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Scene & Heard: Vashon Swimmers post banner year

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, January 3, 2024

By Heidi Skrzypek for The Beachcomber

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From lower left: Mary Robinson, Mary Singer, Stephanie Zimmerman, Heidi Skrzypek, and Chelsea Lee swam a misty Portage in December (Photo by Chelsea Lee).

2023 was a great year for the Vashon Open Water Swimmers and island master swimmers competing under the Rockfins (ROCK) United States Master Swimming banner.

In marathon swimming (sanctioned by the Marathon Swimmers Foundation, no wetsuit, unassisted, only cap/goggles/swimsuit over 10k continuous swimming):

  • Mary Singer continued her long distance marathon feats by completing the 11-mile Portland Bridge Swim (5 hours, 55 minutes) on July 9, the 12-mile Anacapa to Mainland swim (6 hours, 31 minutes) on Aug. 9, and the 21-mile Catalina Channel swim (13 hours, 11 minutes) on Sept. 25.
  • Wendy Van de Sompele completed two marathon swims in chilly Puget Sound: a 12.9-mile feat from Gig Harbor to Brown’s Point to Point Robinson on July 22, and then weeks later a 13.2-mile swim from Point Robinson and Alki Point.
  • Heidi Skrzypek completed the newer marathon route, the Point Loma to Ocean Beach swim (15k) on Oct. 13 in San Diego, California, in 7 hours and 50 minutes.

In non-sanctioned distance swim:

  • Joe Yarkin swam the 14.5 mile Vashon dock-to-dock via Colvos Passage (the length of island) for his second consecutive year in a time of 6 hours 34 minutes on July 6 (wetsuited).

Many of Vashon’s open water swimmers are part of Vashon Rockfins USMS (masters swimming), led by coach Dayna Jessen at the Vashon Golf & Swim Club.

In February, the Rockfins competed at the Bellevue Masters Mile 1500 (short-course meters) with Joe Yarkin (27:59), Mary Singer (22:58), and Heidi Skrzypek (29:04), garnering respective age group placements of 4th, 3rd, and 2nd.

The Pacific Northwest Association of Masters Swimmers announced its 2023 High Point Award winners for top cumulative scores across the season’s sanctioned open water swim races. Three of the top 10 point-earning swimmers were Vashon Rockfins: Erin Kealy, Joe Yarkin, and Heidi Skrzypek.

Also competing in Open Water were islanders Mary Robinson, Theo Eicher, Michelle Krell, Mary Singer, Ele Logan and Phil Sasser.

You can follow Vashon Open Water Swimmers on the Heylo app, or join the Rockfins at the Vashon Island Golf and Country Club.

Heidi Skrzypek is a copywriter, open water enthusiast, and resident of Vashon’s North End.

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