When we were in Capitola over spring break, we thought we'd swim around the Capitola Pier for a training swim. Jordan had a shorty 2/1 wetsuit and a healthy concern with the (small) incoming swell. We jumped in and it did not work-Jordan wanted nothing to do with it. Wrong gear, too much swell, sensory overload. I immediately thought "What have I gotten myself into?" I signed up for this swim, published our intentions to everyone, started a fundraiser, and now I will have to call it all off. Should I reimburse the people who donated?

Instead, we went to the O'Neill wetsuit outlet and got a 4/3 full suit and forgot about open ocean swims. In San Francisco Bay, there is no swell so we don't need to train for that. Upon getting home, it was off to Folsom Lake to try again. Folsom Lake is really warm in the summer, but we found out it is cold in the winter. My objective was to get there, get in, swim back and forth as many times as possible under the Salmon Falls bridge, and gain some confidence. It is about 100 yards across, so we set our goal of 5 times over and back. Without swell, it was awesome. The cold is a factor, but Jordan is super hearty and not that affected by it. We ended up doing 7 trips across and I cannot describe my relief to know that the journey continues. Two days later we spent 40 minutes in the cold water and had a ball.

The entire time I am trying to figure out if Jordan is really into this or is doing it for me. I have asked her multiple times to tell me if she is not into it. She assures me she is and I have to trust her. At Folsom Lake, she tells me that what helps her get through is thinking about the lives of the kids she is helping save, so thank you again to everyone who has donated.

This whole thing is also a great chance at personal growth for me. Anyone who knows me knows I do not obsess with preparation or gear. I make due with bare minimum, a reactor and not a planner. I would show up at alcatraz without the right gear and suffer through it. I do not have that choice with Jordan. I am forced to analyze systems and gear and make necessary adjustments. The wetsuit and swim cap were the start. I want her to have a hot pink cap so I can see her easily. We've decided against gloves and booties. This will be the most I've ever prepared for any event (and I've done an IronMan).

Thanks to everyone for believing in us. Thank to my family for supporting and enabling us.

From Dad...Training is going well. Jordan is swimming 4 times each week in the pool, up to 1.5 hours. I swim about once a week when there is room. Otherwise, I run while Jordan swims. I try to stay true to my mantra that if your kids are working out, so should you. Get it while you can...

Anyway, we ran into a bit of a stumbling block with the youngest ever claim. It turns out a 7 year old has done the Alcatraz Swim. So, we had to backtrack a little bit and we're still not sure if our claim of youngest female ever holds true. In any event, we've gotten some attention for our efforts and turned it into a good cause-Nothingbutnets.net. We believe that it is healthy to have a cause that is bigger than yourself, a mission that goes beyond you. Jordan is thrilled to use her quest of Alcatraz to raise money for kids in Africa.

Next week will be a big benchmark in training. We are going to Santa Cruz and will be able to train in the ocean-that will be an eye opening experience.

Oops!

Oops! I’m really sorry, but I accidentally got the wrong information and am not actually going to be the youngest person ever to do the Alcatraz swim. Last night, we found out that a 7 year old from Arizona did it. He found out about it the same way we did: from a magazine. His cause was for better water safety. But I will still be the youngest to do it without a wetsuit, probably, so I’m still doing Nothing But Nets. Sorry again for the false information.

Written by Jordan

Why it Matters

Why should we over here in America care about other people across the world? Well, they’re humans too and they also have the right to live. A lot of people think they should just take care of themselves. Actually, it is kind of tough for them to because they don’t have as much money in Africa. Also, they don’t have the resources or materials to make mosquito nets. That is why we should help them.

Think about it. If one of your friends got malaria, how would you feel?

written by Jordan

Words from the Father

Well, I consider myself the impetus for this excursion. Several years ago, I stumbled upon an article in a magazine about the youngest person to ever do the Alcatraz Swim. He was just shy of his 10th birthday. I actually cut it out and pinned it to my wall for several years, occasionally seeing it and never forgetting about it because I knew we could "raise the bar" while "lowering the age". About a month ago I started mentioning it to my daughter, Jordan, to get buy in for it. She of course has agreed to it (and I am not sure if she knows exactly what she agreed to).

The question everyone will have is "Why?" My first answer is "Why not?" Secondly, I always believe that life is better when you have something to look forward to. It is also better with goals, challenges, and aspirations. This is on the radar, we are committed, and we're working toward it. That is a lot better than having nothing on the horizon, no Rubicon to cross.

Another question and consideration is am I pushing my daughter into something too hard?First of all, if she doesn't want to do it, she won't. Second of all, I believe in the difference between providing opportunities and challenges and being an overbearing, pushy parent. I also would not do this if I thought it was in any way dangerous. We're doing an organized event with exceptional safety measures in place. We are also going to have friends solely dedicated to providing kayak support for us. I know what we are capable of. If my daughter wanted to tree ski with me right now, I'd probably say no, too dangerous. But this-totally doable.

What about sharks? What about 'em?

I am lucky to be associated with the Dry Diggins Dolphins Swim Team in Placerville, CA, with the greatest swim coach ever, Coach Kristin. She is letting me do laps on Tuesday and Thursday nights after swim clinic. I made her promise to not be too harsh on my technique. Last Tuesday was my first swim sesh in years and it felt really good!

Thanks for any and all positive comments-the feedback we are getting is awesome!

Written by Tom F.

Beginning the Process of Alcatraz

One day my dad, Tom, was reading a magazine and came across an article about the youngest kid ever to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco. I am younger than than the boy who did it, and I love to swim, so when Papa asked me if I would like to do it with him, I said,"definitely!". Now of course we have to train, because it's a mile-and-a-half swim. I do swim team, so it was no problem getting my coach to lend us a lane for a half hour after my session. She even gave me some tips on open water swimming techniques.

We thought this would be a great opportunity for a fundraiser, so we decided that we would raise money for nothingbutnets.net, an organization that provides mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria in Africa. Did you know that 3,000 kids die every day from malaria in Africa? If you donate $10, it will buy and ship one mosquito net which will save a person's life. We'll be asking people to donate to this cause, more information to follow!

Jordan