Tampa Bay Open Water Swim

May 18th, 2013

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2nd annual Tampa Bay Open Water Swim on May 18th! We had another beautiful day and over 250 swimmers who came out and raised over $150,000 for Moffitt Cancer Center!

Welcome to the Swim Across America - Tampa Bay Open Water Swim. Swim as an individual or as a team to honor loved ones who have been affected by cancer. Whether you are a returning SAA swimmer or looking to do your first Open Water swim, we welcome you to the Swim Across America family and hope you will join us as we "Make Waves to Fight Cancer."

Event Day Timeline:

This is a temporary timline, the actual timeline will be posted soon

Swimmer Requirements

You can register as either a Swimmer or a WaveMaker Swimmer.  

Swimmer - A swimmer is required to raise $500 by event day.  They will receive a tshirt and towel for their fundraising efforts. Swimmers under 18 are required to raise $250 by event day.

WaveMaker Swimmer - A WaveMaker Swimmer is required to raise $1,000 by event day.  By pledging to raise this much in advance, we will award all WaveMakers who reach this goal with a special hat and Swim Across America wristband. 

NEW! 2.4 Mile IRONMAN - This year, we will be adding a 2.4 Mile Ironman distance to the event! For those who would like to take on this challenging distance, we encourage you to sign up as a WaveMaker Swimmer and pledge to raise $1,000. You must raise at least $750 to participate in the ironman distance. 

After choosing which type is right for you, you can choose your distance. You can choose from 1/2 mile, 1 mile, or the NEW 2.4 Mile IRONMAN distances.

There is a registration fee that will be credited towards each swimmer's fundraising minimum after registering. The registration fee will change as follows:

• Register before April 20th with a registration fee of $25
• Register on or after April 20th with a registration fee of $50

Click here to download the event waiver you will need to have with you on event day.

New Prizes!

Calling all 18 & Under swimmers! We are challenging you to grow your donations as the swim approaches. We will have stellar prizes across the event, but specifically for those 18 & Under, we are awarding our top 3 fundraisers as follows:
First Prize: iPhone
Second Prize: Mini iPad
Third Prize: iPod 

Swimmers & Teams:

A person may elect to swim alone, or be part of a team. Many colleagues will form corporate teams, or teams may be formed in honor or memory of a loved one.  All teams are inspirational and rewarding for all of us involved with Swim Across America.  Through swimming events such as ours, teams clearly demonstrate our commitment to find a cure. 

We also encourage club teams and masters teams to join us for the swim and have set the following guidelines for those teams:

• Club teams (under 18) - the team as a whole has a fundraising minimum of $3,000 (at 20 swimmers, this would be an average of $150/swimmer)
• Masters teams (18 and over) - the team as a whole has a fundraising minimum of $5,000 (at 20 swimmers, this would be an average of $250/swimmer)

Volunteers:

Volunteers are the glue that holds our event together! If you are looking to get involved in the inaugural SAA, Tampa Bay swim but aren't quite ready to jump in the water, this is your way in. We always need land volunteers and kayakers (must bring own kayak). To join us as a volunteer you can either Register as an Individual on this page and then choose your volunteer type or you can join "TampaBay - SAA Volunteer Team" by clicking on "Join an Existing Team." Either one of these options will register you to be a volunteer. If you would like to volunteer as part of another team, you can do that as well, just search for that team under "Join an Existing Team."

Are you a student looking to fulfill your community service hours? Volunteer at the inaugural Tampa Bay Swim! The event director can provide you a letter upon request that states that you completed hours. He can be reached via email at rob@swimacrossamerica.org

Contingency Plan: 

In case of bad weather or surf conditions the event committee will make a decision on Friday night. Please be sure to check your email or our website around 9pm on Friday, May 17.  If the event is postponed we will reschedule the swim at the Long Center, 1501 N Belcher Rd, Clearwater, FL 33765 (727-793-2320). The Long Center Pool will be available for our swim starting at 9:30am on Saturday May 18. Again, please look for an email or check the website Saturday night around 9pm.

Giving:

All donations are tax-deductible and proceeds will go to Moffitt Cancer Center.

You may support the swimmer of your choice by making an online donation. Or you may send a check, payable to Swim Across America, to the address below.  

Swim Across America
19046 Bruce B Downs Blvd #124
Tampa, FL 33647

Make sure to include a note with the name of the swimmer you are donating to.

Click here to learn more about our beneficiary.

Course:

Venue:

The event will be held at beautiful Clearwater beach.

Parking:

Click here for a map of parking.

Directions

From W Courtney Campbell Causeway

• Head west on W Courtney Campbell Causeway toward Bayport Drive
• Continue onto N Courtney Campbell Pkwy/Gulf to Bay Blvd. Continue to follow Gulf to Bay Blvd.
• Continue onto Court Street
• Continue straight onto Pierce Blvd
• Continue onto Clearwater Memorial Causeway
• At the traffic circle, continue straight onto Causeway Blvd/Clearwater Memorial Causeway
• Slight right onto Coronado Dr/S Gulfview Blvd. Continue to follow S Gulfview Blvd
• Take the 1st right
• Turn left and destination will be on the right
• Arrive at Pier 60

Places to Stay

Hilton Hotel
Web Link: http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/P/PIECBHF-SWIM-20130517/index.jhtml
Phone Number: 800-753-3954
Group Code: SWIM
Dates: May 17-18, 2013
Rates: $199.00-$199.00

*Any unused rooms will be released 30 days prior to check in (April 14).

Hyatt Hotel
To reserve a room call 888-421-1442 and refer to Swim Across America group
http://www.clearwaterbeach.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-clearwaterbeach/index.jsp?null

$199 for a premium room
$249 for delux room (not sure what the difference is except for maybe the view)
$324 1-bedroom suite
$549 2-bedroom suite

Questions?

• Learn more about the Tampa community here of visit our Contact Us page