Open Water Challenge
Dear Editor: Thank you to all of the wonderful supporters and sponsors of the 2017 Change Your Latitude Open Water Challenge. It was a record-breaking year with 49 swimmers jumping in to swim 10k, 6k, 3k, and 1k swims!
The Baranof Barracuda Swim Club and race organizers would specially like to thank Fisherman’s Quay, Xterra Wetsuits, Sea Mart Quality Foods, Weiland Construction and Sitka Community Hospital for race support: Quality Processing, Murray Pacific, Russell’s and New Wave Swim Buoy for prizes for the courageous finishers.
To Kris and Leif Calvin and families of the F/V Morning Mist for donating salmon and to Ted Gassman for cooking up that salmon, you have outdone yourself again!
Thank you to Sitka Fire Department Dive and Rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team for their support of the swimmers while in the water. Dr. Julian Naylor and the SFD EMS crew who tended to all of us on land. Without those keen eyes out there on the water, and expert help for a cold swimmer or two, this event wouldn’t be wise to do. A special thank you to all of our kayak volunteers including those from the Sitka Fine Arts Camp Historic Restoration Crew. Our swimmers were yet again impressed, remarking that they had never attended an event so well covered and thought out.
And to all of the individual volunteers. Too many to call out individually but a huge thank you to you. Sitka High swimmers, thank you for your time and energy in setting up and breaking down the warming tent and leading the post race barbecue crew!
Also this year we were able to offer the 27 out-of-town swimmers and their friends and family the unique opportunity of several pre-race remote adventure swims. Those swims inspired some of those swimmers to write BBSC additional donations and we are so grateful for that.
A special thank you to Leif and Kris Calvin, Dean Orbison, Erika Knox and Peter Weiland and other local swimmers for inspiring the idea, resources and motivation in offering that to our guests! We look forward to expanding on that in 2018 for the 10th Annual Change Your Latitude - 57° North Open Water Challenge.
Kevin Knox, Race Director,
Change Your Latitude-
57° North Open Water Challenge
