JULY 2017TABLE OF CONTENTS

President Report 1

Coaches Column 1

WhidbeyIsland Swim 2

Foggy Goggles 4

Martha Lake Swim 5

ECAC Lights 6

Coeur d’Alene 70.3 6

Membership Report 8

BWAQ @ NYC Tri 9

Treasurer’s Report 10

LGOS Race Info 11

LGOS postcard 12

Coaches Columnby Wendy Neely

As open water season is ramping

up, you will want to get the final race

of the season on your calendar now;

Last Gasp of Summer, September

23rd at Angle Lake.

This year, Last Gasp will be epic

and not one to miss. Not only is

BWAQ the host, but Last Gasp is the

home of the USMS National 1 Mile

Swim. We will also have the choice

of wetsuit 1 and or 2 mile events, the

Julie Montiel Fun Mile (yes, fins,

wetsuits and snorkels (no paddles)

and the USA (kids) 500, 1 and 2 Mile

Swims. 2017 Last Gasp is for

everyone: friends, families,

recreation swimmers and everyone

else in between. Every USMS entry

is qualified for the Blue Seventy

drawing for a Blueseventy Reaction

Wetsuit.

http://www.lastgaspofsummer.com/E

ventInformation.aspx#EventList

Not only are we calling all

swimmers to swim, but we are

calling on volunteers. We have lots

of departments that we can use

support. If you can help in any

capacity please email and let me

know at wendy@bluewave-

aquatics.com

Blue Wave Aquatics is a non-

profit organization and can supply

letters for proof volunteerism.

Volunteers Needed Saturday 9/23Continued on page 3

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 1

President’s Letterby Steve Freeborn

Like clockwork, it is now July

and summer sunshine has finally

come to the Northwest. While the

club continues to offer a variety of

pool practices, and long course

nationals for those of you who

wish to maintain that certain level

of competition, the focus has

shifted more toward the open

water season. I for one, really like

this time of year as there is no

better way to experience the

beauty of this area than to swim in

our lakes and the Puget Sound.

There will be organized and

coached open water practices

every Thursday evening, through

July and August, between 7:00

p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at 5 Mile Lake.

These practices are designed to

accommodate all levels of open

water experience. The club has

multiple orange floatation buoys

available, so don't use that as an

excuse not to attend.

Competition wise, on Saturday,

July 15th is the Fat Salmon swim.

This is a 3.2 mile swim in Lake

Washington. The start is under

the I-90 bridge with the finish at

Madison Park, just south of the

520 bridge. If you are considering

taking part in this swim, please be

sure an get your entry in, as this

swim fills up fast (ed. note- online

closes July12th, limited DOR).Continued on page 2

2017

TEAM OFFICERS

President:

Steve Freeborn

Vice President:

Dan Haegele

Secretary:

Kimberly/KC Wood

Treasurer:

Judy Williams

Membership:

NellisKim

Communication:

Angela Turley

KCAC AM Rep:

Michelle Menkens

KCAC Brunch Rep:

Patti Cunningham

KCAC PM Rep:

Scott Matthews

Evergreen Rep:

Kim Boggs

Covington Rep:

Eric Durban

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 2

On Friday, July 21st, at Lake

Meridian in Kent is the swim series

"Friday Night At The Races".

Three race distances are offered:

1/2 mile, 1.2 mile and 2.4 miles. At

the conclusion of the races a BBQ

is offered for all race participants

(part of your entry fee) and $5.00

for anyone you might care to bring

along to cheer you on. This year,

the race will be extra festive!!

Many of you know, and for those of

you who don't, July 21st is Zena's

birthday, as well as mine. We are

planning to celebrate our birthdays

at the Friday Night Swim. For any

of you who would like to share in

this celebration, we welcome you

with open arms. Zena has even

offered to shadow any 1st time

open water swimmers around the

swim course.

And this is only July!! Stay

tuned for other exciting upcoming

events! Don't forget to mark your

calendar for the "Last Gasp" open

water swim races on Saturday,

September 23, 2017 at Angle

Lake. This is a BIG event, as we

are the host club and site for the

2017 Sprint Distance Open Water

Championship. Your attendance at

this event as a swimmer, volunteer,

or both, is critical to the success of

this event and to our club, as this

will be our major fund raiser.

Continue to enjoy your summer

and "just keep swimming".

Steve

President’s Letter, cont’d Whidbey Island Adventure

Swim by Zena Courtney

Four adventurous BWAQers

carpooled up to Whidbey Island early

in the morning on June 17th. See us

above, L-R, Me, John Leet, Steve

Freeborn and Andy Iyall.

The weather was overcast yet

warm for the PNW. The water at

Seawall Park in Langley, WA was a

brisk 51oF so we all wore wetsuits.

The event had 29 swimmers for the

1.2-mile distance and another 25

swimmers for the 2.4 miles. It was a

smooth calm rectangular course that

served both distances, 1.2 miles was

one time around, 2.4 miles requires

swimming twice around. Steve and

Andy both missed one of the corner

turn buoys so being the honest and

accountable swimmers that they are,

they turned around and swan back to

the missed buoy. Andy (52) with a

time of 55:40.5 still finished 4th overall

and Steve (61) with a 57:51.9 came in

6th. John Leet (71) completed the 1.2

with a time of 37:26.6 and won his age

group while I won the 1.2 overall with

a 29:31.4. Next came lunch at the

local restaurant up the hill from finish.

YUM! Join us next year!

Coac

Coaches

Column

Continued

Head Coach

Wendy Neely

Coaches Column, cont’d

Volunteers Wanted Saturday 9/23

Departments of Support

Last Gasp Ambassador:

DURATION: Now until race day.

If you already love swimming Last

Gasp and would like to share your

Last Gasp love with others, this

would be a fun area of support for

you. Help invite friends through

social media, help spread the word

through local communities,

community boards and stores in

your area and social circle sharing

print media.

Hospitality:

DURATION: 6:00am-2:00pm

We can use support the week of

Last Gasp and especially at the

event to set up, serving lunch and

clean up. Hospitality will take many

people and would be a great group

volunteer project.

Parking:

DURATION: 7:30am-9:00am

Help guide swimmers to parking

areas, hand out maps to drivers

Registration:

DURATION: Week before packing

goody bags and/or 7:30am-11am

Swimmer Check In

Lifeguards:

DURATION: 8:00am-swim end.

Must be Certified

Kayak Support:

DURATION: 8:00am- swim end.

Specify if you have your own boat

or need one

Finish Line:

DURATION: 9:30am-finish of races

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 3

Warming Tent:

DURATION: 10 am (Race warm) up to

race finish. Hang out and offer a place

for cold swimmers to get warm. Call

over doctor is needed.

Awards/Raffle:

DURATION: 12-12:30pm. Help

organizer with results and passing out

of awards

Clean Up Crew:

DURATION: 12:30-2:00pm Help pack

up and clean up our part of park

Donations: Do you have the ability to

get donation from a corporation or give

a donation to Blue Wave we can use at

Last Gasp? Please let us know. We

can follow up with a donation request

letter as well as send a thank you letter

with our non-profit id #

2017 Last Gasp is going to be

better than ever and we would love to

have everyone in the Blue Wave

Community participating though

volunteerism and swimming. It takes a

village to make Blue Wave great and I

know when we pull ourselves and

resources together we can make a

memorable and awesome event for all.

See you at the pool,

Wendy

LGOS USMS Open Water Sprint

National Championship

EVENT SCHEDULE

7:30 am Check-in opens

8:30 am Mandatory Meeting

8:45 am Chip check-in & warm-ups

9:00 AM START USMS Open Water

National Championship Event

Coac

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 4

BWAQ Sponsors

BWAQ fundraisingFoggy Goggles?

by Kent GavinWhile I enjoy

a Foggy Goggle

by Northwest

Brewing from

time to time, I hate it when my

swim goggles fog up. And if you

are like me and tend to run a bit

warm, it’s a constant issue. I’ve

had good success using JAWS

Quick Spit Antifog from

SwimOutlet.com, but based on

some comments from others that

use it, I found it works best when I

spray my goggles after

every practice, and simply

give them a quick wipe

before I swim. I think

works better than if you

apply it right before you

swim and minimizes any

possible eye irritation.

What’s your solution for foggy goggles?

Let’s grab a Foggy Goggle and discuss!

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 5

BWAQ at Martha Lake by Zena Courtney

My Blue Wave Aquatics

customized towel made another

appearance at a local open water

swim and won the envy of more

PSM-ites. (he he, all part of our evil

take-over plot…moohaha)

Melanie Crump, pictured left

above, is totally new to the open

water scene. She usually swims in

the evening and Saturdays. She

drove us to Lakewood to try out a

low key open water event that I had

yet to do. Simple format: 2, 1, ½

and ¼ mile events with the 2 mile

first at 8 AM (see photo on right)

and 3 minutes between event

starts. Easy triangular course and

an incredible sunny day!

Melanie and I registered for the

fast with that wetsuit on! Maybe it

was the adrenaline? We got out to

hear the pre-race briefing and then

Melanie started grumbling about how

far the course looked. I kept

reassuring her that it only looked

long. We watched the 2 milers take

off and I we lined up together on the

end. We agreed she would let the

faster folks take off before she

started. All went to plan and she

finished in 38 minutes; a new PR!

Alas I finish 2nd to a young one and

just missed a cool towel 1st place

prize. Lucky Melanie, however, won

a give away from Sylvia Swim shop!

Then it was off to find a yummy local

place for lunch. Event was posted on

BWAQ fb with open invite to join in.

LGOS Regular Open Water Events

9:00 am Check-in and Registration Opens

10:15 am Mandatory Safety Meeting

10:40 am Chip check-in and warm-ups

11:00 am START USA 2 Mile

11:05 am START USMS 2 Mile

11:10 am START USA 1 Mile

11:15 am START USMS 1 Mile

11:20 am START USMS 1 Mile Fun Swim

START USA 500 Meters when the course

has been cleared

1 mile event and then

lazily put on our wetsuits

and waded into the lake

to warm up, sheesh it

was like 71oF. Wish

there was a no wetsuit

division. We swam to

the last buoy before the

finish so Melanie could

get an idea of the finish

leg would look like.

Shock, she was super

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 6

Evergreen Pool Has New Lights. Come see yourself!

Kim Boggs Sighting at

ECAC!

Ironman Coeur d’Alene 70.3

Reflections for Blue Wave Aquatics by Kent Gavin

It started 4:45 am on a Monday

in October 2015. I was tired,

nervous, and cursing myself for

agreeing to take advantage of Blue

Wave’s 7-day trial period at the

encouragement of Blue Wave’s

Jason Brandt. I hadn’t swum laps

since 1989, and even then as a

sprinter I didn’t put a lot of laps in.

Not only had it been twenty-six

years since I swam, it had been

twenty-six years since I did any type

of consistent exercise. That first

practice was hard! I don’t think I

completed more than 25 yards

without rest, but it was a start. A few

months later I found myself again

with Jason Brandt looking at bikes

which started my biking journey. I’d

also started running a bit (mostly

walking at the start). Later that

Spring I set the goal of completing

my first triathlon–the Lake Meridian

Sprint. After completing it I was

hooked. I’d always thought those

that did marathons and such as a bit

crazy, and those like Jason Brandt

that did Ironman triathlons as full-on

certifiable. Well, after recentlyContinued on page 7

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 7

completing my first

half Ironman in

Coeur d’Alene on

June 25th, I guess

you could call me at

least half-crazy.

When I woke up at

3:30 am on Sunday,

June 25th 2017 I was

tired, nervous and

excited. I ate my race

breakfast and started

waking my three kids.

The weekend was

going great so far,

getting to spend time

with the kids at

Silverwood Theme

Park and Coeur d’Alene downtown.

I felt ready for the race. While my

training was less than ideal at times

due to work, the kid’s schedules and

the occasional non-swim, bike, run

activity, I was confident that I could

complete the race within my goal

time. I had my family there for

support, and many others cheering

me on remotely. Coeur d’Alene is

beautiful and other than parking

limitations and lack of shade on the

course, a great place for a triathlon.

Pre-race was uneventful – I lined up

on the beach in the 25-30-minute

group and mentally prepared for the

1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and

13.1-mile run.

I was conservative in the water

to ensure I had energy for the bike

and run which are my weaker

sports, finishing in 31:27.

I felt great on the bike – much better

than I’ve ever felt in training. Maybe it

was all the volunteers cheering us

on, maybe it was adrenaline, maybe

it was the new tires with low rolling

resistance “BlackChili Compound”.

That said, many flew by me on the

bike as expected, but I kept my head

down, kept peddling and kept

drinking as it was heating up towards

the forecast temp of 90+. I finished

the bike in 3:08 at just under 18 miles

an hour which was better than I

expected based on the somewhat

hilly course.

And then the run… I hoped to

stay under two hours, but it was hot

and I’d learned the hard way in a

prior triathlon how important it is to

stay hydrated, protected from the

sun, and as cool as possible. I hit

every aid station for ice, water,

Gatorade and a big thank you to all

the families with hoses and sprinklers

going for all the runners. The run

through town and the finish shoot

was exhilarating. I picked out my

family and ran over for a hi-five.

Seeing them in their Ironman hats,

big smiles and hearing how proud

they were of me made the

accomplishment that much sweeter.

6:00:06 total time. Certainly no

record, but not bad for this 45-year

old who couldn’t run a mile two years

ago. We topped off the day with a

fourth leg of the race – kayaking in

the lake with my kids. Later that day,

my 11-year-old son quoted

something he had seen to me,Continued on page 8

Membership Report –

New Members!

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 8

“The miracle isn't that you finished. The

miracle is that you had the courage to start.”

So true. Thanks to all the Blue

Wave coaches and especially

Jason Brandt for your support on

this journey.

POOL EVENTS:

July 6-8 Senior Seattle Open LCM, Colman Pool, Seattle, WAAug 2-6 USMS LCM Nationals, Minneapolis, MN

Membership by Nellis Kim

Membership Update-May 2017

Happy Spring! In addition to being

the month of Champs and Spring

Nationals, our first group of 2017

Learn-to-Swim class participants

started class on April 1st! Do you

know an adult who has always had a

goal of learning swimming basics?

Each month, we will be offering a

new four-week session of adult

Learn-to-Swim classes. Classes are

limited to just three participants to

ensure that each participant receives

the individualized attention needed

to acquire swimming skills. Please

visit the Blue Wave Aquatics

Lessons page: http://www.bluewave-

aquatics.com/SwimLessons.aspx for

more information!

We also want to extend a warm

welcome to our newest members:

Joanna Bolosan

Allison Dean McEachron

Apinya Saengsililath

Meghan Kroll (returning member)

Katy Snoodyk

Tori Snyder

We look forward to seeing you in

the pool!

Questions about membership?

Please contact Nellis Kim at

Membership@BlueWave-

Aquatics.com.

BWAQ members do NYC Olympic

Distance Triathlon as

part of Team in Training!

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 9

BWAQ Team members, Misty

Fischer and Sean Mabin are

training for the Sunday, July16th

Olympic distance NYC Triathlon in

memory of Jim as part of Team in

Training (TNT). You can make a

donation to The Leukemia &

Lymphoma Society to support

research for cancers like the one

that took their dear friend and co-

worker, James “Jim” David Wells.

Jim worked as a soils driller for

20 years before joining Sean and

Misty at KBA, a local construction

management firm, in 2002. Words

cannot express how much he loved

working at KBA. He considered

them his second family and even

pushed off retiring because it

meant so much for him to be there.

He was always so proud, and his

eyes would light up, every time he

would talk about his projects.

During Jim’s 14 years at KBA, he

worked on many projects including

SR 522 in Kenmore and Wayne

Curve in Bothell, SR 99 Tunnel,

and several Sound Transit projects.

Jim became ill rather quickly in

December from rare and aggressive

form of leukemia. Jim lived an

amazing life full of love, success, and

contentment. Every person you talk

to will have nothing but wonderful

things to say, and a funny memory to

share about Jim. Family and work

were Jim’s two passions in life. He

was an incredible human being that

has left a lasting impression on all of

our lives. There will never be another

person as wonderful, generous, witty,

hardworking, and loving as Jim. He

will be greatly missed by all.

Donations accepted at

http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/ny

ctri17/triforjim

Treasurer’s

Report

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 10

More Swim Defiance Pictures!

The bank account is still healthy as of 31May. Current balance is

$24,209.

Bank Balance 2015-2017

Scholarships:

One active scholarships for a $33/month. One pending Scholarship

request to be approved. $558 of scholarships approved for 2017. $387

has been donated to the Julie Montiel Scholarship Fund.

Accomplishments:

• Preparing for Swim Defiance. Paid for shirts, scarves, bus and Metro

Parks deposit. Will purchase ferry tickets on Friday.

• Submitted PNA Champs Financial Report

• Revised Swim Defiance budget

• Revised Last Gasp of Summer budget

• Worked with Mary Ann, Wendy and Mike on LGOS merchandise

Issues:

• Scholarships for one swimmer need to be renewed.

• Need to finalize merchandise for LGOS

• Need to finalize budget for LGOS

Coac

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 10

Coac

Blue Wave Aquatics

PO Box 24083

Federal Way, WA

98093

bluewave-aquatics.com VOLUME 19 - ISSUE 6 Page 12