8 mile swimmers for 2015

Here are all of your 2015 swimmers of the Antelope Island to Black Rock Beach course

Name: Allison Burns State: AZ Swimming Background: I started swimming competitively at age 5 and continued through high school. I love the water and just about all water sports. After college I coached and taught swim lessons to all levels but didn't swim much myself until the last 10 years.  Now, I swim in spurts, usually based on what events I am signed up for, open water swims, triathlons...  This will be my 2nd marathon swim and also my second salt water swim. I am looking forward to the chance to swim in Salt Lake and to meet the unique crowd of people this appeals to.

Name: Jason Coyle State: UT Swimming Background: I swam competitively in high school. I was able to win some races, but more importantly I fell in love with swimming. Despite my love, over the next decades I found relatively little time to swim consistently. Life happened. I got married, graduated college, started a career, went back to college, started a new career… Along the way I became a teacher. With summers off I started to swim more. I had swum off and on, occasionally training for triathlons. I realized that I only trained for a triathlon so that I could participate in the swimming portion. Last year I made a goal to start swimming regularly and found the South Davis Krusty Krabs Masters Swim Team. I began swimming three to four times a week. I began swimming consistently in the lane with Gordon Gridley. Gordon began to tell me about open water swimming. I swam the Bear Lake Monster, and loved it.

Name: Karly Powell State: CO Swimming Background: I first started swimming competitively as a collegiate triathlete, where I was lucky enough to be introduced to the world of open water swimming on the beautiful southern California beaches. I swam my first open water competition in a sleeveless wetsuit during a snowstorm (a rare gem on the California coast) and thought "this just might be crazy enough for me to get on board with!" This is my third year focusing primarily on swimming, and I'm loving exploring new places through swimming. I am new to Colorado and can't wait to experience the aquatic adventures this state has to offer. I love swimming for the beautiful community of friends and training buddies it has brought me, as well as the solitude of cranking out miles in the water.

Name: Will Reeves State: UT Swimming Background: Will is the current record holder for the Antelope Island to Black Rock Beach race which he set in 2013. (3:10:10)  In 2014, he broke the Great Salt Lake One mile record. (21:24) Will has been an active swimmer in Utah for many years.  He has logged over 90 races with USMS and is an inspiration to every swimmer who knows him. He is currently serving on the Utah Masters LMSC board as the SALT club founder.  He swims regularly with many veteran swimmers at the Steiner pool in Salt Lake City.

Name: Heather Rodriguez State: CO Swimming Background: I never participated in organized swimming as a youngster. I learned to swim as an adult in 2000 when I was dared to compete in a triathlon. Since then I have participated in over 40 triathlons/aquabikes. Over the past 15 years I have also become a student of the stroke. I now coach all levels from learn to swim kiddos (3-5 years old) to competitive triathletes. I have decided to focus on swimming this season with hopes of crossing the Anacapa Channel in 2016. I love open water swimming because it is challenging. Every day is a new swim. Since I live in land locked Colorado I spend most of my time at the Aurora Reservoir.

Name: Mollie Silver State: TX Swimming Background: I have been a competitive swimmer since I was five years old. My mom started our neighborhood team when I was a little girl and from that point on I practically lived at the pool. I continued swimming through high school on multiple teams year round and just loved being in the water. As I was finishing up college I really wanted to get back into swimming and signed up for my first triathlon. The open water swim was a new challenge along with the rest of the sport! I have completed two Ironmans and decided I wanted to focus on my swim this year and what better way to do that then an 8 mile open water swim! I really enjoy swimming in open water and am excited to swim in the Great Lake as well as plan the rest of the season!

Name: Amber Smolik State: TX Swimming Background: I started swimming at the age of 10. My parents signed me up for the summer league swim team after they bought a house with a pool so I wouldn't drown. I was so excited and nervous for my first practice that I took swim lessons from our family dog, a lab who loved to swim, and mimicked her! My stroke has changed a lot since then. I immediately fell in love with the sport and went on to swim competitively in high school and college. I took some time off after college but found myself in the pool again. This time I was training for triathlons! What I like most about open water is the freedom. Every body of water is different and has it's own challenges and with each I learn and grow. I spend most of my time training in the pool and a few local lakes around Houston that are very small. I hope to get to the coast soon! My future goals are to compete in more open water swims (up to ultra distances) and help others do the same. I look forward to each start line journey...

Name: Chad Starks State: UT Swimming Background: Chad is a very active open water swimmer in Utah.  He was one of the Utah Triple Crown recipients last year. He is a Bear Lake Monster Slayer (Length crossing of Bear Lake), and is training to swim the English Channel in September this year. Chad is also on the board of Salt Lake Open Water club and volunteers much of his time and resources to support the sport in Utah.

Name: Cindy Werhane State: OR Swimming Background: I was a competitive swimmer through my childhood until my first year in college. I gave up swimming competively in college due in part to burnout but mostly due to the lack of team bonding at my university. I never really looked back to following the black line and swimming until I saw an ad for Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. I was so intrigued by the concept of swimming the bay and escaping the rock that I took up racing triathlons. In training for my first triathlon with Team in Training, I found OW swimming and fell in love with the freedom and adventure. Soon I began to swim farther than required for my triathlons and started researching OWS races. I also became bored swimming the same little cove that was used by the triathlon community, bored swimming the circle in the same direction, bored following the buoy line. Instead I ventured out of the cove and upstream in the Clackamas River. Next I wandered into other lakes and rivers, always searching out new water. This last year I spent most of my time exploring the Willamette River, swimming through downtown Portland before dawn or after sunset. Although I am proud of my swimming adventures, I get more of a kick out of inspiring and encouraging others to leave their OW comfort zone and try another source of water. This past year, I coached the swim portion of the triathlon for Team in Training and many of the teammates found confidence outside of "the cove" or their typical training waters. After their triathlon season, many of them joined me for sunrise swims in the Willamette River. As for my future goals, I let races or events speak to me. I listen to the chatter on Facebook sites and if it intrigues me, no matter how small or unknown, I put it on my bucketlist. Some well known events I hope to swim are END WET, SCAR, KINGDOM SWIM WEEK, SWIM THE SUCK, and MIMS. I also hope to travel to Great Britian to explore in the heartland of OWS, maybe swim with the Loch Ness monster and with views of the cliffs of Dover.