First Northern California and Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Associations Formed
Marathon swims in Lake Tahoe and the San Francisco Bay now have an official governing body.
July 2, 2018 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA -The Northern California Open Water Swimming Association has been established as the sole governing body sanctioning marathon swims in Northern California, including Lake Tahoe which will operate under the Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association.
The non-profit organization is led by a board of 9 established and notable members of the open water swimming community. Since incorporating in March 2018, members have worked to ensure the 2018 marathon swimming season has the rules, defined courses, insurance, policies, procedures, professionalism, and governance that open water swimmers have long desired be implemented for marathon swims in the San Francisco Bay and Lake Tahoe. To date, both venues have been lacking an official, dedicated non-profit organization defining, ratifying, and certifying open water swims.
As a California Public Benefits Corporation and 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization, the unbiased and transparent entity includes member-driven committees for all aspects of marathon swimming in the region, including but not limited to Rules & Regulations, Courses, Safety, Applications, Observers, Swim Ratifications, and Appeals.
The San Francisco Bay, a long-time open water swimming destination and marathon swimming training locale, will have three official marathon swim courses; ‘Round-Trip Angel Island’ a 10-mile, technically challenging swim accomplished by only 12 persons to date. The latest success was Shubham Vanmali from Mumbai, India. Vanmali was the first to swim under the new Northern California Open Water Swimming Association completing his swim on May 24, 2018.
Lake Tahoe, a growing destination for marathon swims, will also have 3 recognized courses, the ‘Length’ (21.3 miles), the ‘True Width’ (12 miles) and the ‘Vikingsholm’ (10.5 miles). “Completing the three swims will earn swimmers the ‘Lake Tahoe Triple Crown’ by the Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association,” stated Patrick O’Malley Daly, Chair of the Course Committee.
The board of directors includes Patrick O’Malley Daly, Suzie Dods, Suzanne Heim-Bowen, Sylvia Lacock, Ranie Pearce, Bryan Temmermand, Michael Tschantz-Hahn, and Steve Walker. Collectively, this group has completed numerous marathon and channels swims including 7 solo English Channel crossings, 5 Manhattan Island circumnavigations, 5 Catalina Channel crossings, 2 Strait of Gibraltar, Cook Strait, Lake Tahoe Length and True Width swims. Two board members, Suzie Dods, and Ranie Pearce have achieved the notable ‘Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.’