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Variety Club Open Water Day a Huge Success!

6/26/2019

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Cameron Bellamy at Variety Club Swim Barbados
​Every June the Variety Club of Barbados hosts their annual “Row for Charity” in the tranquil Carlisle Bay on the south east coast of the island. It’s a tremendous effort by the local charity with over 30 kayak teams made up of 12 members each competing in team relays.  In 2018 the Variety Club incorporated an open water swimming event into the schedule and this past weekend the Swim event attracted over 100 swimmers who participated in a relay race on four member teams. The weather wasn’t fully cooperative with intermittent rain showers during the day but this did nothing to dampen the spirits of competitors especially the numerous junior swimmers who supported the swim race.
 
The Guest of Honor at the event was Cameron Bellamy, who created history when he swam around the island last November. Cameron is currently in Barbados training towards his planned Cuba to Florida swim attempt in September. Cameron formed an association with Variety Club during his many visits ahead of the Swim Around Barbados and his charity: Ubunye Challenge donated funds to the Variety Club in the end of 2018. On the weekend young swimmers were thrilled with his presence as he started the swim race, then jumped in a kayak to monitor the swimmers on the course and handed out prizes to the winning teams. Much to the delight of spectators he then joined the “Coral Crew” kayak team comprised of several open water swimmers and contributed to their third place position with an epic finish. 
Variety Club Barbados swim
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Saltwater Swimmers and Cameron Bellamy
Variety Club barbados swim
​Kudos to the many local companies who sponsored teams in the swim and kayak races.  It’s a significant day on the Bajan “healthy lifestyle” calendar with many kayak teams practicing together in the weeks leading up to the event. The iMart teams once again won both their Swim Relay and Kayak Relay races and managed to hold on to the Challenge Trophy for the 4th year in a row.  The Maria Holder Memorial Trust Team, who came first in the Royal Rowers Race, has promised to end iMart’s reign in 2020.
 
On the swim side the 400 m course allowed many young open water swimmers the opportunity to experience an open water swimming race on a relatively short course. Local sea swimming club Saltwater Swimmers had a huge contingent for the swim relays.  Their large numbers earned them the “Heart of Variety” prize. For the second year running they entered the most teams in the Variety Swim Relay with a whopping eighteen four member teams. 

Well done to all swimmers, kayakers, spectators, sponsors and volunteers for supporting this very worthy cause. The importance of the incredible work done by the Variety Club in Barbados cannot be overstated. 

Of course, its also exceeding difficult in a small island to raise funds for charity so this makes their dedication and contribution to the local community even more impressive. Variety the Children’s Charity in Barbados is one of more than 50 ‘tents’ throughout the world, including Australia, France, Israel, USA, United Kingdom, New Zealand and South Africa.  The Barbados branch was registered in 1984 but worldwide the he Charity has been active for 80 years. The goal of the charity is to raise funds for sick, disadvantaged and disabled children in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Learn more about the amazing work done by the Variety Club in Barbados and how you can help here: www.varietybarbados.org

Cameron Bellamy & winners at charity swim in Barbados
Cameron Bellamy & winners at charity swim in Barbados
Cameron Bellamy and winning swimmers in Barbados
Cameron Bellamy & winners at charity swim in Barbados
Cameron Bellamy in Charity Kayak race Barbados
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Cameron Bellamy & winners at charity swim in Barbados
Cameron Bellamy & winners at charity swim in Barbados
Every year, entry to the Barbados Open Water Festival 1.5K “Just For Fun” Swim supports the Variety Club.  This swim is not timed and swimmers can utilize swim aids. In 2019 BOWF is scheduled for Nov 6-10.  Other races include: 1.5K, 3.3K, 5K and 10K. 
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The Fun Swim takes place during the annual festival and will be held on November 9th in 2019.  Learn more about BOWF here: BOWF website
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Open Water Swimmer Extraordinaire, Jaimie Monahan, for Barbados Open Water Festival 2019

6/6/2019

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​Its with great pleasure that the Barbados Open Water Festival announces that Jaimie Monahan, renowned ultra-marathon and ice swimmer will attend the 8th Festival in November 2019.  The New Yorker is globally known as a Queen of Cold Water swimming but can't wait to get a swim in the warmer waters of Barbados: "I keep looking at photos of the water there and am getting way too excited - its still 5 months away!"

Jaimie’s endless list of outstanding achievements includes: first to accomplish the Ice Sevens, numerous marathon swims including a 92K double Manhattan island swim, six marathon swims on six continents in sixteen days, winner of the inaugural International Winter Swimming Association’s World Cup and seven time US National Winter Swimming champ. Jaimie, who has attended at least seventy-five major events over the past fifteen years is known for “pioneering new swim routes” and “setting course records in some of the world’s most beautiful and iconic locations”.  
Jaimie Monahan ice swimmer for Barbados Festival 2019
This seasoned marathon swimmer learned about the sport of winter swimming five years ago and was intrigued. From the frozen lakes of Siberia to the Perito Moreno Glacier of Argentina to Antarctica, Norway and Iceland, Jaimie has dived in and braved extreme water temperatures. ​Ice swimming only became an organized sport in 2009, when Ram Barkai, a world record holder in ice swimming,  founded the International Ice Swimming Association.  Today, this extreme adventure sport has a small but passionate following and is growing in popularity.  Jaimie trains outdoors all year!  Her apparel when ice swimming? A textile swimsuit, silicone cap, ear plugs and goggles! Unbelievable!
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Incredibly this Wonder Woman of the Open Water World, who is well-liked and highly admired by all her peers, boasts an equally impressive resume in her professional life. The Cornell University graduate, who speaks three languages, has held positions at Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and for the past eleven years, Deloitte Consulting.
Jaimie,  swimming around Manhattan will swim in Barbados in November.
2019 Festival swimmers will undoubtedly be elated to learn they will have two swim superstars in the mix in Barbados with Jaimie, our first female guest swimmer signed up and Cameron Bellamy of SwimAroundBarbados and Oceans Seven fame expected to return. 
 
"We look forward to welcoming you, Jaimie and all of our swimmers, both first-timers and returning regulars. We can promise superb swimming and heart-warming camaraderie in a fun festive atmosphere but... we definitely can't promise any extreme water temperatures or icy landscapes!"
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Read a recent article about Jaimie here.  
Enter the Barbados Open Water Festival 2019 here: ENTER
Images courtesy of Jaimie Monahan
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    Open Water Swim Blog 

    Barbados Open Water Festival,  Open Water Swimming in Barbados and around the world.
    Read: Cameron Bellamy - Barbados to St Lucia Swim
    Read: Cameron Bellamy: Swim Around Barbados! 

    Author

    Kristina Evelyn - Barbadian & Festival organizer. Enjoys promoting open water swimming in Barbados & meeting open water swimmers from all over the world.

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