Over 150 Compete in Swim Festival

A perfect late summer morning for a 2-mile swim on the lake.
Swimmers from all over the country came to compete in the 2012 Lake Hopatcong Open Water Swim Festival on Sunday September 9. This year’s festival was hosted by Flash Marina and sanctioned by the New Jersey Local Masters Swim Committee.
Esther Poulsen, volunteer coordinator: ”This year we’re the USMS national 2 mile open water swim championship, as well as the open water swim championship; we have a 2 mile open, with a 1 mile open, and 1 mile USMS and we also have a quarter-mile Tom Wear Memorial Swim, which is a fun swim for locals. We’re very excited about it. It’s a wonderful opportunity to show off beautiful Lake Hopatcong."

Drew Coxson, 10, of Chatham gets her racer number.
Proceeds from the event raised funds the Southern Tier Police Canine Association, the 11^th Hour Rescue and the Jefferson Township Municipal Pound.
Poulsen: “We’re hoping  that the funds donated to the Southern Tier Police Canine Association will help replace the [the Hopatcong Police Department’s] dog that just recently passed away"

Officer Damon Bee of the Washington Township Police department said about his dog Arak: “The funds that were raised at last year’s swim went to purchase Arak for us,  a German shepherd that came from Slovakia.”

Volunteers, kayakers, sponsors, the NJ State Police, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 67, the Jefferson Township Fire Department #2, and charities worked together to make the 2012 Open Water Swim festival a safe and fun event.

The race got underway at about 9 am. The 1 mile course, marked with huge orange inflatable buoys, started in Woodport at the Flash Marina docks. Swimmers rounded the first half mile buoy just north of Liffy Island and headed back another half mile towards the dock.

Christopher Labianco, 41 of Mooresville, North Carolina  was the overall 2 mile USMS winner and also the M40-44 age group winner with a time of 43:32.47.

Susan Kirk, president of Masters Swimming and US Masters Swimming liaison with Annie Ferguson, the fastest woman in the 2 mile USMS with a time of 44:51.10.

Susan Kirk with 53 year old Ed Tsuzuki of Neshanic Station, NJ, was first in the 1 mile USMS with a time of 28:11.51, beating all of the younger swimmers (from ages 20 to 40) in the event.
 For the USMS times click here.