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Sunday, December 27, 2009

End of the month push...

December 27th - 4 days left in the year, and if I am to hit my new personal best of 75 miles in the pool, it means I need 12.5 more miles. I swam 3.5 miles tonite. December is typically a big month for me - and I wanted to set a personal record in 2009, so hopefully this is it.

Looking forward to getting into the lake earlier this year - I'd like to try some colder water - still can't understand the thought of swimming in 60 degree water - I have been in 59 degree water - as I recall I lasted about 3 minutes... My understanding of the channel swimmers is that they swim in 61-62 degree water. I can't fathom being able to do that. We'll see this spring. Lake St. Clair gets pretty cold - I'd like to see if I could get in before it warms up completely. Anyone else interested?

We are beginning to plan the event for 2010 - first or second week of August. Hoping to miss the hail this year - and hoping we don't get the waves in our faces again. I think we're going to have more people involved this year - the US Masters group is writing an article about the swim - and I have already had several calls. If anyone wants more info, leave comments - hopefully we'll get back to you promptly.

All the best - and I wish you the best in the new year.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

December update...

Several pieces of good news here... First, I think we are getting started pretty soon planning next year's event. Greg Erne has offered to get into the fundraising process early this year, and be an even bigger help than he was last year. Next, we are going to be featured in the US Master's Swimming Magazine for January. This was arranged by Derek Weaver, one of our swimmers, and with the help of Laura Hamel, we were able to put together a small article explaining what we do and why. I have read Laura's draft and it is awesome. She is a great writer, as you'll see. Finally, I was named Distinguished Athlete of the Year at the DAC (Detroit Athletic Club). This is no big deal, but I do get a kick out of the fact that it took untilk I was 54 to get this kind of athletic honor. I was nominated largely on the strength of my being able to navigate Lake St Clair from Harson's Island to the Grosse Point Yacht Club twice (in two years) without drowning. I also managed to swim a shade over 500 miles in 2009 in the DAC pool to lead the Club's annual mileage contest. I didn't intentionally get into this to crank out the mileage, but now that I'm doing it I hate to stop. My goal for December is always big (for me) - this year I am trying to do 75 miles - which is 2.5 miles every day of the month (except Christmas, I guess). This may sound like a lot, but there are Masters swimmers doing 150 miles plus each month, and even my young friend Derek swims something like 10 miles a day as a part of the Wayne State swim team. Of course, I am 54 years old, and Derek is barely 25 or something. But there are are other older masters swimmers doing some pretty incredible mileage. And to be fair, I am not what I would consider a great swimmer. I can swim a long way, but I am not going to win any races. Some of these masters can swim more miles faster, and consistently.
But, as they say, I do what I can, and for me that means averaging about 45 miles/month. It is therapeutic, healthy and invigorating. And I need to say, at least twice in my life my lower back was so bad I was effectively disabled - I couldn't go for more than a week without it going out and incapacitating me. And I love to work hard - construction, etc. It was debilitating - I had to find a way out of it. My chiropractor suggested running in place in a pool, which I did at the Detroit Yacht Club (on Belle Isle) back in the mid nineties. It was extremely helpful, but I hated it - I couldn't wait to get better. But I didn't get better for a long time, and after a while it got so that I was very used to getting in the water, but I didn't like the running in place deal.
So, one day, I remember thinking I would try to lean forward a bit and propel myself for several laps. That was the start. I ended up quitting smoking and swimming more and more. A couple of years later, the first month that I swam 25 miles I thought I was on fire!! 44,000 yards!! I couldn't imagine doing more than that. And then I came to the DAC and met a couple of guys who kept pushing me and pushing me. At one point I couldn't see how Jim C. could do 1.5 miles 3 times a week - with a hip replacement!! And he beat me consistently. He also taught me how to flip turn over the next 5-6 years. But nobody motivated me more than George H. George refused to lose to me when we swam - EVER... I worked very hard for at least a year before I could beat him. I distinctly remember the first time I clearly beat him. We started at almost exactly the same time, and I was about 3 lengths behind him. I chased him the entire 35 laps - passing him in the last lap. It was exhilarating, and I was hooked. I owe a lot of my endurance and technique to Jim C., and certainly to George, but also to a handful of other members who help out with "clues" about what I could be doing better.
On another day, I swam my second fastest mile, and watched Mike B. pass me 4 times in the process!! I did a 26:22 and he smoked me. It is amazing to watch truly good, efficient swimmers. For those of you who are not great swimmers, the key is being as efficient as possible in the water. Never do anything that would hinder your process. It sounds so simple, but after 10+ years and a couple thousand miles, I learn something almost every time I'm out.
My training regime is pretty simple - I swim 2.5 miles in 70 to 75 minutes, period. I try not to stop and to keep up a good pace. I generally swim faster as I get into the workout. My last mile is most often my fastest.
There are any number of people who will tell you that this is definitely not the way to train, and I am certain they are correct. But for me, when I start doing 50's, 100's, etc., and alternating strokes and hitting faster times for shorter distances, I seem to pull muscles and have injuries more often. As it is, my arms and upper back are sore almost all the time. Occasionally I will go through a week or two when I'm not sore, but that hasn't happened in a while. Right now my right arm is numb from typing, etc. My genetic history seems to include a good deal of arthritis and bone issues, so I just keep going. Sometimes I take Motrin, but mostly I just keep going. If anyone has any good ideas out there, let me know. As therapy it is unparalleled (for me), but it would probably be even more fun it were less painful... Every time it gets tough, I think of Rickie, and I just keep going...

Monday, October 12, 2009

Lake St Clair


Here's the lake - with a loose approximation of where the currents are (the thin blue lines). You can see that they tend to run into the center of the lake - which is OK, and that they cross the shipping channel - which is not OK. The small stars are the two old South Channel Lights that we crossed in front of at the start of our swim. The thin dotted line is our approximate course. "Approximate" means that we were hoping for more or less this path, but... The first year we ended up 3.5 miles off shore and had to come straight in. Ouch...
The good news is that all six of this year's team have agreed to go again - in 2010. And we have picked up another 4 swimmers already - and expect more after the article appears in the US Master's Swimming Magazine (Jan/Feb) issue - thanks to Derek Weaver, bottom left in the picture. He was the one who came in 4th in the 100 free at the US Master's Long Course Nationals two days before our swim. He is also the one who was doing the butterfly for much of his swim in the lake. For Derek, this is a chance to swim like a wildman for short bursts without flipturning at the end of the pool. For the rest of us, the name of the game is survival. C'est la vie...
We are anxiously looking forward to next year's swim already. If anyone has any questions - please leave your email info on the blog.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

More from the swimmers!

Another viewpoint from our first timer Greg Erne...


Wow, what a memory Ric has. My recollection was "shoot, darn, ouch, cold, yucky seaweed, was that an alligator with a musky in its mouth?, cant pee in this damn suit, shoot, darn, ouch, how the heck does ric keep going? i need fins next year, i'm hungry, what kind of a show-off does butterfly on a long-distance swim - I won't show him up right now, did my arm just fall off?, there is that alligator again - but with a jobbie nooner in his mouth - serves him right for skipping work, i sure hope that is seaweed i just swam through and not ric's recent meal, how come i cant catch up to these guys, i didnt realize that the 9 mile tower was so small - oh its not it is just miles away, shoot, darn, ouch, okay - this is ridiculous...and lastly - what a great event - and everytime i think I am tired i just think about someone with CF and the above compaints go away"
G



Sunday, August 16, 2009

We Made It Again!!!!



First, I need to say that this is one man’s version of the events. I just wanted to put some thoughts down to herald our effort. And I want to thank our team - they are great friends, great swimmers, and a heck of a lot of fun to be around. And I am happy to say that I made it the entire length – again… At 54, hey, I’ll take it.




7:30am – The Boat…

Mike Hutchinson, Derek Weaver, Greg McDuffee and Greg Erne and I met Mike Stevens on his boat at the dock at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. We were joined by Richard Mishler, one of my partners at 4731 Consulting who came by to wish us luck. As fate would have it, we had an extra spot on the boat, so Richard joined us on the trip. We got all our gear on board and left the harbor at 8:00am headed for Harsen’s Island. The sky is overcast, the waves are pretty quiet and obviously there isn’t much wind at all. The weather report had called thunderstorms all morning… Seriously, weather forecasters must not get out much – they weren’t even close… The trip is 25 minutes, and we arrived without incident. The only hard part is watching the shoreline completely disappear in the distance. It makes you feel pretty insignificant – and brings into mind the idea that Lake St Clair really should be considered one of the Great Lakes. It also makes you question your judgment about swimming all the way back…



Mike Stevens recommends that we start at the southern tip of Harsen’s Island, and swim to the South Channel Lighthouses. Then from there, we’ll head southwest directly towards the Nine Mile Tower, located off Jefferson about a mile or so north of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. The idea was that this year we would swim across the lake currents near the top of the lake and then use the shore currents to help us slide down the shoreline, staying no more than a mile or so offshore.



8:48am

Four of us get in the water: Greg Erne, Mike Hutchinson, Derek Weaver and me. We toast Rickie and our own bravado, say goodbye and start swimming. The sun is threatening to come out for good, the clouds are receding, and the water feels great. It was probably 73 degrees at the start, and ranged from 69 to about 76 on our trip. The water is smooth, there are few if any waves, and we’re swimming with the current. About 40 minutes later we’ve reached the second of the South Channel lighthouses and take a photo break for a couple of minutes. Personally, these little breaks are tough for me, because it is far easier (for me) to swim than to tread water, especially with a steady pace.



As we get ready to go we look back and see how far away the Harsen’s Island shore appears. It would not change for the next 2 hours or so… One of the frustrations to overcome in a long swim like this is the notion that you can swim for an hour or two, and your landmarks sometimes appear not to have changed at all. This is especially true of the shoreline itself, or of large landmarks like the 9 mile Tower that would later appear almost never to get closer during the middle 3-4 hours of the swim.



10:20am

Our first official break – we all get out to rest and to replace a couple of the swimmers with fresh bodies. I always feel best right after one of these breaks – the other swimmers speed me up a bit, and I feel a sense of their energy. I rest for 5 minutes, gulp down an energy packet (“GU”), drink some Gatorade and dive back in. Hitting the water is always a shock… And the temperature can change immediately. Frequently you’ll be lulled by some really warm water, and just as you’re getting comfortable you’ll hit a pocket of what feels like ice-cold water that nearly takes your breath. It’ll wake you up fast…



11:45 – second break. I can’t really explain what happens between breaks. My mind is thinking about everything and nothing at once. Most of the time I am trying to make sure I swim relatively straight to get maximum efficiency out of my effort. I am still feeling pretty good at this point. I am focused mostly on keeping the boat in sight (to my right) and making sure I don’t run into whoever is swimming next to me. We don’t look up much – there really is no reason. At water level, you can’t see anything but water anyway. I think about Rickie, about the guys I am swimming with, about my wife and family, about the economy, etc. Occasionally I look over and see Derek - he’s doing the butterfly, for crying out loud…



12:50 – Suddenly, Mike Stevens calls us into the boat. North of us, a pocket storm is passing through. It is small circle of dark clouds, which would probably be OK by themselves, but they are dropping lightning onto the lake. It is hard to tell which direction the clouds are moving, “severe weather” warnings have been issued and the National Weather Service is calling for potentially dangerous weather. We mark our coordinates and immediately head for shore. On the trip in we never did get wet or even any serious wind, but the Weather Service is right often enough to always listen to their advisories. We’ve been swimming 4 hours and have probably 6 miles left. It is hard to stop…



1:45 – We wait for a half hour at the GPYC, and suddenly the weather passes us or dissipates or disappears, and we get an all clear from the Weather Service. Mike Stevens declares we are going back out… Derek has just finished a huge hamburger and French fries from the GPYC concession and head back out. The rest of us went the fruit and liquids route. At his age (24?) the food doesn’t even affect him, and he is a pretty decent swimmer. The night before he had just returned from the US Masters Swimming Long Course Championships, where he placed 3rd in the 400 freestyle competition. At 2pm we’re back in the water.



3:00 – The times get a little more fluid here, but it’s always the same - fresh swimmers, quick break for nutrition, then back in the water.

We change swimmers roughly every hour. At each stop, we all get out. I always get back in, along with at least a couple of other guys. Some of them have put in serious mileage as well. We decide not to have more than three in the water at any one time – we get spread out too far and it is too hard to watch all of us. More GU, more Gatorade. I am getting pretty tired. And apparently I am turning to the left a lot. My left shoulder seems a little sore – I can’t quite find the stroke anymore that keeps it from hurting. But, the weather is decent, and I enjoy looking up and watching the sun and the clouds each time I take a breath. At one point the boat takes off – to go collect some trash on the water.



4:00pm - It is getting harder to get “clean air” – I keep taking in water because the waves are kicking up and shifting direction, but things are generally manageable. McDuffee frequently swims on my right side, and is as steady as a rock. When he is in the water, I mostly just keep an eye on him. He seems to watch the boat and somehow also stays with me, in spite of my frequent left turns. It’s the same thing with Hutch, who swims on my left, except for the fact that I find myself nearly running into him all the time.



5:30 – It has suddenly gotten very difficult to breathe. The waves are now coming out of the southwest directly into our path. Clearly the wind appears to have clocked 180 degrees in a very short time. I am aware of the different direction of the waves for only about 20 minutes until suddenly I hear the guys on the boat screaming at us to get out of the water. Greg McDuffee, Derek Weaver and I all swim hard to get to the boat, but have not completely gotten on board when the rain hits. It is pelting us, and the wind has suddenly and unexpectedly elevated to about 40 mph. But what is most interesting is the hail. I have been caught in a hailstorm before, but never while swimming in a lake. We all manage to make it on board just in time to hear Mike Stevens yell, “That’s all she wrote, boys. We’re done!!! At this point we’re about ½ a mile away from the mouth of the harbor. Mike is the self-appointed President of the Lake St Clair Swimming for Rickie Sanctioning Board. We all cheer and shake hands. It is really a great moment. Then we all come forward, and huddle together near the wheelhouse as we make our way to the harbor.



By the way, I must say that I feel partly responsible for the hail. At about a mile out, I realized I was having some difficulty. With the waves, I couldn’t get any power in my stroke, and I was working so hard to get air on each breath I was losing what energy I had left. So, I figured that I’d say a little prayer, get the winds to die down, or the waves to settle down a bit, and we’d be all set. But hail? Never even thought of that one…



I am the luckiest guy in the world. Rickie continues to be healthy and we have been blessed with great medical care at the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital. We have had great support for our little swim – including this group of seven guys on the boat who have offered their time and resources (and energy) to train for and swim in this effort two years in a row!! And we’ve already had several people offer to help us next year. We all made it, we have a great story to tell, and some really great people have supported us. Now – if you happen to know any others with cf who want someone to talk to – please send them to us. It’s always easier when you’ve got friends…

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

4:30 UPDATE

Two and a half more miles!

UPDATE!!

The storms came from the north with lighting, so the guys had to stop for a bit...

They are continuing on strong, they're on mile 11 as of 4pm. They are soooo close!

Monday, August 10, 2009

8 Hours and counting!!!


Last year getting into the water!


After their swim we are there to welcome them!


As of 10pm this evening the swim is on! Of course our weather changes very quickly so we'll see in the morning how it looks!

Starting point - Harsen's Island

Path - swim between the two South Channel Lighthouses, and head for a spot just north of the 9 mile tower. Once we get close to the coast,
we will stay about a mile offshore and swim south to the Grosse Point Yacht Club (GPYC). We will get out at the breakwall by the GPYC.

Timing: - at the GPYC at 7:30am; on the boat at 8am. Boat to Harsen's Island before 8:30am, begin our swim by 9am.
- 7 hours in the water equals 4:00 pm finish at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.
- 8 hours in the water equals 5:00 pm finish at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.

7 Swimmers - Ric Geyer, MIke Hutchinson, Greg McDuffee, Mike Stevens, Derek Weaver (all 2nd year, all met at the Detroit Athletic Club)
- Greg Erne, Pete Stevens (1st year rookies...)

Tom Trainer - Gen Mgr of the GPYC - if you need permissions, etc. He is expecting you guys at some point.

We are hoping that at least two of us to swim the entire distance, the others will all swim legs of the distance

Funny story - last year we would have gotten coverage, helicopter, the whole deal, but Kwame Kilpatrick resigned that day - pulling all the news people. This year we're hoping Bing stays put, and Monica's already resigned...

This unfortunely is not a spectator event...although we would LOVE to have a lot of people at the finish, we're not quite sure if the GPYC will allow that.

Thank you for your support, next year we'll try to have an event at the finish!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Our Purpose

Our family and friends are holding our second annual “Swimming St.Clair” event in honor of our 7 year old son, Rickie. Rickie, who turns 8 in August, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in October, 2007. Cystic fibrosis is a disease that causes the creation of thick mucus that forms in the lungs and pancreas. This substance makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and to assimilate vitamins and nutrients from food.

The good news is that CF is supported by a national organization that is second to none in their pursuit of a cure for this disease. Partly because of the CF Foundation, medicine continues to make great strides, and we are more hopeful than ever for a cure.

The bad news is that we have yet to find that cure and because it took our doctors 6 years to diagnose what we consider to be an obvious problem, Rickie is already feeling the affects of the disease. As of this year, the State of Michigan tests all children at birth, and this is a tremendous step forward. Had Rickie been tested at birth, or had Rickie’s pediatrician either listened to us as parents or thought enough to do a simple sweat test, Rickie would be much better off at this point. It points out the absolute need to be your own patient advocate. Medicine continues to improve, but personal advocacy helps good doctors make better decisions. Luckily, we have found Dr. Sami Nasr, at Mott's Children’s Hospital who runs the Pulminary Specialties Area at the Hospital. She is amazing, and Rickie is drastically improved since meeting her.

We dedicate this swim to Rickie and using the proceeds of the event to establish a medical trust fund in his name. This will help to defray the cost of his future medical expenses – which could be exorbitant. There is also an opportunity to donate to the cf organization nationally on our site – a wonderful organization.

The Swimmers

The swimmers are a group of volunteers, each committed to swimming either a segment, or the entire 12+ mile swim. At this point, there are two swimmers who have agreed to swim the entire distance and at least one other group of 6 swimmers who are going to swim intervals. Each swimmer will be assigned to a particular boat, which will pace the slowest swimmer. It is expected that we will have an EMT in each boat for emergencies – though we haven’t yet identified the EMT’s.

The Event

Our route takes us from Harsen’s Island, at the north of Lake St. Clair to the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club at the southeast end of the lake. My family and I are not members of either club, but both have graciously offered us their support and have agreed to allow us to use their facilities for our event.

Assuming favorable conditions, we will depart by boat just before 8am from the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. We will arrive at The Old Club on Harsen’s Island at approximately 8:15. Upon arrival at “The Old Club”, located at the southern tip of Harsen’s Island, we will make final adjustments and get one last injection of protein and carbs before beginning our swim.

At 9am we will enter the water at the southern end of Harsen’s Island from the Old Club Pier. We will swim out in the Middle Channel for several hundred yards, at the edge of the US/Canadian line, then head due west, cutting between Gull and Harsen’s Islands. This gets us away from the shipping channel, which passes just southeast of this point, and heads us towards the South Channel lights (actually, the “St Clair Flats Channel” range lights, originally built in 1859), twin lighthouses that mark the original shipping channel from Lake Huron through Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie.

The currents will push us south and east, so we need to hustle across this section or risk being carried across the US/Canada line and into the shipping channel. The international line isn’t nearly as daunting as the shipping channel – the fastest freighters can travel at nearly 20 knots and aren’t able to easily slow down or turn. Swimming through the shipping channel would be dangerous at best, so we will focus on staying comfortably west of both the US/Canadian line and the shipping channel, which runs nearly straight from Harsen’s Island to the Detroit River and which sees considerable boat traffic.

St. Clair is a tough lake to swim because of a unique feature of the lake – the current flows directly from northeast to southwest while the wind blows in exactly the opposite direction. This makes for very choppy conditions that make swimming a challenge.

After we’ve passed near the westernmost of the South Channel lights, we will be approximately 4 miles from the mainland, and we will begin heading towards the “9 mile Tower”, an apartment tower located at 9 mile and Lakeshore. This is a 10 mile stretch that we hope to traverse in a relatively straight line. Our final destination is one mile further south at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, located at 8 mile and Lake Shore.

Once we reach the GPYC, we will get out of the water, rest, and have a beer. No word yet on a celebration, but we are working on it…



Event Details

Name: SwimmingStClair

Website/blogs:

“SwimmingStClair.com” or “ForRickie.blogspot.com”

Date: Week of August 10, 2009

* Rickie’s birthday is August 10th, and we’d like to have it as close to that date as possible. We are avoiding holding the event during a weekend because of boat traffic, and we understand the Old Club (our beginning point) is closed on Monday the 11th.. Our target is Tuesday, August 11th through Thursday, August 13th. We need to determine a rain date – which would likely be one of the next two days.



Number of People:

* The group of approximately 10 swimmers that will set off in the morning would consist of perhaps up to 3 boats – one for each swimmer (individual) or group of swimmers (relay team). For two individual course swimmers and 2 relay teams, we will represent a group of 18-20 volunteers, plus any others helping with logistics, etc. (14 swimmers, 3-4 boat captains (and boats), 3 EMTs and 2 other volunteers). (Emergency Medical Technicians)



* Each team, boat captain and individual swimmer and fund raising volunteer can help spread the word about the fund raising.



Proceeds:

* Proceeds from the event are being used to fund either Rickie’s Medical Trust Fund or the Nation CF Organization. The reality of this disease is that Rickie will likely need a lung replacement at some point in his life, and the purpose of the trust fund is to help prepare him financially for that day. Alternatively, the National CF Organization is a 4-star ranked (Charity Navigator) organization that has received international attention for its efficient processes and its development and implementation of the strategy of venture philanthropy. Three of the four medications that Rickie takes were developed by this organization. They are one of the best disease-oriented charities in the world, and we are proud to be associated with them.

Friday, July 17, 2009

We have a date!

Just a quick update to let everyone know of the date of the big swim! August 11 and if by chance it rains August 12th. Ric choose August 11th because Rickie's birthday is August 10th and he thought that would be appropriate.

More information coming soon!

I'll be filling in for Carrie as she is totally busy with a lot of exciting things.


Thanks, Carey (Rickie's mom)

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Welcome Aboard!

If you are looking for information regarding Swimming St. Clair, a clearly energetic and ingenious fund raising idea brought to life by Ric Geyer to bring attention to cystic fibrosis and build a medical trust fund for his son Rickie, you have arrived!

And if you arrived at our Swimming St. Clair website, there is a good chance you've probably met Ric Geyer. Ric, 54, is an entrepreneurial father of six, a Master Swimmer, and as I recently discovered, a Master Delegater.

Ric has known for three years that his eight year old son, Rickie has cystic fibrosis*.

*If you would like more information about cystic fibrosis, your best bet would be to head over to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation where you can find an easy to understand explanation of cystic fibrosis along with a page of frequently asked questions.


The reality of cystic fibrosis is that kids like Rickie typically need a lung replacement at some point in their lives. The purpose of the trust fund is to help prepare financially for that day. Or, if you would like to support the national cystic fibrosis organization we can easily point you in that direction.

Back up, let me introduce myself. My name is Carrie, a writer who has been blessed with the gift of taking creative liberties. One liberty I have already starting implementing is that I will try very hard not use capital letters when I refer to cystic fibrosis. Capital letters, like exclamation points should only be used when deserved. I think cystic fibrosis already has way too much power!

So now you've met Ric. And me. I'll tell you more about the family later.

I've known Rickie and his family for about a year and a half. I've talked to them on the phone, exchanged snail-mail, e-mail, pictures, and life stories. And this week I left the safety of my own little city in Wisconsin and traveled via train all the way over to Grosse Pointe Michigan to meet Rickie, Carey Sue, Ric, Gavin, Chelsea, Hannah, Ali, and Chloe. Seriously, this is probably the bravest thing I have ever done. It doesn't compare to Swimming St. Clair or having cystic fibrosis but I am definitely out of my comfort zone.

I've been working on this blog for a few days and I didn't want to have it revealed until it was all cool and amazing and hopefully I would be able to dazzle you with creative brilliance and you would want to cheerfully donate to this spectacular fundraiser. However, Ric won't let me wait until things are all super duper before I go public. After all, cystic fibrosis didn't wait until Rickie Geyer had his act together.

Have you met Rickie? He is Ric's youngest son and the driving force behind Swimming St. Clair. At first glance, Rickie is a regular kid. Extremely regular. Like blending in with the crowd kind of regular. He's just Rickie. His parents made that decision. They didn't want him to be known as Rickie, the kid with cystic fibrosis. Eight year old Rickie does everything my eight year old Harrison does. Sports, bikes, die cast cars, ninjas, all the usual guys stuff. In fact, to the untrained, it would be difficult to notice a difference. In fact, Rickie's mother Carey and Ric searched for years before they received their son's diagnosis.

So when Rickie's parents are determined not to let the disease dictate the definition, reality is that Rickie is just Rickie. He's Rickie the Cub Scout, Rickie the Super Hero, Rickie the Video Gamer. Rickie Geyer, who happens to have cystic fibrosis.

Now let's get back to why you are here right now. Last year Ric, along with five other men, swam across Lake St. Clair to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis and to build a medical trust fund.

My job is to keep you informed and entertained. I'll be updating the site regularly with more information as the event gets closer. You'll have a chance to meet the swimmers and an opportunity to ask them questions about their preparations.

In the meantime, I've included pictures that I've taken of Rickie during my visit. The last picture is of almost eight year old Rickie with my two youngest kids, Harrison age eight, and Haley age six.

We are very close to adding the information that will allow us to add the ability to donate via PayPal.

Be sure to bookmark this site, come back often, ask questions, and give. If you can't afford to give financially, we will gladly welcome your time or your talent!

P.S. If you navigate your way towards us today, could you take a second and leave a comment? I'd love to make sure people know where we are!