What’s in the BOX?! Not our 3 new kayaks! LOTW: Lynn!

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Okay, I’ll gloss over the swim last week… and hope you have as bad of memory as I do!  But just for the books, we did get 64 LOSTies swimming in a chilly 52F/12C Lake!  That number of LOSTies doesn’t include the 20+ LOSTies who are just getting a little tired of our cold water training, and are ready for some distance training instead.

Don’t sweat it… I’ve pulled a few strings and I GUARANTEE it will be warm this Saturday!

I’m writing this on Wednesday, and the predictive map we use doesn’t go out that far, but I just know this Lake after 14 years of it.  You’d be surprised how predictable these rollovers actually are… and the ensuing warm water!  Trust me… it’ll be warm this weekend.

The funny thing is, after a long cold winter, we always get a ton of excited LOSTies out in June… only to find out that the water is still cold.  But LOSTies are tough and they keep coming out.  But the Lake keeps it cold until it gets full capitulation from everyone.  She likes to let everyone know who’s boss.  But then, once everyone has ALMOST given up (ie this week), she gives in and gives us some warm water.  And that’s where we are.  See you on Saturday!

In more fun news… guess what’s in the box?!  (and no, it’s not a heater!)  I’ll give you a hint, it going to be really cool and not like anything else we have ever done/had at LOST before!  Check out the Facebook page for more clues!

And speaking of new stuff… a huge thanks to Sport Oakville!  They gave us a $1500 grant… and it took me about 10 minutes to spend it! haha.  I got a great deal on 3 brand new kayaks for LOST!

We now have 5 kayaks and 1 SUP that we will use for the LOST Race and LOST Mile on Aug 17, as well as many more that volunteers bring with them, and other watercraft as well.

The other thing is… now that we have several kayaks, you are welcome to bring a friend, spouse, teenager or take a break from swimming yourself and be a spotter in a kayak or SUP during our Saturday swims.  Because we have so many now, you don’t even need to reserve one, just show up with your buddy and we’ll get you all fixed up!

I especially like to get people who, for some weird reason, don’t love open water swimming, out on the water and involved with LOST!  We try to be as inclusive as possible at LOST… so we’ll stick’em in a kayak!

 

LOSTie of the Week: Lynn

Ester Williams?!?!… oh no, sorry, that’s Lynne…
Pretty sure that’s Lynn!

Lynn is that amazing swimmer that stands there on the shore line smiling in admiration before and after her swim at all the people pushing their boundaries at the Lost Beach.   She may throw you a “You’re nuts!!!” if the water is cold.   But her energy is all in.  She swims like a modest rock star.  Yes they do exist.  I have a had the privilege of getting to know Lynn over the past couple years and what I see is this kind woman that offers encouragement to all swimmers that are putting their toe into the open water.  She loves watching people push their comfort zone.   Well probably because she is one of those that also pushes her own comfort zone.  Lynn defines herself as a swimmer … doesn’t matter if its the pool, lake or ocean .. she’s there and ready to go.   Unless of course its super cold.  And because of that cold water acclimatization is something Lynn would like to work on in the future.

Lynn, Art, Bud and Rob… just happy to be done!
It took Bud forever to get all the zinc off!

Lynn has been a LOSTIE for about 10 years.   She also has sits on the board and is a volunteer at the LOST race .. and still finds the time to jump in and race it.   She’s has won the ladies wetsuit title five times.

North Shore Challenge with: Bud, Greg, Michael, Anna, Lynn, Rob, Annaleise, Bob & Loren! The “Aquatic Avengers!”
Her goals for 2019/2020 range from the local LOST race which is in just a few short weeks, to the North Shore Challenge in 2020.   As she says long term .. to keep training year over year so I can swim till I am 100.  I smiled when I read that because I can totally see that.

She loves open water swimming for a combination of reasons.   Each time the experience is different, the thrill of swimming the “deep” and of course the people.   I have to second that .. the people are pretty rocking.

Lynn and Stacey
Lynn and Stacey… LOST buddies!
Sharks and Barracudas.   These are things that scare her.   Well we haven’t seen those that the LOST beach so she is safe from those.   El Cruce on the other hand … we cant guarantee no barracuda after all that is the theme song for the Canadians that have gone.
Advice for newbies:   “Just keep swimming, if its scary, that’s your reason to just do it!”
Some past races/swims Lynn has completed.  Crewed and was a pacer for a couple of Lake Ontario Crossings.   12.5 km under Confederation Bridge to raise money for Juvenile Diabetes, 25 K around the Key West (1st for women’s master division)  She has won age group 10k Cancun 2 years in a row.
Stop by the Bean There Café after a LOST Swim and you will find her there swapping goals, ideas, and war stories.
Cheers,
Rob & Kat