Front row (left to right): Patti Seiders, Jeannette Strickland, Connie Hallett and a youngster, Jodi Shaw;  Middle Row: David Monsees, Nick Paquette, Louise Valois, Manya Hult, Kendra Garrow, Britta Hult, Gail Pentheny, Carol Prescott, Debbie Edin;  Back Row: Tom Mack, Jim Bouldoukian, Dave Bright, Warren Wise, Ed Gendreau, Mike McAfee, Marc Scheele, Jana Slezak;  Missing from photo:  Craig Stephan

Great Bay Masters at 2000 John's Pond, Mashpee, Cape Cod Super Swim

Twenty one Great Bay Masters attended the 11^th annual John's Pond Super Swim on Saturday June 24, 2000.  The race has a history of beautiful weather, and we were greeted by yet another warm and sunny race day.  Despite an extremely cool, rainy May and early June the water was very comfortable, probably in the middle 70's.  One week of warm weather before the race was enough to do the trick.

Two races were offered:  a three-mile and a one-mile.  This year the three-mile swim was the USMS Masters National Open Water Championship.  Three Great Bay Masters earned the title "National Age Group Champion":  Britta Hult, Carol Prescott, Kendra Garrow.

The course was much longer than the 3 miles billed in the race literature.  Considering the times of swimmers who know their typical open water pace, best estimates say it was actually at least FOUR miles.   Since the course was about 25% short last year, one of our swimmers to suggested the event should be renamed the "John's Pond Mystery Swim"!

After the race we went to South Cape Beach and enjoyed a sunny afternoon. Those of us who went swimming found quite a strong current parallel to shore.  We were too tuckered out from the extended race distance to fight the current, so we let it take us down the beach and walked back to the group.

For most of the group the event started on Friday as we commuted from New Hampshire and Maine to the Otis Trailer Village.  There we camped and cooked dinner, and were visited by an uninvited guest, a scavenging skunk!

Thanks to everyone who prepared food for the occasion and to those who had extra camping equipment for those of us with none. Special thanks to Marc Scheele who did a lot of organizing, planning, and research to make our camping trip a success.