Tag: fundraise

6 Colin’s Hope Swimmer Necessities

by Richelle Criswell, posted in Uncategorized

The Colin’s Hope Got2Swim Lake Austin 10K is this Thursday, September 3rd. Many swimmers have been putting in hours of open water swim training to prepare for the swim and shed light on drowning prevention.

Barrett will be swimming the 10K solo and I will be his swim guardian. We have a new addition to our swim team this year–NeeMoo! We picked him up in Boulder, CO while at Sweet Cow Ice Cream. It can get a little lonely on the water, so NeeMoo will keep me company on this year’s swim.IMG_3581

The swim is also a fundraiser for Colin’s Hope. Donations to Colin’s Hope will help raise water safety awareness and fund programs to aid in preventing children from drowning. Our fundraising goal is $1500 and we are almost there!  Donate Now!
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6 Colin’s Hope Swimmer Necessities:

  1. Swim Guardian. I’ll be Barrett’s Swim Guardian this year–keeping him safe in the open water and providing food/hydration along the way.
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  2. Team Mascot. Meet NeeMoo! He’s the cute little blue cow on the right. In addition to added company on the kayak, he’s also an additional flotation device!
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  3. SaferSwimmer. Every swimmer must wear a SaferSwimmer which is also referred to as the “orange float-y thing-y.” They help the swimmers to be more visible on the water and provide flotation for the swimmer if needed.
    SaferSwimmer Floatation Device for open water swimming
  4. Fearless Leader. Meet Alissa Magrum, the Executive Director of Colin’s Hope. She’s is Colin’s Hope all the time and has enough energy to power everyone during their swim!
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  5. Swimming Friends. Training for a 10K (6.2mile) swim can become tedious and sometimes even boring without the help of others to keep you company and swim alongside. Thanks to Colin’s Hope for organizing open water swims and providing swim support!
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  6. Most Importantly–A Swimmer!! Barrett (aka: My little fishy) One stroke at a time, and lots of banter between strokes– Barrett will keep me and NeeMoo (and anyone within earshot) company while he swims.
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Another year . . . another Colin’s Hope Swim!!!

by Richelle Criswell, posted in Do Something
Colin
Colin Hoist

The Colin’s Hope Got2Swim 10K will be held on the morning of Thursday, September 3rd. Swimmers will start their 10K (6.2 mile) swim from the Lake Hills Community Beach and swim towards the Pennybacker (360) bridge. Why would anyone want to swim 10K in any body of water? The only reason that matters is two words Colin Hoist.

At the age of 4, Colin, who had just successfully completed swim lessons, drowned in a shallow pool while playing with friends. In spite of the watchful eyes of family members an lifeguards, Colin slipped beneath the water surface and later was pulled from the shallow water–unconscious and not breathing. Colin’s family created Colin’s Hope to raise water safety awareness to prevent children from drowning.

Barrett and I raised money for the organization last year by participating in the swim. Yes, we raised $1500+ last year, but we also got to know Colin’s dad, Jeff, the executive director, Alissa Magrum, and the rest of the team that works tirelessly to shed light on swim safety and drowning prevention. What started out as “doing a fun event that has a good cause” has turned into a  personal interest to help prevent others from drowning.

11836880_10102185773160115_1222046885084566508_nLauryn and Tabitha IMG_3475Dylan

Lauryn, Tabitha and Dylan are personal enough reasons for us to continue swimming and raising money for Colin’s Hope to successfully continue its mission. We love our nieces and nephew (and countless other cousins) and want to make sure their parents (and others’ parents) know how to prevent drowning.

We are botimagesh training for this year’s swim. Barrett will be swimming and I will be his swim guardian. Each swimmer is required to have a swim guardian (a person in either in a kayak, canoe or on a SUP) and wear a SaferSwimmer while participating. We are both excited and looking forward to this year’s swim. Your support, whether financial or monetary, are genuinely appreciated!

Donations are accepted here and words of encouragement can be added to this post in the comments section.

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Fat Salmon

by Richelle Criswell, posted in Do Something

fatsalmon_logo_250x133There are 35 days until the Colin’s Hope Got2Swim 11K. Barrett’s training has been consistent with swims weekly in Lake Austin, with T3, and at Pure Austin Quarry Lake. Barrett’s longest practice swim to date was a 4 mile swim in Pure Austin Quarry Lake during a Colin’s Hope training swim at the beginning of July. This past weekend, Barrett participated in the Fat Salmon swim in Seattle’s Lake Washington for the second year. The Fat Salmon Open Water Swim is a 3.2 mile swim that is limited to 350 swimmers.

Fat Salmon Start_kayaksFat Salmon proved to be a great practice swim for Barrett. The overcast and breezy morning provided a swim course with choppy water. The locals were even caught off-guard by the morning’s water conditions. The waters seemed to calm down as the race started. The swimmers enjoyed smooth waters for about a mile and a half. The last mile and half or so the waters felt more like a washing machine than a lake swim.

Despite the bumpy second hal2014FatSamonFinishf of the swim, Barrett finished the swim in 1 hour and 25 minutes, which was 6 minutes faster than last year’s swim. This race was a good benchmark for us to see where he was in his training. Considering Barrett did the swim in a wetsuit last year (which can help swimmers swim more efficient and faster), he opted not to swim in one this year and still finished faster, I would say we are right on track for the August 28th Colin’s Hope Got2Swim 11K.

With just over a month until the swim, Barrett has a couple more long swims on his training schedule. Since he will most likely be in the water for 3+ hours, we’ll be working on details such as nutrition, sun protection, and keeping Barrett entertained. I am fully prepared to use my paddle as a prod to keep him swimming forward. We are definitely enjoying the time together during the training swims! Barrett keeps saying, “11k! 6.8 miles! That’s a long way!” I always respond, “You’ll be find, just keep training.”

Thank you to all those who have donated to Colin’s Hope Charity. Barrett has reached the halfway point of his $1000 fundraising goal. Please visit Barrett’s fundraising page if you would like to participate.

 

Fat Salmon Pre-Start