Long Bridge Swim ready to make a splash

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SANDPOINT — The Long Bridge Swim is back in the water and it’s hard to tell who is more excited — the organizers or the swimmers already signing up for the 1.76-mile swim across Lake Pend Oreille.

LBS officials realized a few months ago that holding the swim this year might be possible and began working toward that goal. Last year, a similar meeting led the group to decide holding the swim in the midst of a pandemic wasn’t the right call and, like most other events, it was canceled.

This year, however, it was different and there was no doubt in their minds that they could safely hold the swim despite coming on the tail end of the pandemic that caused it to be canceled in 2020.

“People are so excited to be back outside, doing things like this,” swim director Jim Zuberbuhler said. “There was no question in my mind that we could pull this off safely. And it’s just so great that the CDC came out with these revised guidelines two days ago and it really support the choices that that we made a couple weeks ago.”

Longtime volunteers Karen McClelland and Suzy Miller share that excitement of the swim being back after a year off due to the global novel coronavirus pandemic.

“[A] lot of people have been emailing me, you know, before we had decided whether we were going to be able to safely hold the event or not,” said McClelland, who chairs the swim’s registration committee. “They were really looking forward to it. We’ve had a lot of positive comments on our Facebook page. So yeah, I think people are just really excited to be able to get out and enjoy our beautiful Long Bridge Swim.”

While some swam the bridge on their own, having it back this year means a lot, said Miller, who is in charge of T-shirts and organizes the third grade swim program. The program aims to ensure that no child in the Lake Pend Oreille School District leaves the third grade without learning how to swim and the basics of water safety.

“I’m glad that they’re so far allowing us to move forward because it’s a great community event and it’s fun,” Miller said. “Great, great people, and the donations that come, that’s what fuels our third grade swim program.”

Despite no public announcement, more than 100 people have signed up in the first 48 hours. That “soft open” of registration for the swim in the first week in May, included deferred registrations from 2020’s canceled swim.

LBS officials have spent the last few months thinking through how they could safely hold the event, talking to the various agencies to see what would be needed, and paying close attention to Centers for Disease Control guidelines regarding group gatherings.

“I wanted to be sure our team was on board with doing this,” Zuberbuhler said. “And we tend to strive for unanimity with decisions and we arrived at that and pushed the go button on this, which was great.”

Zuberbuhler has been involved with the swim since a chance meeting while hiking with founder Eric Ridgway. Wanting a fun, positive community event that was open to everyone, Ridgway spread the word, prompting 68 people to turn out to swim from the south end of the Long Bridge to its north end at Dog Beach in the inaugural swim in 1995. By 2000, numbers had increased to more than 300 and now, there are upward of 700 people every year taking part.

“Whether it’s the people who are competitive trying to turn in a great time or place in their age group, or people who don’t know if they can make it across, there’s a real shared sense of accomplishment, Zuberbuhler said. “And, you know, moving forward with this mission of supporting swimming in our region, I think that’s what really appeals to me. We get to do it all at once and have a great time.”

It’s not uncommon for families to take part together, making it an annual tradition — or for swimmers to stick around long after they cross the lake to cheer on others en route to the finish line.

The event attracts everyone from ages 8 to 80 — and above. Zuberbuhler recalls a meeting a few years ago between his daughter Sierra, then 9 and Chuck Milton, the swim’s first nonagenarian. “You know, Chuck, you’re exactly 10 times as old as me,” Jim Zuberbuhler recalled Sierra saying, before laughing at the memory.

But that moment, that connection between two swimmers, despite the age difference exemplifies the swim. All ages, all walks of life, all abilities take part. Some have a hard time getting around, others are blind or deaf, some are paraplegic, are in wheelchairs or wear braces due to polio.

“It’s not a race,” Miller said. “It’s a swim for fun. While some people swim for time, while some people truly emphasize that, it really is a family event for fun. It’s not a competition. You can make it one, but the race itself is not a competition.”

The program is deliberately kept affordable, a testament to founder Eric Ridgway, who wanted there to be no financial barriers if someone wanted to join the fun. If someone wants to swim, but can’t afford to, it isn’t uncommon for the swim to offer a scholarship.

The all-volunteer group is separated into 10 departments, covering everything from registration, transportation, and logistics to food, T-shirts, and medical support. Not only do they all like each other, Zuberbuhler said each one — and the 250-plus volunteers who turn out the day of the swim — is committed to swimming and the impact that the event has, sponsoring both swim lessons and a water safety program.

Each is responsible for their portion of the swim, with many serving as volunteers for more than a decade, some more than 20 years.

His job as LBS director is to “knit it together and go raise money,” Zuberbuhler said.

The LBS department chairs — and volunteers as a whole — are a great group, working together to put on an all-volunteer event that supports swimming and water safety.

“We just do it because we love to support activity in the community,” McClelland said. “Because of Jim’s leadership, we’ve been able to use our sponsor dollars to fund the learn to swim program, which is a real big deal to us — that everyone is able to safely enjoy the lake.”

LBS officials estimate that since it was implemented in 2009, more than 8,000 kids have participated in the program.

As much fun as the event is, as much satisfaction there is in swimming across the lake when you weren’t sure you could, LBS officials said the event is as much about what the event makes possible.

It’s those programs, helping with the local swim team, and efforts relating to the community’s lifeguard program that bring the most satisfaction to LBS officials and volunteers.

In 2016, when the lifeguard program was struggling to attract enough people to staff City Beach, LBS stepped in and provided training to those interested and covered the costs for the American Red Cross lifeguarding course.

“In 2017, there were two near-drownings at City Beach,” Zuberbuhler said. “And both resuscitations were by lifeguards that had gone through the training program that the Long Bridge Swim developed with Mike Brosnahan over at [Sandpoint West Athletic Club.]”

Online registration for the 2021 swim is open now through Aug. 5. In-person registration is available during early packet pick-up on Aug. 6. There is no race-day registration on Aug. 7. The cost to register is $55.

Information: longbridgeswim.org