Lake Ontario is special to me because it’s pretty much at my doorstep, I’ve grown up with it all my life, played in it when I was a kid, as long as I can remember I’ve been connected to it. I guess around 6 years ago or so I found triathlon as a sport and that brought me back to open water [swimming] with a vengeance. I soon discovered that it was actually something that was more than sport to me, it’s something that I do that feeds my soul and makes me feel alive and happy and just takes me to another place while I’m there swimming and feel connected to something bigger than myself.

Just the birds and the quiet and I just go back for that all the time. It’s like a little dream world or something like that but it’s real.

I’m here today to support, try to support wherever I can. I’m just totally in love with the lake and all the crazy fun cool people that you get to hang out with, to support and swim to the buoy and back, it’s my first time doing it and I’m excited to do that too.