Thanks to all those who took the time to help out in the 9th Annual Bushtukah Bring On The Bay Swim on July 11th in support of Easter Seals Ontario. You helped make this year our largest and most successful yet!
The tally – $56,500 for Easter Seals kids. Proceeds will go for mobility and accessibility equipment for children with physical disabilities. Proceeds will also help send kids to a fully accessible Easter Seals summer camp. On behalf of the NSC organizers & Easter Seals Ontario, thank you for Helping Kids BE KIDS!
Over 150 volunteers contributed to the safety & success of the event. Some worked on land based duties & some were part of our water safety team. You know who you were & what you did. We thank each and every one of you for your support.
Here are some of the event highlights and results:
Top Fundraiser
Congratulation to Maggie Harbert who won Top Fundraiser, raising over $1,500 for Easter Seals kids!
Participant Results
A record 590 swimmers entered the water this year. The youngest finisher was 11 and the oldest was 73! About 60% of the swimmers were women but only 40% men. There’s a challenge to men next year!
Swim Angel Program
This year marked the inauguration of the BOTB Swim Angel Program. Intended to increase participation and inclusivity in the event, the swim angel program involved the recruitment and training of angels who swam with swimmers with disabilities who would not have been able to do so safely without an angel at their side. This year’s event saw seven (7) angels shepherding six swimmers (6), whose disabilities ranged from cerebral palsy, blindness, and deep-seated fear of open water swimming. The Program also drew the attention of local media, with significant radio coverage by CKCU FM and CBC’s Ottawa Morning. Next year’s goal is to double the number of “angeled” swimmers, and to build on and greatly expand local and regional media coverage (print, radio, and TV) of the Program (and therefore BOTB itself), and to obtain at least some exposure at the national level.
Water Safety
Water Safety is split into 4 main groups, non-motorized kayaks, canoes, SUPs, etc which circulate among swimmers, crash boats which circulate nearby, anchored keelboats every 100m along the swim route and the Ottawa Water Safety boats from the Ottawa Fire Service. This year, many NSC keelboat skippers came forward & asked to participate enjoying the experience from last year, knowing they were helping out adding to safety & because it was “fun.” Several have already asked to be included in 2016! Keelboats showing their “mileposts” also provided easy reference to call for help as necessary to a specific location along the route. There were 5 radio controlled crash boats active during the race, many ferrying tired swimmers over to Britannia. The Ottawa Fire Service supported the swim this year with 2 rescue boats, one from Station 11 and another from Station 22. They stopped boat traffic entering & leaving the NSC harbour area during the swim start, protecting swimmers & later were instrumental in taking out 9 swimmers overall who had retired from the race. Lastly, one boat accompanied 2 angels & a swimmer for the last half of her swim until she eventually was pulled from the waters. Overall, a fine contribution from the City of Ottawa! The 4th and largest group by numbers were the non-motorized watercraft including kayaks, canoes & SUPs. This year there were 47 all told looking over the swimmers up, close & always available for a rest when needed.
Overall, the organizers are satisfied with the levels of safety provided to swimmers but there is always room for improvement and we are open always to recommendations from participants.
Looking forward to next year – 2016 will be the 10th Anniversary of the Bring on the Bay Swim
If you would like to be apart of the planning for next year’s big event, we would love to hear from you. Contact Parke Davis for more information.