A handful of dedicated swimmers are getting to know Trout Lake.
The swimmers are part of a two-week long swim marathon called “Tour de Trout” where swimmers endure more than 25 kilometres of swimming around Trout Lake with the event finishing off near a dock off peninsula road on July 21st.
“We are swimming about 2.5 to 2.8 kilometres per swim, and with the group we are probably averaging 45 to 60 minutes swim,” said Johanne Brousseau, one of the organizers and swimming participants.
“We are escorted by kayakers that are trying to keep us visible to the boaters, and safer, but it is fun.”
Brousseau, who teaches adult swim courses at the YMCA, says the swim marathon is actually a fundraiser for the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign.
“Each participant pays $10 for a swim or to a maximum of $50, and now we are online asking anyone who would like to donate or support our cause and I’m challenging everybody that I have ever given a lesson to go online and make a donation,” said Brousseau, who is organizing the swim along with her sister Chantal and Mike Burke.
Brousseau hopes the swim will create exposure for the sport. She recalls learning to swim at the Centennial Pool about 50 years ago. Because of that, she believes it’s important to give back.
“It’s not always about take, take, take,” she said.
“You take as a child and as a teenager, and you don’t recognize all the work behind the scene of a sport that you do but later on in life you start to recognize you need to step up to the plate and now it’s your turn to do that effort and volunteer so that other people can enjoy it as you did when you were younger.”
To donate click here: http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=713048&langPref=en-CA&Referrer=%26Referrer%3dhttp%253a%252f%252fmy.e2rm.com%252fPersonalPage.aspx%253fregistrationID%253d3201610%2526langPref%253den-CA
