25th Annual Cascade Lakes Swim Series & Festival at Elk Lake

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Registration Schedule

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25th ANNUAL CASCADE LAKES SWIM SERIES & FESTIVAL
OUR SILVER ANNIVERSARY!
Featuring the Northwest Zone Open Water Championships
Elk Lake, OR      July 26-28, 2019      5 Swims in 3 Days!
  Hosted by Central Oregon Masters Aquatics and Bend Park & Recreation District
  Sanctioned by Oregon LMSC for U.S. Masters Swimming, Inc.
Operating under Special Use Permit from the United States Forest Service

Entries completed by July 15 will pay the normal fees.  Entries completed July 16-21 must pay a $10 late fee.   The online entry system will close on July 21 at Midnight PDST.

A change from previous years: NO DAY-OF-RACE ENTRIES!
T-Shirt Orders are now closed (7/16) - We will have a few to sell at the lake!

LOCATION:  Elk Lake, a beautiful, clear mountain lake nestled in the sunny Oregon Cascades 33 miles from Bend.  Water temperature is expected to be 66-69 degrees F. and will be posted on race days.
FESTIVAL:  Elk Lake is a great place to bring your family for a fine outdoors experience and extravaganza.  Think multi-day, multi-swim FESTIVAL!  Fitness, fellowship, fun!
RACES:  The Cascade Lakes Swim Series features five open water swims over three days.  Adult participants may enter any or all of the five swims.  Friday’s swim is a 3000-meter swim on a triangular course.  Saturday’s swims are an individual 500-meter time trial on an out-and-back floating line course and a 1500-meter swim around a triangular course.  Sunday’s swims will include a 5000-meter swim consisting of three loops of a diamond & triangular course and a 1000-meter swim on an irregular course following the shoreline.
SERIES:  The Cascade Lakes Swim Series includes a Short Series (500, 1000, & 1500-meter swims) and a Long Series (1500, 3000, & 5000-meter swims).  Each swimmer may enter one distance series only and must complete all three series swims to be eligible for series awards.  For series awards, points will be based on finish order in each race, with a 10% time penalty for swims done in Category II swimwear/wetsuits.  Swimmers who complete all FIVE swims will win special Survivor awards.  Series entry is FREE & the awards are nice, so choose a series if your individual swims match.

SWIM SCHEDULE (subject to change due to conditions):
Friday, July 26, 2019
  4:30-5:30pm               Registration/Check-In for 3000-meter swim
  6:00pm                      Start of 3000-meter swim
Saturday, July 27, 2019
7:45-8:45am               Registration/Check-In for 500 & 1500-meter swims
9:15am                       Start of 500-meter swim
10:15-11:00am            Registration/Check-in for the 1500-meter
11:30am                       Start of 1500-meter swim, including the NW Zone Championships
Sunday, July 28, 2019
7:15 am-8:15am          Registration/Check-In for 5000 & 1000-meter swims
8:45 am                      Start of 5000-meter swim
10:00-11:00am             Registration/Check-In for the 1000-meter swim
11:45 am                    Start of 1000-meter race
Pre-race instructions 15 minutes before each start time.  A picnic lunch or dinner will follow the finish of races each day.

ELIGIBILITY:  Open ONLY to current USMS members or foreign equivalents, who must be adults 18+ on Friday, July 26, 2019.  USMS “One-Event” membership—covering all races—is available for adults 18+ only for $21.
RULES:  USMS rules will govern this event. 

• Age will be determined by the age of the swimmer on December 31, 2019, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 on the first day of the event. 
• Category II suits—including wetsuits—are welcomed in all swims, but scored in a separate category.  See Event Website below for swimwear details.
• Swimmers in either swimwear category MAY wear a personal buoy (tow float) for identification and safety.  These are defined as inflatable, tethered to the waist, and towed no farther behind than the top of the ankle.
• Swimmers may NOT make deliberate contact with craft and/or physical features on or near the course.

JUST FOR FUN:  In the 1500-meter swim only, we have added a new category called ‘Just for Fun’ for swimmers who would like a more-relaxed, non-competitive participation swim experience.  Swimmers in this category may use otherwise-prohibited devices like snorkels, pull buoys, paddles, fins, etc.  They’ll identify themselves at the pre-swim meeting and swim with the rest of us, but for safety & fairness they’ll start at the back of the pack and avoid contact & drafting with those who are racing.  We won’t report places or score them in any swimwear category, but we will report times as a courtesy.  As we said—just for fun!  Because this is a non-competitive category, swimmers who choose the Just for Fun category will not be eligible for the Long or Short Series, but will remain eligible for the Survivor Series.
STARTS & SEEDING:  The 3000 & 5000-meter swims will use a mass start unless the size of the entry dictates otherwise for safety’s sake.  The 1500-meter swim will be divided into women’s and men’s waves.  The 500-meter swim will have individual starts and the 1000-meter swim will start in small heats; both swims will be seeded fastest-to-slowest based on 500-yard seed time.  Swimmers not submitting a seed time will swim last.  No changes allowed in seeding times at the race, so enter accurate times.
SAFETY—OUR PRIMARY CONCERN:  Safety boats will monitor the entire course and medical personnel will be on-site.  Swimmers must wear a brightly colored swim cap, have their race number on their arms or hands, and follow all announced safety rules without exception.
REGISTRATION—ONLINE ONLY (and this change from previous years—NO DAY-OF-RACE ENTRIES!):    Entries completed by July 15 will pay the normal fees.  Entries completed July 16-21 must pay a $10 late fee.  The online entry system will close on July 21 at midnight PDST.  No Day-of-Race entry!  Save some cash—submit your entries on time!
ENTRY FEES:  The basic entry fee is $35, plus $5 for each swim.  Entry fee includes a swim cap and post-swim meals on your race days.
OMS SANCTION SURCHARGE:  There is a required $5 per swimmer surcharge cover the cost of USMS-mandated sanction insurance.
RESULTS:  Will be posted at Elk Lake promptly after each race and at www.comaswim.org/cl-results.html and www.swimoregon.org after the event.
AWARDS:  Age groups are standard USMS age groups.
Awards to individual swimmers by age group:

• Ribbons to three places in each age group in all swims in both suit categories.
• Ceramic coasters to the top 3 Series finishers in each age group.

Awards to individual swimmers regardless of age group:

• Ceramic mug to the top masters male & female in each Series.
• Special Survivor award to everyone completing all five swims.

SOUVENIRS:  With their entry, swimmers may pre-order & purchase…

• Commemorative t-shirts for $18.  See the Event Website below for design.
• Special Commemorative 25th Anniversary ceramic mug for $20.  These will be similar to the mugs from our 10th and 20th anniversary events.

Souvenirs will not be on sale at the event unless there are extras.
OREGON OPEN WATER SERIES:  All swims count towards the cumulative season series.  The 1500 & 5000 are featured swims, while the 500, 1000, & 3000-meter swims are qualifying swims.
HOT DRINKS & SNACKS:  We’ll have hot coffee and hot water for other drinks to help keep you warm before & after swims.  We will also offer modest snacks for our volunteers, many of whom are on duty long before swimmers arrive.  Swimmers may snack too, but these snacks are limited and NOT intended to serve as your breakfast or lunch. 
MEALS:  Swimmers will receive a post-swim meal; order vegetarian or meat with entry.  Swimmers may pre-order specatator meals (vegetarian or meat) for $12 each with entry.  Meals include dinner on Friday evening, and lunch on Saturday and Sunday.
CAMPING:  We were unable to reserve either of the nearby group campsites, so you’re on your own for camping this year.  There are lots of camping opportunities reasonably close to the event site.  Go to www.recreation.gov for choices and reservations.  Do so early, as camping in the Cascades is very popular around the time of this event.  There will be no shuttle.
DIRECTIONS (Google: Elk Lake or go to  http://www.comaswim.org/cl-directions.html):  From Century Drive in Bend, take the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway approximately 34 miles to Elk Lake.  The start & finish for all swims is the Beach Day Use Area at the southernmost eend of the lake, last Elk Lake exit if coming from Bend.
PARKING:  Parking is limited to two large pullouts off the Cascades Lakes Highway and the Six-Lakes Trailhead.  There will be no general parking at the race site until after event activities have concluded.  Your car must display a current NW Forest Pass to park anywhere other than the highway pullouts or trailhead.
DOGS:  NO DOGS at Elk Lake (a U.S. Forest Service Rule), but they may be in the campground on a leash.  Never leave your dog unattended in a car!
WEBSITE FOR COMPLETE INFO:  www.comaswim.org/cascade-lakes.html
EVENT DIRECTOR:  Bob Bruce   coachbobbruce@gmail.com  541-317-4851

Note: If paying by credit card, your credit card statement will reflect a charge from "WWW.COMASWIM.ORG."