August 25, 1999
Getting into the swim of things
West Bay competitors fight off waves, weeds fear of going the wrong way
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
For swimmers who like to do laps in a pool, try this trick.
Swim the equivalent of 75 laps at one time, outdoors, in the Bay, in a race and see how you do. Follow the course's buoys carefully - remember there are no lines on the bottom - and don't forget to call out your number when asked or you could be pulled out of the water because of hypothermia.
Sound daunting?
Not for a dozen area swimmers last Saturday morning who took on a two-mile, open water swim in the second annual Open Water Swim race. Another 32 swimmers competed in the 500-meter and one-mile races, many finding that distance was not the real challenge, swimming in the open water was.
"It was pretty tough, not what I was used to," said Paul Pflughoeft, a city resident and former high school swim team sprinter who competed in the 500-meter race. "You can't see in a direct line and have to look up a lot and there are no turns to rest on. Even though the water feels warm after ten minutes it gets pretty cold."
Besides the cold, open water distance swimmers have to deal with waves, weeds, wakes and a sneaking suspicion that they are going the wrong way. Even the winner of the one-mile open water race wondered as he crossed the finish line why no one else was with him.
"I thought I screwed it up, I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing out there," said Travis Hanson, 14, who was surprised to finish first. "Instead of looking at a line you try to find points like boats and buoys to orient on. The first part of the race there were weeds tall enough to scrape your belly and that wasn't too comforting."
The event was sponsored by the Traverse City Masters Swim Club, a club of devoted swimmers, most alumni of high school or college teams, who promote swimming as a lifetime sport.
The club also works to raise awareness of the need for a new swimming pool complex in the area. At this year's race, the club was pleased to promote the New Pool Committee, a group formed last February by area parents, swimmers and recreation professionals.
The committee includes representatives from the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA, Munson Medical Center's Aquatherapy program, the Traverse City Breakers Swim Club and the Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation Department. The committee is at the beginning stages of drawing up plans with an architect and looking for ways to raise the estimated $3 million dollars for the facility.
While the idea for a new pool in the region has reached the preliminary planning stages before, the New Pool Committee is the first time that multiple groups have come together to work for the same goal. Organizers believe that the group effort will make the difference this time.
"Basically, it's a bunch of swimming moms who got together to motivate these guys," said Lynn Schultz of Elmwood Township, vice president of the Breakers and a member of the New Pool Committee. "The Easling pool is 28 years old and right now swimming groups compete constantly for pool time. We'd have a lot more kids swimming if there were another pool."