Go Jump in the Lake this New Year's Day!

A polar bear plunge is an event held during the winter where participants enter a body of water despite the low temperature. Sometimes they are held to raise money for a charitable organization, sometimes they are held for no more reason than to celebrate the New Year by doing something out of the ordinary. Jumping into frigid water in the middle of winter qualifies in my book as something ‘out of the ordinary!”

Plunges are now held throughout the United States. Boston is recognized as being among the earliest known US event (1904) whereas annual events in Seattle had begun as early as 1993.  And while the “Plungapalooza”  event in Maryland is considered the largest polar bear plunge in the United States with an estimated 12,000 people participating our event at Angle Lake on New Year’s Day is still relatively new (est. 2009) and quite small in comparison (10 swimmers) but we still hold hope that someday we’ll grow to tens upon tens entering the water! (By our calculation that would make anything more than twenty participants a pretty darn big deal!)
Angle Lake Manor Club Beach
3417 So 194th
Sunday, January 1st, 2012
Gather at 11:30 am – Plunge at 12:00 pm Sharp

Regardless whether you have the ‘courage’ to enter the water or whether you join to cheer on the participants (or gawk and ridicule them) past events have proven to be a great time and a great way to ring in the New Year.  

We are also excited to announce Mike’s Community Cup, a local family owned coffee house as a new commercial partner this year who will be supplying delicious steaming hot coffee and warm cocoa for all who attend.  Mike’s Community Cup located at the triangular juncture of Military Road and 42nd Avenue is well known in SeaTac as a community centered business that not only contributes to the vibrancy of the City by providing outstanding food, beverages and excellent service, but also finds creative ways to provide financial support to many non-profit youth services within our community.  Please help us express appreciation for their support of the Polar Bear Plunge and the many other fine works they perform in our city by visiting them often.

Hints and Safety Tips:
  • Dress Up in costume over your swimsuit to add whimsy
  • Come Early. Parking is limited. Carpool or come by boat.
  • Anyone with heart problems should consult your health care provider before participating. If you don't participate, you’re still welcome to join us and watch.
  • Do Not Drink. Alcohol does not warm you up. It accelerates hypothermia.
  • Do Not Stay In The Water Longer Than 15 Minutes. Body heat is lost 25 times faster in the water than in air.
  • Keep Your Outer Clothing On until swim time and remove any wet clothing before getting back into dry clothes.
  • Have Fun!
Invite your friends to join us via our Facebook Events Page.

    Season's Greeting from the ALSC!

    Two Thousand Eleven was certainly a record year for the Shore Club. A record in the number of total events produced, record increased number of attendees for several of the events, and I’m sure that a  new record was set regarding the weather, too! Every one of the seven outdoor events in 2011 were free from rain and bathed in sunshine!

    A Look Back Recap
    • The Third Annual Polar Bear Plunge got a boost when the Shore Club became an official sponsor of the event.  What had started out as a simple idea by two Manor Club neighbors is poised to become another favorite annual event open to all within the community. View a video recap of the Polar Bear Plunge here.
    • The Angle Lake Fishing Derby, a multi-decades old spring tradition provides a platform for expert anglers to showcase their catch and their prowess. This year included a record overall number of triploid trophy trout pulled from the lake and brought in for recording. Another video featuring the fishing derby can be viewed here.
    • The Fourth of July Celebration on Angle Lake, saw a new champion take the runners trophy, repeat champions returning to first place in the dock decorating competition and a redesigned fireworks show that wowed the crowd with many ‘mini finales’ including an unexpected bonus show! 
    • New this year, the Angle Lake Clean Sweep was an opportunity for members to gather at the western shoreline to give some much needed cleansing around the City owned Hughes property. The turnout was good for a first year event.
    • The Floating Tapas, in addition to the volunteer hosted stations we invited two local restaurants for an opportunity to showcase their cuisine and introduce themselves to the neighborhood.  A new record was set regarding the number of bodies that can fit onto a single pontoon boat and still remaining afloat! 
    • The Horse N Round Classic enjoyed a record number of teams participating for a record purse  for the winning teams. 
    • The Annual Members Only Christmas Party was attended by over a hundred participants who feasted on a delicious catered meal while taking advantage of the opportunity to catch up with their neighbors.
    • And finally, the Christmas Cruise. This third year saw a double fold increase in the number of decorated boats participating in the parade and the inclusion of Santa was an enormous hit with young and old alike.
    2011 ALSC Board Members

    The Board Members of the Angle Lake Shore Club hope you had the opportunity to enjoy one or more of these annual events. As you can see from the list above we are striving for continuous improvement and would appreciate any feedback. Please drop us an email at anglelakes@gmail.com letting us know what you liked, what could be improved, and/or share your favorite memory, etc.  

    As 2011 comes to a close, each of your club board members would like to wish you and your loved ones a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

    A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

    And when it comes to describing the Christmas Cruise on Angle Lake, the photo below is priceless in explaining the amount of fun that was experienced for young and old at this year’s event.
    The ‘Young at Heart’ enjoying their visit with Santa
    Surprisingly the weather was relatively mild for a mid-December evening which may have been a key factor to why we witnessed so many neighbors hosting bonfires on their beaches. However, we’d like to think it was mainly because of the elaborately decorated boats, six of them in all, throwing a bright glow across the waters of the lake, drawing folks away from their TVs and easy chairs like drawing moths to a brightly burning flame.  Or admittedly, perhaps it was because everyone was anxious to get a visit with the Father of Christmas himself, Santa Claus. 

    Whatever reason accounted for encouraging folks to leave the warmth of the indoors and to gathering with their neighbors, family and friends in the dark of night, they had done so and had did it with great fervor, making this a most wonderful closing event of the year for the Angle Lake Shore Club and the community. All told many, many stops were made around the lake with over 40 gift bags distributed by Santa to the visiting youth.
      
    Of course we’d like to thank the captains who had invested many hours and personal expense to decorate their boats.  With special recognition to: Gordon/Joyce Densmore; Bruce/Sandy Goulet; Brice/Pattie Lenz;  Lonnie/Annie Goulet; Jim/Robyn Todd; and our principle organizers Bruce/Kathy Bryant. All you’re efforts were clearly appreciated based on the many compliments and kind comments that viewers expressed.  And to Santa, you really had your game face on this night! We hope you’ll continue to find time in the years to come to bless us with your presence. You are an asset to this community. 

    And finally, thank you to everyone who made the effort come out; build the fires; encourage the crowds to gather on your shore, greet us and invite us onto your docks and beaches to help spread holiday cheer.  You are the reason why we do this and it is you who help to make this so much fun!  Thank you for being an active partner and taking an active role within your community.

    Photos with Santa are available viewing and can be accessed through the right side ‘Additional Links’ menu, under the ‘Shore Club Photo Album’ link.  If you have photos to share, please email them to the blog address at anglelakesc@gmail.com or contact Clyde Hill within the Shore Club phone directory.

    Santa Clause Is Coming To Town!

    Of course we are all very familiar with the annual journey that Ole’ Saint Nick endures every 24th of December on Christmas eve, but did you know that Santa Clause is also scheduled to make a special visit to the Angle Lake Community this coming Friday, December 16th!


    As the elves up north prepare the sleigh and the reindeer continue to rest up for the big trip on Christmas Eve, Santa will make an additional visit to Angle Lake via pontoon boat instead.  He will be parading with a group of other festive boats decked out in holiday lights, broadcasting Christmas music and spreading cheer with all who gather along the lakeshore.  

    When: Friday, December 16th 
    Where: The Waters of Angle Lake
    Begin: 6:00 PM  End: 8:30..ish… or when we get too cold, or tired, or the adult fluids go dry...

    The route planned will depart from the Todd Residence (3910 So. 192nd, Post 78) at around (UPDATE) 6:00 PM travel first to Drew & Debbie Clark's beach straight across on the NW side of the lake.  From there, we'll work our way counter-clockwise around the lake. The trip includes additional scheduled layovers in the Manor Club Neighborhood at the Patton’s dock (4-12), followed with a stop at the Partridge Beach (4-17) and then over to the southwest corner of the lake for a visit at the Condos.
      
    If you are unable to make it to any of these predetermined locations, no need to pout or cry! All you need to do is to bring yourself, the youngins, and a flashlight down to the water’s edge or end of the dock and flag us down as we approach.  We’ll sail in so Santa can have a quick visit with the kids, learn of their Christmas dreams and wishes and capture a digital photo to share via email with the parents.  Depending on how many stops are made along the way, a full lap around the lake could take a couple hours so watch for us, waive, flash your Christmas or porch lights as a sign of welcome for our special guest and his hapless but well intentioned elf helpers. 

    A super huge thank you to Julie Hill who helped bundle the gifts bags for the kids and special recognition to Bruce Bryant; Jim Todd; Lonnie Goulet; Steve Beck and Bruce Goulet for all the effort it took to pull this event together to spread heartwarming cheer to all within our community.  

    We wish a Very Merry Christmas to you and your family!  

    Reports of Mail Theft

    The past few weeks mail theft has become a serious and growing problem for our neighbors in the area between 41st Avenue and 46th Avenue so along Military Road South and along 46th Avenue South to South 188th street. Day after day numerous pieces of mail has been removed from both unsecured and locked mailboxes and end up littering the streets the roads.
      
    Mail theft is more than a nuisance; it is a serious crime, yet it is assumed that many residents don’t report mail theft for such reasons as:

    • they don’t know how
    • they got no feedback/outcome from earlier reports
    • they are not sure what’s missing if anything
    • they are not sure what all is involved; they are not sure it’s worth the trouble.
    Stolen mail is often a thief’s first step into an even worse crime: identity theft, which is the fastest growing crime in the US today, one that takes its victims hundreds of ugly hours researching damages, resolving billing disputes and restoring credit ratings.

    If you are a victim of mail theft, you are urged to first submit a crime notice through the King County Sheriff's Office Online Reporting System and follow that up with a report to the United States Postal Service.  

    For added protection you should also consider performing the following additional actions:
    1. Call your bank and have a “watch” put on your account. All major banks and credit unions will have this capability and most will also have the added protection of adding a supplementary password added that must be given for any access to your account.
    2. Call all your credit card companies and also put a watch on your accounts.  If you’re ultra-paranoid, you can get your credit card company to issue you a brand new account # and card which you should be able to get within 3-5 business days.
    3. Contact the credit reporting agencies to put a “Fraud alert” on your credit file.  Calling each one individually is a pain in the back side, however if you file a fraud alert through Transunion, they will automatically notify and process fraud alerts to Experian and Equifax also.
    And finally, if you witness any suspicious activity of individual(s) loitering around or tampering with mailboxes or if you observe anyone improperly discarding mail along the road – don’t hesitate to call 911!  The few minutes you take to make a report may save a neighbor from years of grief caused from identity theft.