They're Back... Last Gasp of Summer!

Swimmers numbering in the hundreds will gather once again on the shores of Angle Lake Saturday, September 19th eager to participate in the ‘last’ 1 and 2 mile open water competition swim of the season. 

The 2015 Last Gasp of Summer is an open water swimming event hosted by Blue Wave Aquatics and Valley Aquatics Swim Team and sanctioned by the Pacific Northwest Association of Master Swimmers, Inc for USMS (Sanction No. 362-W002). For those like me who may not be all that familiar with the sport of open water swimming, this all translates to mean that it’s going to be a pretty big darn deal!

Angle Lake has become a favorite location for this event. The course will run nearly the entire length of the east-west leg and will be marked with large buoys. Motor boats, kayaks and lifeguards will be strategically located around the course to monitor race operations and lend assistance if necessary. Nearly 150 Master Swimmers are expected to compete in one of four events, while Youth will have their own separate events to compete in. 

Events

USMS Master Swimming	USA Youth Swimming
§  1 Mile wetsuit	§  500 Meter non-wetsuit [9-12 yrs]
§  1 Mile non-wetsuit	§  1 Mile non-wetsuit
§  2 Mile wetsuit	§  2 Mile non-wetsuit
§  2 Mile non-wetsuit

Day of Race registration is $80 and requires a One Day USMS registration fee of an additional $22. Entry includes one event, swim cap, participation gift and hosted lunch. Maximum number of athletes participating for the Last Gasp of Summer is 300. Visit the Last Gasp of Summer Website for more race event information. Family members are welcome to cheer on their swimmers and enjoy lunch after, donations will be accepted.

Schedule

RACE DAY	Saturday, September 19th
8:30 – 9:30 AM	Pre-race check-in for both races
8:45 AM	Briefing – Officials, Kayaks, Lifeguards
9:30 AM	Mandatory Meeting for ALL swimmers
10:00 AM	Start of 2 Mile Race
10:15 AM	Start of 1 Mile Race
10:45 AM	Start of 500 Meter Race (USA Swimming)
12:00 Noon	Awards, Picnic Lunch

The course will be cleared by noon and the event is expected to conclude no later than 1:00 PM.

Volunteer

As you can imagine, it takes a lot of volunteer effort to pull off an event of this magnitude and the organizers could always use additional help. If interested lending a hand, simply show up no later than 8:30 AM and ask Wendy Neely for assignment otherwise ask for Jennifer Mesler if you’d like to help patrol the course from your kayak. All volunteers will be welcome to join the athletes enjoying a free picnic lunch.

A history page has been added to The Last Gasp of Summer website to capture all the fun facts from previous years!