After 14 years of hosting LOST Swimming, you’d be hard pressed to surprise me with a new question. So let me get ahead of it this year and answer 12 common questions that come up for the beginning of the season! And despite what people say… yes, there are dumb questions:
1)Is the water going to be cold? Yes. Suck it up, cupcake.
2) How cold? I don’t know. But we have 7 different websites that try to predict the water temperature (check the “weather” tab above). They all definitely can’t be trusted. They are right maybe 80% of the time, some are more accurate than others, for our location. Hell, even I can’t be trusted to tell you the correct water temperature… best way to tell the water temp? Go jump in the lake. (although I stuck my hand in last night… and it felt much better than I expected… maybe 60F/15C…?)
3) What’s it going to be like this year, with all the flooding? No real difference for us. The shore is a bit higher, but no big deal for swimmers. The boaters might have issues, but we don’t. Actually, the one side benefit might be that the water is warmer, the rainwater is warmer than lake water. Or that’s my theory anyway.
Do I need a wetsuit? No. About 25% of LOSTies go “naked”, more as the summer warms up… mind you, we’re pretty freakin’ tough… so you might want to get a wetsuit for early in the season. A wetsuit will definitely keep you a lot warmer, but it’s up to you. Xterra Wetsuits has good deals… scroll down a few posts and check it out. I just bought a new sleeveless one for about $180 CAD, all in. Got it in about a week. Yes, I’m a wimp sometimes too.
I’m a: “slow swimmer/new open water swimmer/new triathlete” and am not sure if I’m fast enough to join LOST? Don’t sweat it. We are set up to include everyone and welcome all abilities. You need to be able to swim 500m comfortably, speed isn’t an issue. As for the open water and cold water issues… don’t sweat that either, that’s what we’re here for. We can show you how to do it comfortably. You’ll be swimming with Olympians, big-time marathon swimmers, Ironman triathletes… and a whole lot of swimmers who are none of the above. Mostly just lots of friendly LOSTies to learn from and have fun doing it.
Can I come and just try it out? Or, I might not be able to make all the swims, can I just pay as I go? No. Because of our insurance, everyone must be registered. And it really isn’t wise to swim in a group without insurance (or spotters, or in a safe location like where we swim), somebody’s butt is on the line… but I’m not your mom, it’s up to you. Also, it is only $45 for the whole summer… the same price it has been since we formed the club. We are a not-for-profit and 100% volunteer club, no one (myself included) has ever made a dime from LOST. That 45 bucks is just the minimum to keep the club going, so cough up the 45 bucks… and chip in and help too! Just open your mouth and ask someone who looks like they know what they are doing “hey, can I help with anything?”
What about International Swimmers? We love having international swimmers join us! So we have a “1 Day, Int’l Swimmer Guest Pass” for $10. But just for them. We typically get 2-3 international swimmers that join us each week. I’ve already had emails from swimmers from Ireland, Scotland and California for this year! Very cool that people actually know LOST all over the world and look us up when they come to town!
My “friend/spouse/daughter/son/great Aunt Bertha” isn’t much of a swimmer but would like to be involved, could they come and be a spotter in a kayak or SUP? Hell ya. We love kayakers and SUPs. We have a few of our own that people are welcome to use, or you can bring your own. It’s pretty easy and just a nice way to start the day.
When is the LOST Race this year? August 17. Check the tab “LOST Race” for all the details and previous winners. PS. we’ve got some really cool swag this year! More to come!
What exactly do I do to join LOST? Just register… and show up. I always give the “talk on rock” before the swim and explain how it works and what the open water gods have dealt us on that day!
Where do we go for coffee after to warm up and have a few laughs after the swim? Bean There Cafe… northwest corner of Reynolds and Lakeshore. Up to Lakeshore and 5 blocks east.
Where should I park? Street parking and in the parking lot by the museum. Note: for some weird reason they changed the parking spots at the bottom of Navy St to 15 minutes?!
That’s all for now… get ready, baby! We’ll be in there soon!
Cheers,
Rob