OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, August 14, 2009 · 30 30 Sports Oakville Beaver By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2009 Hitting the open water Group hopes to revive Lake Ontario as swimming destination It's a sunny Saturday morning and as Rob Kent propels himself through the water he looks down through the crystal clear water. Down below some fifteen feet he sees small fish slowly meandering along while up ahead a large creature that probably weighs 10-15 pounds cuts through the water ahead of the intruder to his aquatic home. "It's almost like the Caribbean," Kent says. But there is a constant reminder that this is not the tropics, and that's the 16 C water that surrounds him. That's because Kent is not swimming in Barbados or the Bahamas, he's in Lake Ontario, just off the Oakville shore. "That's a common misconception, that it's a very dirty lake," says the founder of the Lake Ontario Swim Team (LOST). "At least where we swim, it's surprisingly very clean. The water is very clear." Kent is trying to open swimmer's eyes to the clear water by hosting the LOST Race. It will be the group's second annual race -- the first event was hastily arranged on a week's notice with just eight swimmers taking part. This time around, Kent expects 25-30 swimmers. Though the first race was something the group "did on a lark," it did have historical significance. According to Kent's research, it was the first race held on Lake Ontario in 31 years, since a professional race across the lake was held in 1978. The race also serves a very practical purpose. Nineteen LOST members will compete in Ironman Louisville in two weeks. The 3.8-km race, which starts at the foot of Maplegrove Drive and finishes at the lighthouse at Navy Street, just happens to be the same distance they will swim in Kentucky. There is also a much bigger purpose in mind, though. Kent formed LOST after his own bid to swim the English Channel in 2006. Though he ultimately did not make it, he saw an opportunity to forward the cause of open water swimming closer to home. "With open water swimming in the Olympics for the first time in Beijing and the popularity of triathlons, it's getting bigger," Kent said. "Lake Ontario used to be one of the foremost open water swim LOST swimmer Madhu Nagaraja sites. We would like to bring that back." LOST does hour-long swims every Saturday morning from mid-June to September. Though he said the lake is "generally nice and flat" they have encountered days with three-foot waves. Where the lake is least predictable is in its temperature. Kent said a drop of 10 C overnight is not uncommon if north winds push the warm surface water away from the shore. Most swimmers will wear wetsuits but Kent and a few other brave souls go without provided the water temperature remains above 15 C. That should be the case for Saturday's race when Kent expects the sunny day to bring the temperature up to about 18 C. Anyone interested in taking part can register for free beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the foot of Maplegrove Drive. As Kent sees it, the more swimmers, the merrier. "We're sitting there right next to this beautiful, gorgeous place to go swimming," he said. "Why not make better use of this great aquatic facility." The Wait is Over Open registration for our Fall and Winter indoor programs now available Visit www.oakvillesoccer.ca for complete information on fees, days of play, and more. Please visit the website to download a registration form. You will need to register in person. Online registration is no longer available. Oakville Soccer Club, 1520 Pine Glen Road (Dundas and Third Line), 905-849-4436 The Oakville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club A proud sponsor of the Oakville Soccer Club