Swimmers set to hit the water for Long Bridge Swim
Bonner County Daily Bee | UPDATED 9 years, 4 months AGO
—DAILY BEE FILE PHOTO/ERIC PLUMMER Long Bridge Swim fans watch from the bike path as swimmers make their way across Lake Pend Oreille during the 2015 swim.
—DAILY BEE FILE PHOTO/ERIC PLUMMER A pair of Long Bridge Swim competitors make their way across Lake Pend Oreille during the 2015 swim.
—DAILY BEE FILE PHOTO/ERIC PLUMMER Long Bridge Swim fans watch from the bike path as swimmers make their way across Lake Pend Oreille during the 2015 swim.
—DAILY BEE FILE PHOTO/ERIC PLUMMER Long Bridge Swim participants make their way across Lake Pend Oreille during the 2015 swim.
—DAILY BEE FILE PHOTO/ERIC PLUMMER A Long Bridge Swim participant makes his way out of the water onto Dog Beach at the end of the 2015 swim. This year’s race is Saturday and the last chance for swimmers to register is at Friday’s swim packet pickup at Sandpoint High School.
SANDPOINT — Forgot to register for Saturday’s 22nd annual Long Bridge Swim? No worries, you can still register today at the swimmer packet pick-up at Sandpoint High School from 5:30-7 p.m. There is no same day swimmer registration for the swim.
This year’s swim is the 22nd year for the event and each year there are more participants, sponsors and children who benefit from the swim, said Jim Zuberbuhler, race director.
Organizers expect over 700 swimmers for the 1.76-mile swim across Lake Pend Oreille from Sagle to Sandpoint — and over 2,000 spectators on the pedestrian bridge. Making the Long Bridge Swim possible are the over 250 volunteers — with over 180 devoted to safety alone, Zuberbuhler said.
While the fun takes place on Saturday, the Long Bridge Swim is not just a one-day event, he said. Working closely with the Lake Pend Oreille School District, Sandpoint West Athletic Club and the Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Department, Zuberbuhler said the goal is to teach non-swimmers to swim, promote water safety, eliminate needless drownings and promote swimming as a life-long sport.
“Long-term, our goal is to have no child get past third grade in Bonner County without learning how to swim,” he added. “This past year we served over 950 kids with lessons.”
Since 2011, the Long Bridge Swim has funded swim lessons and water safety classes for over 3,600 children, working with LPOSD teachers and SWAC instructors. In addition, the group has provided financial aid for students on local swim teams as well as lessons for the entire school year for over 30 special education students through the school district. LBS also provides scholarships for individuals who would like to take swim lessons.
Each year, Zuberbuhler said the Long Bridge Swim funds a special project. This year, the swim funded a special swim training course for students who needed to become stronger swimmers before taking the Red Cross Lifesaving course in preparation for becoming City Beach lifeguards.
Two years ago, the swim paid for the new pilings that run along the causeway from Dog Beach and last year the group provided the initial funding for the special sweeper purchased by Parks and Recreation that cleans the goose poop from City Beach, Zuberbuhler said.
“Our initiatives are funded by our generous sponsors, which are listed on the sponsor page on the www.longbridgeswim.org website,” Zuberbuhler said. “This year we have raised just under $20,000 for swim lessons and water safety programs.”