Naz Swim Team Assists Bridgette Hobart At Finger Lakes Open Water Festival
The Nazareth College Swimming and Diving team recently teamed up with alumna, Bridget Hobart '84, to help run the Finger Lakes Open Swim Festival on Seneca Lake September 23
rd and 24
th.
The festival was a two-day event, with the first day being a 10.5 mile swim (approximately 17,000 meters). It was a beautiful 90 degree day on Seneca Lake and there was a 100% finish rate among the participants.
The second day was a 2 mile, 1 mile, and 0.5 mile race, with approximately 50 athletes hitting the waters.
Hobart was the race director, in charge of all aspects of putting on the event which is now in its third year. The Nazareth swim team assisted Hobart for the event, providing the manpower to make the race possible. The college swimmers were the ones sitting in the kayaks supporting the swimmers and also assisted with timing, registration, food, etc.
Technically, the first year was done completely by Hobart as she successfully swam all nine Finger Lakes. The second year was an open water swim series in different Finger Lakes (10K in distance, open to anyone), and this third year became an open water swimming festival.
Bridgette donated all of the profits from the effort - $5507.21 - to the Nazareth swimming and diving team. The generous donation will help make the swimming and diving team's annual training trips more affordable, and also help provide the best experience possible to the student-athletes.
"Bridgette Hobart has always put Nazareth College first through her participation on the Board of Trustees and by supporting our swimming and diving team," said Nazareth Swimming and Diving Coach
Scott Whitbeck. "We are forever grateful to have her as an alumnae and friend of the program. Our team has really appreciated her efforts to create a wonderful NY Finger Lakes swim event, to help promote Nazareth swimming and diving, and her support of the program through her donation of the profits from the event. It was a great team builder as we got to camp out, eat meals together, and support the participants of the race. 10.5 miles is a long swim!"
Nazareth begins competition Saturday, taking part in the Cortland Relays at 1 p.m.