Thanks so much!!

I am hoping to be there tonight.

Philly Women's will be my first Tri and while I can do the swim distance in the pool, I am very nervous about the OW swim.

Also - I am still trying to figure out what to wear for the race and whether I should try to rent a wetsuit....

thoughts?

Weather looks good...we'll be there!

Hope to see you all!

Anyone know where I can get info on renting a wetsuit?
Do you think they will be needed as we have not had much sun to warm the water.....

You won't need one for the open water swim. If you're looking for one for racing I'd try wetsuitrental.com (I think that's the name).

OK...forget the open water swim details for a second and let's delve into your last sentence (the part about drowning). You CAN swim, can't you???? Because if you can't swim you should be going tot a pool...not open water.

If you can swim but aren't used to open water I'd suggest swimming along the lane line, or, to and from the diving dock (about 20 yards) until you get your confidence. But, if drowning is even a remote possibility in your mind you shouldn't go in.

Thank you!
I was indeed thinking about the race day for the wetsuit rental...


See you in a few hours.

Last night was a GREAT EXPERIENCE!
Thanks so much.

I was able to do 2 loops around the buoy and feel much more confident in my ability to complete the OW swim for the Philly Women's tri.

You all are GREAT!

Keep us posted on whether there will be a swim next week with the holiday weekend and all...
I'll be there if there is one.

-Pam

any idea what the water temp is??  thanks 

Will you be having the OWS this week? 

Due to the 4th of July this weekend (which is a huge deal here in Wenonah) there will be NO open water swim this week. The lake expects a large crowd Thursday night and doesn't want to inconvenience the paying lake members.

There will also be no swim next week due to us setting up for the Go Diva Triathlon (Philadelphia Women's Triathlon).

That stinks, but thanks for arranging the ones you do...

And thanks for the advanced notice

how does one arrange to have a lake to swim at?  CAn someone else arrange this or does one need to be a USAT coah or something.  It seems that the Lake wenonah ows has issues.  I might be able to get use of a lake at a local camp or at a private lake in medford.  I am just not sure of the process and who needs to be there or not?  DOes it need to be USAT certified?  or can we just hire a life gaurd?

I'd be glad to look into it.

There are no rules for such a thing.  THe redrows belong to the lake which is a private club membership, and based upon their reputation as responsible event organizers apparently, and probably their good standing in the Wenonah Lake community, they were able to arrange this and they volunteer to make it happen.  They structure the donation collection in a way that enables them to provide a small stipend to the lake and guards.  But it is mostly out of the goodness of their hearts that this happens.

It really has nothing to do with USAT except that as USAT sanctioned directors, they are able to get the insurance coverage they need through USAT, apparently.

If you belong to a private lake, you can approach them with similar proposal.  It would be a big undertaking and it would be largely up to what you are able to negotiate with the lake club directorship.

Public lakes unfortunately seem to have anti-swimming policies except some that have roped off areas of shallow water that does not meet the needs of distance swim practicing.

You can sneak into bodies of water at your own risk of peril and possible sanction, some people do that.  If you do, you should have some companions and watch out for each other.

I am not sure of what the issues are at Wenonah and I regret that I have been unable to get there this year but the two times I went last year, it was just fantastic.  I had a lot of trouble swimming the first time but those were my beginner issues, not the lake issues.  I think we are fortunate that the Redrows take this upon themselves and I hope that I can again make good use of this resource in the future.

I live in the West Chester/Exton PA area and was wondering if anyone nearby wanted to venture out together for the next OWS. 

Also, I am signed up for the OWS clinic 7/18 at Stone Harbor NJ (quite a distance away) and am also looking for a travel buddy for that trip too!
http://www.piranha-sports.com/Page62.aspx

Thanks!

Oh, and one more q - I learned recently about "speed suits" and how they are like a wetsuit but always legal and cheaper too!  I was wondering what you guys thought of them and if they are a worthwhile investment (at about $250).

Edited by lw364378 2009-07-02 11:13 AM

I don't fully agree with the "issue" part of your comment. The town has been absolutely great about allowing us to do this. I think the more you look around you'll be surprised at how many towns don't embrace this. We've cancelled because of weather, which is pretty unaviodable...because of our race schedule...and, in this case, because the lake association has a commitment to their members.

The lake is a membership organization and I don't think they are being unfair to mandate that on certain weeks when they expect to be busy that they ask us not to host a swim. We had over 150 swimmers last week...that means that lake visitors (members) probably can't park at the lake, their kids can't access the entire lake, they don't have access to the picnic tables and pavillion...because those things are affected by NON-members. So if you take nothing else from this post, take this...the lake association and the town have done us a HUGE favor by allowing this.

What you need to do to hold your own is to find a location that permits you to use it. You will need sufficient insurance coverage. The coverage can be obtained through USAT...by sanctioning it as a clinic you will have their coverage. The sanctioning process will pretty much spell out what requirements you need to meet as far as lifeguards, USAT membership, etc...

I think it would be great to have other OWS opportunities. I know that Jersey Shore Tri Club does them, the people who put on Hightstown Tri are planning them and I'm sure there are others. Should you find a location and put one together we'd be glad to help put the word out.

We don't consider the OWS to be a formal "event" even though they have grown in size to the size of a small event. We started them to fill what we saw as a void in triathlon training opportunity, to have the chance to get to know some of the athletes who compete in our races and because it's fun. Hopefully you'll have the same, great experience with your swims. Good luck and let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.

Larry

I was wondering if anyone had any words of transition area advice for a 1st time triathlete.

I'm not really looking for tips on how to get out of transition in under 10 seconds , but rather the tips/tricks you have picked up along the way, that make your transition area yours and easy to work with.

If there is a better place for this question, let me know.

-Pam

7/23 is the Thursday prior to the NJ State races. No swim. Larry & Michelle will be spending their time prepping & coordinating the races. Not sure about the other dates.

7/16, 7/30, and 8/06 should be okay weather permitting. 

I recently spoke to John Kenny, a local professional triathlete and rediculously good swimmer, and he said he might put on a swim clinic this Friday or Sunday at Kelly Pool in Philadelphia if there was enough interest. I have taken several swim clinics from him and have dropped 4.5 minutes off of my Olympic swim. The price is usually around $40 or $50 for a 90 minute session. If anyone is interested let me know ASAP and we'll see if we can get it set up.

The forecast does not look too good

Isolated thunderstorms in the PM

http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/ski/local/USNJ0547?from=hrly_topnav_ski

Check in today 7/16 - for a weather update alert. We will decide at that time if tonight is on or off...what's with the rain every thurs????

Check in today 7/16 - for a weather update alert. We will decide at that time if tonight is on or off...what's with the rain every thurs????