ping-ponged from the 50s into the 90s and then back down to the 40s. The water temperature never had a chance, and it held a narrow range between the low 50s and low 60s while Spring-minded Podders and triathletes with looming upcoming events blinked and shrugged as weekend after weekend they tiptoed into water that still felt like the ice floes that had thronged the harbor throughout the seemingly endless winter. One of the earliest events of the season, the Huntington Sprint Triathlon, held on May 31st, saw numerous swimmers pulled from the 52-degree water at Crab Meadow Beach, several of whom were taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia. Reportedly most of those were not wearing wetsuits, and I’m guessing this might have been their first venture into the open water since last season. (The best defense against hypothermia? Acclimate, acclimate, acclimate! – but not on the day of the event!)  

Happily, all swimmers recovered, and so did the temperatures, with this weekend of more "seasonal" weather and water temperatures in the mid-60s finally giving swimmers a taste of the Summer to come and, for those who are so inclined, an invitation to shed bulky full wetsuits for long-johns/janes or just bathing suits. Tony Alizzi kindly volunteered (i.e., was drafted!) to step in as "Podmaster" this weekend while I was away, and in addition to offering guidance on the tide and the suggested route, helped to orient a fresh batch of "newbies" and provide loaner "floaty-bags" for the unprepared.

More good news: Weekday swimming has resumed at 6:00 ("in the water") on Wednesday and Friday mornings and, for us lazybones, at 8:00 on Friday mornings. And of course our regular weekend schedule of 8:00 a.m. swims continues until...well, until ice floes return to the harbor!

Next weekend Summer officially begins, with the Solstice this year taking place on Sunday, June 21^st! As the water temperature continues to rise (look for temperature postings on the West Neck Pod Facebook page), we’ll look forward to seeing more and more of our "poolie" brethren joining us in the Salt, along with the "newbies" who continue to seek out the West Neck Pod for their first open-water experiences.

The following weekend, the Fourth Annual West Neck Swim will take place at West Neck Beach on Sunday, June 28^th. This highly acclaimed event offers 1-mile, 2-mile, and 5K events with both wetsuit and non-wetsuit divisions. If you’re registered for the Swim, you still have time to check out the venue and "test the waters" with the seasoned swimmers of the West Neck Pod.  If you’re not registered, what are you waiting for? Visit the West Neck Swim website at westneckswim.com for details and registration link.

Next Sunday, June 21^st, is also Father’s Day. Not to be a downer, but on Father’s Day 2010 I was nearly chummed by a speeding motorboat as I swam towards the south buoy with a bunch of fellow swimmers (see my blogpost at http://thewater-blog.blogspot.com/2010/06/happy-fathers-day.html?m=0). That close call (I mean, close: I could read the serial number on the boat’s Evinrude motor as the boat driver swerved to avoid me at the last possible second!) ultimately led me to discover and purchase the "SaferSwimmer" flotation buoy from the International Swimming Hall of Fame, which they developed to help protect open-water swimmers from boats and other hazards in the open water. Now, five years later, nearly 100 West Neck Pod swimmers have purchased "floaty-bags," which you can see dotting the surface of the water virtually any day at any time! That’s my long-winded and roundabout way of wishing everyone a Happy Father’s Day, and of doing my part to help ensure that those among us who are fathers, or who have or had fathers, always come home....
Speaking of families, all of us in the West Neck Pod family have friends, family members, colleagues or co-workers who have been affected by cancer in some way, or are themselves cancer survivors. That’s why for the fourth year in a row, the West Neck Pod is participating in the annual "Sound-to-Cove" Swim Across America to raise funds for local cancer research. Last year "Team West Neck Pod" raised more than $38,000.00 to fund the cancer research and treatment and family-support efforts of institutions and agencies right here in our own backyard, including Cold Spring Harbor Research Laboratory right across the harbor. This year, Tony Alizzi will be our Team Captain, and I urge you to join our team and help your fellow swimmers raise money to fight cancer, stroke by stroke by stroke. For more information about the Sound to Cove Swim (at Morgan Park in Glen Cove on Saturday, August 8^th, follow this link: http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/NassauSuffolk?pg=entry&fr_id=3383

To register as a member of Team West Neck Pod, follow this link: http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/NassauSuffolk?pg=entry&fr_id=3383

For more information, contact Tony Alizzi at anthonyalizzi@gmail.com.

See you in the Summer Salt!

Team West Neck Pod "Makes Waves to Fight Cancer"...

 

Proud Team Captain displaying
our Team plaque



Weather conditions were perfect for this year's "Sound-to-Cove" Swim Across America, an annual event to raise funds for local beneficiaries in support of cancer research, prevention and treatment. A total of 160 swimmers, inspired by the courage and strength of loved ones fighting cancer, or the memory of those who'd lost their battle, waded into Long Island Sound in Glen Cove on Saturday, August 9th, to swim distances of 1/2 mile, 1 mile, 5K or 10K. The swim marked the culmination of months of inspired and dedicated fund-raising, and for the third year in a row, a team of swimmers from the West Neck Pod ("Team West Neck Pod") participated, collectively raising more than $35,000! to fund local organizations like Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Fighting Chance, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the Feinstein Institute of North Shore-LIJ.

This year’s team members included Evelyn Cruise, Kara Horn, Bonnie Millen, Alice Rogers and Teri Tiso swimming the one-mile; Tony Alizzi, Paul Coster, Margot Edlin, Joe Kasper, Steve Moskowitz, Vincent Tophoff and me swimming the 5K; Annmarie Kearney-Wood and Gae Polisner swimming the 10K; and David and Maureen Birnbaum kayaking alongside us. As of this writing, the total amount raised by this year’s "Sound-to-Cove" swim is nearly $304,000!

Many, many thanks to the valiant members of the 2014 "Team West Neck Pod"; to our families, friends, fellow swimmers and coworkers who supported and encouraged us and contributed so generously to this cause; to the SAA organizers and volunteers, and the kayakers who guided us from buoy to buoy and kept us from straying too far off course; and to the beneficiaries of Swim Across America, whose dedicated research efforts – funded by our contributions – bring us ever closer to a cancer-free world! See you next year when Team West Neck Pod once again "Makes Waves to Fight Cancer! 

5K swimmers Steve Moskowitz, Carol Moore,
Paul Coster, Margot Edlin and Tony Alizzi



Top individual fundraiser Joe Kasper(!) with fellow 5Kers Carol Moore,
Vincent Tophoff, Margot Edlin, Tony Alizzi, some guy, and Steve Moskowitz

One of our kayakers

 

Bonnie Millen, Margot Edlin & Tony Alizzi chatting with
photographer Steve Pfost, who covered the event for Newsday

Our exhausted but triumphant 10K+ swimmers,
Gae Polisner and Annmarie Kearney-Wood

 

10K swimmers pose with their plaques

Buoys in a straight line?? I don't think so!

 

(Note: donations to Swim Across America are still being accepted through the Fall! You can still donate on behalf of Team West Neck Pod or one or more of your favorite open-water swimmers at:
http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/NassauSuffolk?team_id=9540&pg=team&fr_id=2760)

Team West Neck Pod's 2014 "Swim Across America"

The 2013 "Team West Neck Pod"

For the third year in a row, members of the West Neck Pod are taking up arms against cancer, as we participate as part of "Team West Neck Pod" in the "Sound-to-Cove" Swim Across America to raise money for local cancer research and treatment programs. Like so many Long Island families, our West Neck Pod family has been deeply affected by cancer. Several of our members are cancer survivors themselves, and virtually all of us have lost friends, family members and co-workers to this disease. Last year, Team West Neck Pod raised nearly $20,000 to support organizations like Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Fighting Chance, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and our neighbor across the harbor, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories. The cutting-edge research that is funded by our fundraising efforts and those of thousands of other swimmers across the country help enhance the longevity and quality of life for cancer patients and their families in our community. Our individual swims honor the memory of loved ones we have lost to this disease and the courage of those whose struggle continues.

The members of Team West Neck Pod thank you for your generous support!

You can make a credit card donation by clicking on the link below and donating on behalf or one or more of your favorite open-water swimmers, or send a check made payable to Swim Across America to Charles A. Barragato & Co. Attn: Angelo Pirozzi, 950 Third Ave., 20th Floor, New York, NY 10022 (please indicate that the donation is in support of "Team West Neck Pod" or a specified team member). 

http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=2760&team_id=9540

Swim Across America, Inc., [SAA] is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, SAA is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service.

"Team West Neck Pod's" 2013 "Swim Across America"

On Saturday, August 10th, 17 members of the West Neck Pod will be participating in the 2013 "Sound-to-Cove" Swim Across America to raise money for local cancer research and support organizations like Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Fighting Chance, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. These organizations are performing cutting-edge research and providing essential services that are improving the longevity and quality of life for cancer patients and their families in our community.  Fifteen members of our Team will be swimming the 5K distance (3.1 miles) in Long Island Sound, with one member swimming 1 mile and another kayaking alongside us. Like many Long Islanders, most of us have lost far too many friends, family members, co-workers and colleagues to this disease, and we have all suffered the stress and uncertainty as those we love underwent surgery and treatment for cancer. This fight against cancer is personal for all of us – and our "Sound-to-Cove" swim is dedicated to the memory of those we love who have lost their battle with cancer, and in honor of those whose courageous struggle continues. So many of us in the Pod-family have been touched by cancer -- including several of our teammates -- and probably you have, too...You, too, can participate in the 2013 "Sound-to-Cove" Swim Across America by supporting Team West Neck Pod and this cause by donating as generously as you can....Thank you for your support -- See you in the Salt! -- Carol Moore, Captain, "Team West Neck Pod"

 

http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/NassauSuffolk?pg=team&fr_id=1956&team_id=4570 

So Soon June...Hello, Full Moon...

Weekday morning swims resumed this week, and as the weekend approached and May yielded to June, a waxing gibbous moon was playing havoc with the tides, which were higher and stronger than usual.  Friday morning's swim to the Sailboat felt endless against the surging power of the incoming tide, and it was almost a relief that Saturday was a "no-swim" day -- for me, because of family commitments; for the rest of the Pod, because of grey, sodden weather (and a Department of Health advisory that closed numerous Suffolk County beaches due to concerns about bacteria-laden runoff from the heavy rain Friday night).  Marc, who came down to the beach Saturday morning anyway "just to look," saw two brave souls swimming "out there" who later turned out to be Chris and Tim.  They'd made their first open-water swim of the season on Friday morning -- Chris's first since his spinal surgery more than a year ago -- and evidently their revivified taste for Salt was undeterred by the incipient gloomy weather!

Sunday morning, though, was sunny and clear, and a veritable swarm of swimmers -- including a half-dozen "newbies" -- descended on West Neck Beach like gnats on a bare neck.  A steady wind from the northwest was stiffening the flag, and the few boats in the mooring field were tugging at their chains against the surging incoming tide as a steady chop rolled across the diminishing beachfront. As we all suited up in front of the lifeguard station, I gave the newbies a little impromptu orientation speech, heavy on dire warnings and disclaimers in light of the unwelcoming conditions: the northwest wind, an incoming tide, and a nearly full moon...While we chatted, the first wave of swimmers set off for the Sailboat, and the full force of the tidal surge could be seen in the feckless, feeble strokes of even the strongest swimmers...

Shortly thereafter, I left the newbies behind with instructions (hopefully heeded) to stick to the area in front of the beach, and set off, in the wake of fellow-laggards Gae and Annmarie, for the Sailboat...Like a salmon struggling to swim up a waterfall, I inched my way northward, and was still hundreds of yards off when the pack of first-wave swimmers stroked by me on their way back to the beach. Gae, Annmarie and I -- all training for the 5K "Sound-to-Cove" Swim Across America -- had originally planned a 2-mile swim to Fort Hill Beach, but by the time I finally reached the Sailboat -- in the time it usually takes me for the round-trip -- I had cheerfully abandoned that plan -- much to Gae's chagrin and disappointment. 

The return trip -- in half the time -- felt rocket-like in comparison, and after more than an hour in the water, I was glad to be home, and grateful for the bagels and coffee Carole had waiting on the beach!
The long swim will have to wait 'til next weekend, when unfortunately the return trip will be against an outgoing tide, but at least on a waning moon it should pack less of a punch. Weekday morning swims are planned this week for Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday at 6:30 a.m. (in the water) and Friday at 8:00. See you in the Salt!

Planning for Spring...and beyond...

The 2012 Spring Equinox is just around the corner, with Spring officially arriving on March 20^th, and while the "Polar Pod" will likely be pushing the Spring envelope early, it won’t be long before we’re all back in the open water! I expect that this year’s open-water season will be better than ever, and that the swimmers of the West Neck Pod will continue to expand our inner and outer boundaries and swim farther, faster, longer and stronger than ever before... As you begin to think about this next open-water season, you might want to mark your calendar for some important upcoming dates:

The Second Annual Huntington/Cold Spring Harbor 1- and 2-Mile Swim will be taking place this year on Sunday, June 24^th at West Neck Beach! Preliminary planning is already underway and we are anticipating that this year’s event will be even larger and more successful than last year’s inaugural event. If you volunteered last year, we can certainly use your help and expertise again this year, and if you didn’t, then think about joining the effort this year! If you’re not able to volunteer, then please support our efforts by registering to swim, or by making a donation! The swim is a fundraiser for the Huntington YMCA’s "Swim for Kids" scholarship program, and offers 1-mile and 2-mile events with both wetsuit and nonwetsuit divisions as well as age-group events. Supporting this event will enhance the sport of open-water swimming on Long Island and raise money to teach at-risk underprivileged kids to swim. For information, contact Race Director Rob Ripp at rob.ripp@verizon.net or me (Carol Moore) at CLMooreEsq@verizon.net.

July 15^th is the tentative date earmarked for a revival of the venerable "5K in the Bay" swim in Huntington Bay. The 5K is planned to be an "open" event, and there will be age-group events as well. Updated information will be available at http://www.huntswim.org.

Also coming up: The August 11, 2012 Swim Across America "Sound-to-Cove" Swim in Glen Cove, New York. This annual event is a fundraiser for local cancer research, and last year local swimmers (including five West Neck Pod members) swimming one-mile, 5K, and 10K events raised $375,000 to fight cancer. Cancer is a devastating scourge that has left virtually no family unscathed, including our own West Neck Pod family. This year, in recognition of the intensely personal nature of the fight against cancer, the West Neck Pod is organizing its own team to swim in the 26^th Annual Swim Across America. We look forward to welcoming you as part of "Team West Neck Pod" and appreciate your donations of any amount! To register and/or donate, follow this link: www.swimacrossamerica.org.

You’ll find numerous other open-water swimming events in the 2012 season listed on the Aquafit Masters website at http://aquafitmasters.com/Events/Events.htm. As you contemplate participating in these and other sanctioned open-water swimming events in the 2012 season, consider registering as a proud member of the Huntington local masters swimming group, "Huntington Masters Swimmers" ("HUMS"). Last year, the membership in this local club of the US Masters Swimmers organization more than doubled, and we’d like to see it double again in this 2012 season and really put Huntington masters swimming on the aquatic map! For more information, visit the HUMS blog site at http://hums.blogspot.com.

When winter eventually succumbs to spring, and the ice has melted and the water temperature has edged up a few notches, the West Neck Pod will be back in the Salt. All are welcome to join us (at your own risk, of course!) for our weekday and weekend swims. Group swim schedules are posted on "The Water-Blog" (http://TheWater-Blog.blogspot.com) or on the West Neck Pod’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Neck-Pod/128827940504281) and via e-mail (e-mail WestNeckPod@verizon.net to add your name to the West Neck Pod contact list).

Last but not least, to help keep you safe in the open water, don’t forget to order your "SafeSwimmer" flotation buoy. These combination dry-bag/flotation buoys are lightweight and virtually drag-free, and help make you visible to boats and other watercraft. Contact Laurie Marchwinski at the International Swimming Hall of Fame (1-954-663-7472) and tell her you swim with the West Neck Pod to receive the Pod’s special free-shipping offer!

See you in the Salt -- eventually!

Swim Across America: Raising Funds to Fight Cancer, "From Sea to Shining Sea...."

The year 2011 marks the 25^th anniversary of "Swim Across America," a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. In addition to numerous pool events, there are now 13 open-water Swim Across America ("SAA") fundraising events in various venues throughout the country, including two on Long Island.
This year, five West Neck Pod swimmers participated in the August 13^th "Sound-to-Cove" open water swim from Long Island Sound to Morgan Park in Glen Cove: Evelyn Cruise and I swimming the 5K and Bonnie Millen and Karl Bourke swimming the 1-mile as part of "Team Hope;" and Meghan McGovern swimming the 5K as part of "Team T.O.A.S.T." Together we raised more than $6,000 for local cancer research programs sponsored by Swim Across America. Next year we plan to swim as part of "Team West Neck Pod" and raise even more money to fight this monstrous disease that has left virtually no family – including the West Neck Pod family – unscathed. Bonnie, swimming the 1-mile event just a few months after her own surgery for breast cancer, swam in memory of her best friend Gail Scamoni, whom cancer claimed in January; Karl swam in memory of his Uncle Edward Burke; Evelyn swam in honor of her Uncle Michael; Meghan swam in honor of her two aunts and friend who are currently battling cancer; and I swam in honor of my Pod-mate Bonnie, and in memory of my Aunt Mary Agnes Patscott, my friends Richie Clarke, Richard Thatcher and Barbara Sforza, and too many others....

Swim Across America’s mission has been embraced not only by hometown athletes, but by numerous Olympic and world swimming champions, including Diana Nyad, a longtime SAA supporter, whose heroic effort to swim 103 miles from Cuba to Florida had been cut short just a few days before the "Sound to Cove" SAA swim. Like so many others who had been both inspired and humbled by Diana’s "Xtreme Dream," my heart was still aching with disappointment -- not for myself but for Diana -- when I set out to swim a course that I was mindful was approximately 100 miles shorter than the course Diana had set for herself! Having swum several 5K events before, I was confident that I would be able to swim the 3.1 mile distance, but I was somewhat daunted nevertheless by the one-way course whose start point was out in the middle of Long Island Sound! The seemingly endless boat ride out to the starting buoy, the wait for the last 10K swimmer (10K!) to pass on his way all the way across the Sound from Larchmont, the leap from the boat into DEEP, unfamiliar water, 3.1 miles from a shore that I could no longer see, unnerved me, especially when I realized that my goggle strap had detached when I jumped, and I watched my fellow 5K swimmers recede into the distance as I struggled to rethread it and adjust my goggles for the swim. When I finally started swimming (of course I had to take a few photographs, first!), I was far behind the pack, and all alone in the middle of Long Island Sound (except for the kayaker who quickly zeroed in on me – thanks, Fran!).

Anxious to catch up with the pack, I found myself beginning to hyperventilate, and had to stop swimming to calm myself and regulate my breathing. I found myself thinking again of Diana Nyad, swimming for nearly 30 hours straight, much of it in total darkness, in a vast body of roiling water, plagued by excruciating shoulder pain, innumerable jellyfish stings, relentless nausea, and an inexplicable attack of asthma that left her gasping for breath as an implacable current carried her ever farther off course, and I felt ashamed of my seemingly petty fear and anxiety.

As I found my breath and settled into my swim, trying to channel my inner Diana Nyad (except for the asthma and the shoulder pain!), my thoughts turned to the courageous cancer patients and their families whose struggles for survival, quality of life, and dignity are ultimately the motivation for this and all of the other "Swims Across America." Though their struggles are not freely chosen, unlike the "Xtreme" challenge Diana Nyad had set for herself, and the far more modest one I had undertaken in swimming from "Sound to Cove," they all bear witness to one fundamental truth: It’s not the destination that matters, but how you make the journey.... See you in the Salt.