NEKOWSA – 2013 Swims
Hosted by Northeast Kingdom Open Water Swimming Association
Sanctioned by World Open Water Swimming Association
REGISTER AND PAY FOR ONE OR MORE SWIMS
NEKOWSA was established in January, 2010 by 34 open water swimmers from all over the nation having a shared purpose to organize and promote swimming in the legendary lakes of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. In 2012 NEKOWSA hosted seven swims, with over 375 swimmers signing on. Swimmers are now joined us from 36 different states and three Canadian provinces. They have travelled from as far away as Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Great Britain and Mumbai, India. With the five year commitment to host the WOWSA World 10 Mile Open Water Championships as part of Kingdom Swim we have thrown open the doors and invited the world wide open water swimming community to join us in the celebration.
All of our NEKOWSA events have been sanctioned by the World Open Water Swimming Association. They are challenging, totally fun, awesome venues, well supported and safety conscious swims for young and old alike. We are pleased to announce our expanded schedule of swims for 2013. In addition to Kingdom Swim, Seymour Swim, Willoughby Swim and In Search of Memphre, we are very excited to be adding a number of other lakes to next year’s roster, plus an extraordinary 7 days of open water swimming over the course of 9 days from August 10th through August 18th.
The Daily News of Open Water Swimming has selected Lake Memphremagog and Lake Willoughby as two of the 50 great open water swimming venues in all of the Americas. In doing so it noted, “[T]he clarity and tranquility of the lakes [of the Northeast Kingdom] rival any in North America…. [They are] geological aquatic marvels.” Hope you’ll join us to Swim the Kingdom in 2013.
REGISTER AND PAY FOR ONE OR MORE SWIMS Here’s our Summer Roster of Swims:
June 15th: Son of a Swim -- 2, 4, and 6 mile swims in Lake Memphremagog. (Qualifier for Kingdom Swim)(Cap 10)
July 6th: Kingdom Swim – 10 mile, 6 mile, 3 mile, 1 mile swims for adults and youth, plus ¼ mile and 100 yard swims for youth. Kingdom Swim has been selected to host the WOWSA World 10 Mile Open Water Championship in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. There will be two 10 mile waves this year. The Championship Wave and the non championship wave (youth, wetsuits, and those not competing for the championship.) The swim is held in conjunction with Aquafest, including the internationally renowned Frontier Animal Society’s Pet and Swimmers Costume Parade on Friday evening before the swim. (Caps: 100 per 10 mile wave; 100 per 6, 3, and 1 mile course; 50 for each of the youth short courses.)
August 3rd: Seymour Swim – 3.5 mile and 1.75 mile swims. You can do this as stand-alone swim or as part of Kingdom Triathlon. (Cap for the stand alone swim is 50)
SWIM THE KINGDOM
August 10 through August 18 – Seven Swims in Nine Days
August 10th: Crystal Swim – 4 mile swim under the cliffs and around the shores. (Cap 50)
August 11th: Island Pond Swim – 3 mile swim from Brighton State Park Beach around The Island. (Cap 25)
August 13th: Seymour Swim – 3.5 mile double loop. (Cap 25)
August 14th: Massawippi – 4 miles - starting and ending at Ayres Cliff, QC – Bring your passports. (Cap 25)
August 15th: Memphremagog —4 miles – In Derby, around Black, Belle, and Cove Islands. (Cap 25)
August 17th: Willoughby Swim – 5 miles a truly majestic swim. (Cap 75)
August 18th: Caspian Swim – 3 miles to Bathtub Rock and back or 1.5 miles to The Rock (Cap 25)
THE MONSTER SWIM
September 7th: In Search of Memphre - 25 Mile International Swim on Lake Memphremagog (Cap 10)
Unless otherwise noted each 2013 swim requires payment of a $150 registration fee. Kayak rentals are available for $75, delivered to the beach the morning of the swim, with paddle, two PFDs, and a whistle. Yacker + kayak package is $225. This year we are offering a “Season Pass” for a $600 fee. THE PASS entitles you to swim in any and all of the regular lake swims (including the 9-day Swim the Kingdom) and special STATUS and RECOGNITION at all NEKOSWA functions. Special pricing applies to In Search of Memphre ($1500 fee). We also offer any three days for the price of two or $300. Youth fees are $25 for those 10 and under and $50 per swim for those 18 and under with no minimum donation expected. Registration for all events is now open. The caps for each event will be strictly enforced.