Swim Report - Hunger Games Edition

Pretty Much the Way I Remember It. Copyright Hunger Games

 

Strength in numbers. Names were drawn, and my name came up. I had no choice but to be the first tribute from the 7 a.m. pod in the SERC Hunger Games. My name was pulled as the 7:00 a.m. pod representative for the 6:00 a.m. immersion. Multiple names were drawn for other pods. Each of them would have strength in numbers. The Angelo Pod had 5 swimmers, Buckaroos had 9, the Swiss had 6, Breakfast Pod had 11, and the B team had at least 15. I set aside my fear long enough and thought that I, and I alone, would be the only tribute in the most brutal of all the pod hunger games held each Friday at SERC. Much to my relief, both Sierra & Ashleigh volunteered as tributes for this most vicious and brutal weekly encounter. 

In the past, the Fast Kids had been our weekly nemesis. They swam through us, over us, around us, and under us. They did everything possible to intimidate and conquer every inch of our playing field. And, they had a penchant and homing device for targeting our dear Darlene. This was before the pandemic. And, not surprisingly, these Fast Kids have not returned since that dark time in our history. I hope they all are ok. (Background for how we protected ourselves during the Fast Kid reign -  https://funmusings.blogspot.com/2018/06/protective-gear-for-swimming.html)

Light has emerged from these dark times, but has it really? 

While we waited for Sierra to kit up with the specialized gear for what we knew would be an epic battle, Ashleigh and I cautiously scouted and surveyed a few of the other pods as they descended the stairs and prepared to meet us in the arena, also known as Aquatic Park. We knew the Angelo Pod would head to Fort Mason. Why? Because they ALWAYS head to Fort Mason. The Buckaroo Sunrisers brought their secret weapon – Ellie, a black lab with claws sharper than any known razor. The Buckaroos tend to scatter. We anticipated our biggest threat would be escaping the Cove undetected by Ellie and her masters. The rest of the pods had yet to form. Things were tense. 

We hoped our sponsors, also known as the “rest of the 7:00 a.m. pod who actually swim at 7:00 a.m..” would provide additional gifts and support which would descend from above. The first of these items turned out to be a cloaking blinkie light for Sierra. These cloaking blinking lights would provide some protection while we swam. When Sierra joined us, we activated our cloaking blinking lights, hoping to be hidden while we swam.

After activating the cloaking blinkies, we safely entered the water at 6:05. We had only a short window between the Angelos and Buckaroos and before the Breakfast, Swiss, and B-Team. We thought, at least in that moment, our sponsors had offered another gift – darkness and no other swimmers on the beach. We expressed our gratitude with a Sea Salutation (ok, only I did the Sea Salutation, I’m not sure Ashleigh knows about this), and headed out to the Cornucopia, also known as the wedding cake. 

We swam in a tight delta formation with Sierra in the lead. Ashleigh took the western flank, and I took the eastern. Good luck was with us this morning, and we arrived at the cornucopia without incident. 

Last night when Sierra and I planned our strategies for these brutal games, we consulted Aye Tides and Saildrone to anticipate weather, current, and wind. We expected to find the end of the ebb, ride it to Gas House, and catch the flood express back to the beach’s safety. Upon arrival at the Wedding Cake, we rechecked our safety gear, Sierra had a Garmin, and Ashleigh and I had our Apples. Would these be enough? Could we access the critical data held within? Only time would tell.

It turned out these devices offered absolutely no value since our sponsors could not find sufficient funds to pay the monthly fees to make these devices useful for anything other than telling time and tracking swims. This was the first sign we were headed for a rough ride. It just wasn’t the rough ride we expected. 

While the waters were calm and the views of the City, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge were the best I have EVER seen, our paranoia kept our senses in check. We thought the Gamemakers were setting us up for conflict. Could this be Seneca Crane’s first attempt to foil our plans?

In fact, it was. With our false sense of security swimming out to Fort Mason, we caught sight of the Angelos returning to the inner arena. They were a mere 20 feet to our north. While they wore blinkies, their sponsors failed to find sufficient funds to make these blinkies ‘cloaking’ blinkies. Clearly, our sponsors came through with a working version with cloaking. Sierra must have seen them and decided to continue in stealth mode, planning to engage them later. After a quick regroup at Fort Mason, we decided to risk the swim to Gas House. We hoped Gas House would have a cache of supplies and protective gear.

Hope is not a strategy, and thus, we found nothing at Gas House, not even a flood. We were now 31 minutes into what we knew would be an epic battle.

It took us six minutes to return to Fort Mason where the Swiss waited for their next victims and pod. Sierra kept a line to the north, but I, and I alone approached the Swiss. I came within 10 feet of their closest swimmer. Yet, I remained undetected. Could our sponsors have extended our cloaking capabilities? We hoped so but could not be certain. 

After an uneventful, yet fabulous swim in the lake-like Bay, we cautiously approached the Muni Pier. A large group of fast-moving swimmers approached Ashleigh. I called out “ASHLEIGH, HEAD NORTH.” Ashleigh set aside my warning and swam undeterred right through the group who turned out to be the Breakfast pod. Why was Ashleigh drawn to take these swimmers head-on? Only she knows the truth. We can speculate Ashleigh knew their defenses would be down since they wore birthday swim attire. Let’s just not go there…

2 minutes later, and without much flood, we returned to the Cornucopia, aka the Wedding Cake where the B-Team had regrouped. Sierra was in the lead and avoided them in their entirety. Ashleigh followed. I, however, went straight for them. Perhaps it was a diversionary tactic, or maybe even a friendly gesture, but they responded with high-fives all around. WTF?

Dazed and confused, I met their high-fives with fist bumps, smiled, and swam on. Maybe the Cornucopia had transformed into a haven. Or more realistically, the B-team were focused on their beer Friday libations more than winning today’s round. We will never know. 

Ashleigh and Sierra had made a run for the beach. They saw victory and safety in their sights. They were a good 75 feet ahead of me. I was exposed and on my own. My knees shook and my body trembled. Could this be it? Should I have not tried to infiltrate the B-team? Maybe I was just getting cold…

It goes without saying, I made it back to the beach. I put my head down and I sprinted like there was no tomorrow. While we don’t really know about tomorrow, we do know about today. Today’s 6:00 a.m. swim brought beauty, glory, and peace to us in the moments we swam.

Hoping others around the world may also find moments of peace in these unimaginable times.