I woke up this morning exhausted....which is how I've felt for at least two weeks. (exhaustion amplified by the fact that John and I, along with another teammate did a midnight swim last night to prepare for night swimming). I am spread extremely thin. Over the long holiday weekend I swam upwards of 18 miles which has left me a bit fatigued. I haven't really been getting enough sleep because my to-do list is too long and there are just not enough hours in the day it seems.
Stress levels have been pretty high for me also, I am the co-event director for the Flathead Lake Swim Series which is coming up NEXT WEEKEND in Big Arm Montana! We've got 62 athletes from all over the US coming to compete in our 3 days of 4 open water swimming races. This is an enormous fundraiser for the Enduring Waves Foundation-all proceeds from the event go to the foundation and this year will then be disbursed to our two beneficiaries, Monte and Scottie Marie. The race usually brings in several thousand dollars of funds and this year we have a record number of athletes participating.
While it is AWESOME that our event is growing, that also means our volunteer needs are growing as well. And as we stand five days out from our event we are in GREAT need of more kayak volunteers. Our kayak volunteers keep eyes on our swimmers during the race and alert the motorized boat officials to any swimmers in distress. We will train all volunteers onsite prior to the start of the race. Volunteers will be provided shirts and food after the race. And you will not meet a finer group of athletes and race staff than at the Flathead Lake Swim Series. The event just attracts such good and awesome people.
If you live a ways away and want to help out, we can provide lodging if you're willing to make the drive. If you want to help out but don't have a kayak, we've got kayaks that you can use. The race is in Big Arm State Park Friday night (5-9pm), Saturday morning (7am-2pm), Sunday morning (7am-11am). If you are willing to help out, here is the volunteer sign up link (be patient if the page takes a little while to load).
So if I have ever done you a favor and you've been looking for a way to repay me, please sign up to volunteer. If I've helped you overcome a fear of the water or taught your kiddo how to swim, please sign up to volunteer. If I've helped you train to accomplish a dream or goal, please sign up to volunteer. If you're wondering what I would like for a Christmas or Birthday present (both a ways off but it's never too early), I would LOVE you to volunteer.
I know summer is a hard time to recruit folks willing to give up their free time on our beautiful Montana weekends. But if you are able to help out, you will be helping us to do an amazing amount of good by allowing us to host a successful race and raise a great deal of money for two amazing kids. If you're not free next weekend, but know someone who LOVES To kayak, or LOVES to volunteer, please share this post and help us recruit the necessary volunteers to hold an awesome race!
Thanks and HAPPY SWIMMING!
~Emily
