North Scottsdale Lifestyle Magazine Article

Find out what makes a child dream! What exciting dream do you have? What will you do to obtain your dreams! Stay strong in your goals focus on the destination and never, never give up!


http://www.nscottsdalelifestyle.com/2012/04/27/extraordinary-young-swimmer-a-heart-for-helping-other-kids-achieve-their-dreams/

Good Morning Arizona

View the video of some of the kids that returned from the Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge Swims. http://www.azfamily.com/good-morning-arizona/Young-Arizona-swimmers-complete-Alcatraz-Golden-Gate-swims-147790725.html

Swimming from Alcatraz and Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge 2012

April 13, 2012

 Early in the Morning Jacee got up and met her Coaches and teammate for the test swim for the Annual Alcatraz Swim. Bob Roper and Paddy were the diligent planners for the swim, they really know their business! Leaving the hotel there was a very nice drizzle coming down, by the time the boat took the swimmers out for their swim the drizzle had stopped. The morning air was damp and chilly at 49 degrees. The Star Princess was the hold up for the jump it would cross the path of the swimmers twenty minutes into the swim. The jump was delayed. It was dawn as they jumped and Jacee said, “That was the darkest swim she had done.” She was very happy because the swim was fun; she and Braxton enjoyed swimming together. . They came in and said the air was colder than the water. They had fun finishing the swim in about thirty minutes.

April 14, 2012

Jacee met with the entire team to jump for the team swim. Wow, was that exciting! There were many new faces and some familiar faces. It was nice to see how Brandon had brought some great swimmers, from the local area including his one special swimmer. What an exciting day for everyone! The water was calm for an Alcatraz Swim but the current as everyone knows picks up quickly. Today would not be any different. The horn went off, the swimmers jumped into the water and within 20 minutes the first swimmers were in view from the shore of Aquatic Park. Who were they and how long would they take coming in? They were very quick, 26 minutes to be exact. Jacee was the second finisher overall and the first female finisher. The sixteen year old male did very well! Great work to all of the awesome swimmers! Many of you know who you are and if you do not just look in the mirror. Many of the first time swimmers did wonderfully, even after the current picked up and they had to re-target their swims. Every child completed the swim, congratulations to all of you! Heading to Ghirardelli Square for the traditional ice cream treat is very important! Having a super meal with friends, family and swimmers, and off to bed to rest, for the Golden Gate Bridge Crossing.


April 15, 2012 Yes, Jacee’s taxes are done! We headed off early to the Hyde Street Pier, shortly after the meeting time everyone walked to the boats heading for the jump sight (from the boat) to swim the Span of the Golden Gate Bridge. With plenty of candied ginger in hand, the trip would become noteworthy for those that have trouble with waves. Thirty-minutes later we arrived at the jump sight. The cargo ship has priority as usual! Thank you, Bob Roper for keeping us safe from marine traffic! The jump commenced with all swimmers leaving from both sides of the boat, excitement filled the air and the cold water soothed the upset tummies from the ride over. Jacee jumped from the ocean side of the boat, (no nautical terms here) and began her quick stretch to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The seas were choppy but no large waves. As Jacee passed the North Tower she stopped for a moment and then began swimming again. She stopped again and proceeded again. A seal lion was playing with Jacee. She kept swimming but something was tickling her hands, feet and occasionally her tummy. Her friend continued to tickle and swim around her until she approached the boat, the sea lion swam on. Jacee came in completing the swim as the first female finisher, and second overall. What a fun day of swimming as she came upstairs to have some water, food and cheer her friends onto the boat. Each child and adult was truly excited at the opportunity to do two open water swims that would note their swim career their entire life.

Awesome, job swimmers! Kudos, to the parents and significant others!

Jacee’s Mom

Big Big Waves

January 27, 2012

Jacee arrived at La Jolla Cove late in the afternoon. The surf was up and she was excited to jump in and learn about big waves. Jacee was asked; by Doug if she felt she could go out? Jacee reviewed the surf and decided to go out and take a short swim to see what she was made of that day. This surf is not swum by many because it is very challenging! Do not attempt this unless you are an experience open water swimmer and have an even more confident and experience escort swimmer. These waves are dangerous, if you do not have many years of experience with them. Yes, Doug checked in with the lifeguards, who paid close attention, while Jacee was out there. Carefully, Doug explained the sets that were coming in, as they waited out the really big waves before heading out. This is not about rushing it is about a learning experience for Jacee. She must and I repeat must follow the instructions of what she is being taught.

Patience prevailed, the large sets gave way to the smaller sets, Jacee and Doug headed out to the first buoy just, outside the wave sets. I was able to sense relief in Jacee as she cleared the waves. Jacee and Doug came back from the short swim and began to work through the larger sets of waves. Doug has many, many years of experience in all types of conditions and knows what Jacee is capable of doing. Erring on the side of caution with Jacee, rather than taking a risk in the open water, is how Doug trains Jacee. As I watched, I could see the caution that Jacee was operating in, carefully moving into the waves that were coming at her. She was learning to “hang in the wave”, challenged, feeling great respect with her new experience. Jacee has been in tough conditions but training for success is the key to a great open water swimmer. When Jacee came in she stated, “That was a little tougher than it looked.” She was processing the waves and went to warm up.

The next morning, Jacee was excited and the surf was way down. She really wanted a big day in swimming. Doug, Dan and Jacee decided to swim pier to cove. It was a sunny and bright day, the best I have seen in a long time. The conditions were modest; the water was about 58 degrees. Surfers were having a great time in the waves. The surfers and waves were plentiful. As Jacee, Doug and Dan began to shuffle out to the surf, there was excited anticipation for the swim. They each jumped into the waves and they were off! Enjoying their afternoon swim!

About 45 minutes later they were swimming past the buoy near the cove. Doug was in the lead, Jacee and Dan were close behind but this day would be Doug’s and he was determined, he would hit the sand first. Jacee and Dan stood on the rock since the tide was low. Jacee figured out why she needed to be careful out there, as she pushed off, she cut her foot. Yes, it was what she wanted to do but, the words of caution about playing on the rock came stingingly through. They headed to shore where Jacee was met by another swimmer and she went directly out, a short swim back to the buoy and in. She had met one of the clubs newest Triple Crown Marathon Swimmer’s. Jacee came up the stairs to have a sandwich and drink some fluids and patiently wait for the next group of swimmers. Jacee had about two miles under her belt and wanted more. Her friend Tom came down from the street to prepare for his swim. He had just successfully swum Cook’s Strait becoming the oldest person to ever swim that in 10 hours and about 39 minutes. She was so, excited for him! They spent some time discussing the conditions of his swim and learned about his trip. Congratulations, Tom!

A short time later, her friend Carson arrived after his duathlon, he wanted to head out with the group. The chatter was exciting as everyone was getting ready to head out, on the next swimming adventure! Jacee had eaten and properly hydrated and was ready to head out with another group of swimmers. As the group headed out, Jacee still looked strong and was delighting in the swim. The conditions were picking up from earlier in the day, as the group passed the first buoy and headed out to the next buoy. What a day of swimming for Jacee! She had swum with some many wonderful friends and team members, she was still going! The “Energizer Bunny” had nothing on Jacee that day. As the group made the turn toward the virtual half-mile, everyone looked great! Doug and I discussed if today could be Jacee’s unofficial birthday swim because she is working on swimming for the “Big Chill”, she wanted to count her miles and get the extra miles. It was decided that special conditions existed based on being a child and it would be counted.

Shortly, after that Jacee and the group came in and of course, Jacee wanted more. She had to be called up to get a move on, to head home. Jacee had swum 3.5 miles in 24 hours. She loved every minute of the open water swims. Of course, she had to take breaks for fuel and hydration, two very important things if you are going to swim that much. Proper preparation for open water swimming is not a casual decision. It is essential to train for the distance you have decided to swim.

Thank you, Carson for the roof and food!

Signing off for pool work, until the next open water adventure!

Jacee’s Mom

New Swim Partner

December 29th Jacee headed to La Jolla to swim for four wonderful days. The water was a warm 58 degrees on average; she had a great time with her training partners. There are several and Jacee has so much fun with each of you! She chose a different swim partner one day; of course the discussion was who would swim the fastest. Her new partner is from a long line of swimmers. Her new partner is a sea lion. It was definitely a cute picture. And of course, Jacee was very careful about the distance that she was standing as she approached the sea lion. Remember this cute sea lion is a wild animal.

Jacee arrived on Thursday and swam a quick 1.5 miles in the Cove, Shores area. On Friday, Jacee, Doug and Carol headed out for a 1.5 mile swim and really enjoyed the water. While the body surfers enjoyed riding the waves, it was quite a sight. The dolphins stirred the water, creating a commotion with the wildlife, it was plentiful. Jacee came in and said, “she did not see the dolphins”. She wanted to see them! The next day, Jacee headed out with Doug for another 1.5 miles. The joy of swimming with the dolphins that day became a reality, they swam right in front of them. She finally got to swim with the dolphins like she has asked since she was eight-years-old. Patience pays off and she did it in the open ocean along with her friends. Of course, frequently she is swimming with the dolphins but not right in front of her. She decided to head out with another group of swimmers eating some food to keep her strength and body temperature up and they had a very social time speed was not the objective in the second swim just fun.

New Year’s Eve arrived and sleep was in order. The Annual La Jolla Cove Polar Bear Swim was occurring on the 1st of January. It is an exciting day to and attempting to get all of the people in one picture was quite a feat. Great job, Paula! Bob West sounded the horn and everyone that wanted to get wet put at least their big toe, in the 58 degree water. Jacee and Doug jumped in and swam another mile Doug came in and attended his duties for the event. Jacee grabbed her friends Lianna and Pearl to go play in the waves. Lianna swam with her Dad and Pearl anxiously awaited her time in the water. I think they became grape popsicles out there! After two hours we had to drag Jacee and Pearl in from the waves. They were of course surprised that it was two hours later. They ate a good meal and began to play games and shared more food with others. Overall, it was an exciting and relaxing day. What a super way to spend the First day of the Year just relaxing and enjoying the company of friends and family.

Until the next swim!

Jacee’s Mom

New Swim Partner

The water is getting cold!

Now that it is December, the water temperatures are dropping in Phoenix. The lakes are in the 50's and the swimmers are donning their wetsuits. Xterrawetsuits is Jacee's preferred wetsuit. If you decide to order a wetsuit from Xterrawetsuits. The suits are slick and fast! Co-Jacee will get you a discount.

This past weekend Jacee was swimming at the La Jolla Cove with her favorite swim partners. She had her new 11-year-old friend with her on Sunday. They seemed to enjoy the swim and came out of the water fairly cool. After swimming, the delicious clam chowder warmed up the little bodies, they were just fine.

The days adventure was wonderful swimming with the dolphins again. The five to six foot swells creating excitement for both of them, as the stayed in the water body surfing through the big waves, after their swim. The screams of delight with each new wave came through and the challenge was standing in the waves. It was not happening this day. They will keep trying though, isn't that the fun part?