19th annual Long Bridge Swim hits town

SANDPOINT — He’ll tell you over and over that it’s the community, the swimmers and the hundreds of volunteers that make the Long Bridge Swim such a special event.

He’ll say it’s far more than just one person, that the popular 1.76-mile open water swim has evolved from 68 swimmers 18 years ago to more than 750 this year because of a collective community effort.

But there is no denying the enormous imprint that originator and race director Eric Ridgway has left on the Long Bridge Swim, which hits the waters of Lake Pend Oreille on Saturday.

Ridgway will serve as race director for the final time on Saturday, passing the role to Jim Zuberbuhler in the future. Ridgway will remain involved in many capacities, but feels the event could benefit from new leadership. It’s been a fun ride watching his homespun swim evolve into one of the best open water swims in the country.

“It’s inspiring and overwhelming at the same time. I’m glad we started small and grew over the years,” says Ridgway, calling himself an obsessive guy with a passion for swimming. “I had a huge amount of passion to start this event, and I’m glad the community embraced it so much. My heart is still in the event, I just won’t be the director.”

Among the biggest highlights in Ridgway’s 18 years were watching Bonners Ferry’s Imre Schmidt finish the swim as an 85-, 86- and 87-year-old, and watching an exhausted veteran with partially paralyzed legs get pulled from the water at the finish line and lifted into a wheelchair.

“That was a choke up moment for me and a lot of people,” recalls Ridgway, who believes it’s no secret why the race continues to thrive and grow. “There are volunteers and businesses in the community that say year after year, ‘we want to be involved.’ ”

Ridgway says he’s looking forward to spending more time with wife Cindy Aase, who jokingly refers to herself as a Long Bridge Swim widow in the months before the race.

Zuberbuhler, who has served as assistant race director in recent years, knows he has big shoes to fill. He met Ridgway upon first moving to Sandpoint more than a decade ago, and jumped at the chance to work with him on the swim.

“He (Ridgway) was the first person I met, and true to form, he told me about the Long Bridge Swim,” says Zuberbuhler. “He’s a wonderful man, so enthusiastic and committed and accepting of the changes.”

More than 750 swimmers are signed up for the 2013 event, and more are expected to sign up closer to deadline. Saturday marks the second year that chip timing will be used, so times don’t start until swimmers actually hit the water, a plus with long lines often waiting to enter the water.

Zuberbuhler is pleased to announce that more than $14,000 has been raised for the Long Bridge Swim swim lessons initiative. Last year more than 500 kids learned to swim in the program.

“We don’t want a child to get past third grade without learning how to swim,” says Zuberbuhler, who started the program four years ago after being shook up by a local drowning. “If they fall off the dock, they’re not going to drown. We’ll help any kid or adult who wants to learn.”

Once again, the Long Bridge Swim is also part of TriSandpoint, a unique triathlon that combines the Chafe 150, Long Bridge Swim and the Scenic Half Marathon.

Per usual, the Long Bridge Swim will feature a mix of elite and recreational swimmers, some cutting a wake and others floating along at whatever pace they deem necessary. Alas, that is the beauty of the Long Bridge Swim.

“You see people pulling themselves from the water and it’s often the hardest thing they’ve ever done,” describes Zuberbuhler of the biggest highlight. “The sense of accomplishment you see in people doing this for the first time.”

•  Start: Saturday, Aug. 3 as close as possible to 9 a.m. on south end of Long Bridge.

• Early packet pick up: Friday, Aug. 2 from 4-7 p.m. at Sandpoint High School (strongly encouraged by organizers).

•  Mandatory check-in for all swimmers: Saturday, from 6:30-7:45 a.m. at SHS.

•  Safety meeting: Saturday at 7:45 a.m. at SHS.

•  Transportation for swimmers is provided from SHS parking lot, and a post-race shuttle will run from Conoco to SHS during the afternoon.

For more information on the swim or the swim lessons initiative, go online to www.longbridgeswim.org.