With fluorescent-colored heads bobbing, arms and legs slicing through the water, 81 swimmers swam for distance in West Grand Traverse Bay course during the Traverse Bay Open Water Swim.
Hosted by the Traverse City Swim Club, the event drew swimmers of all ages to Bryant Park Saturday morning to brave the elements (cold water, cold air) and stroke to the finish line. Course distances ranged from two miles for adult masters and youth ages 15-18, 1&1/2 miles for swimmers ages 13-14 and one mile for adult masters and swimmers 15-18 and 11-12. The final event was for swimmers ages 10 and under, who completed a half-mile course.
Race organizers staggered the start times of each color-coded event to smooth out logistics. Also easing the way for racers, USA Swim official Scott Appleyard of Kalamazoo pointed out the course, buoys and markers for each event before it started. A flotilla of volunteers in kayaks, jet skis, a sailboard, paddle boats and a dinghy kept a close eye on the swimmers throughout the triangle-shaped course.
"With open water, it's not like a regular swim meet where we officiate strokes and infractions,” said Appleyard, who travels the state to work meets both instate to work meets both indoors and out. "Everybody here is swimming freestyle and it's all about safety, safety, safety.”
"The same number that goes out is the same number that comes in,” he added.
Andrew Hines, 15, and his family drove up from Fremont so he could compete in his first open water swim. Entering the one-mile event, the member of the Fremont High School swim team found it harder than any indoor competition.
"You can't see where you are going and it's a lot colder,” said Hines, who normally swims the individual medley and butterfly. "I was concentrating on finishing, that was my main goal; I was trying to pace myself so I finished.”
The race drew competitors from a number of swim clubs in addition to Fremont: Ann Arbor, Oakland County and Rockford. These out-of-area swimmers helped boost number of participants by more than a third over last year's race, a trend that pleases organizers.
"I think it's because [there was] a little bit more PR and I did a lot of e-mailing other coaches and other clubs,” said Susan Cover, meet director of the Traverse Bay Open Water Swim. "We're putting the event on the map.”
Chad Bissonette of Traverse City signed up for the race to help his triathlon times. He swam the 1-mile masters event in 34:11, a four- or five-minute improvement over his time last year.
"I've been working on my swimming over the winter, working on my technique to get a little bit more aerodynamic,” he noted. "The biggest part is just to focus on your stroke and stay efficient, you get sloppy when you get tired.”
Jane Hinsenkamp, 14, of Traverse City has a few tricks to help her stay focused during long swims, which tax a swimmer both mentally and physically.
"Usually, I sing a song in my head or else I count strokes,” said the member of the Traverse City Breakers competing in her first open-water event. "The hardest part was probably the last half-mile because you knew you were almost done but it hurt really bad.”
Hanna Hunstad of Rochester was the first-place finisher in her 11-12 age category, finishing the one mile in just over 25 minutes. The spark of inspiration that upped her speed: a dead fish.
"There was a dead fish at the bottom and I was all alone and it motivated me,” she said, shivering at the memory (or with the cold as she recovered from the race.) "There was a boy ahead of me but he missed the buoy.”