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PROVINCETOWN GUIDE
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| DIRECTORY |
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Provincetown :: Thursday, September 2nd 2010
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The Swim Turns
Swim 4 Life and the Celebration of Life Concert
By Steve Desroches of Provincetown Magazine
September 11th, 2009
It’s become the quintessential post-season event. It’s become a celebration of the tight community bond present in Provincetown, where neighbors look out for each other. It’s become a way of honoring the beautiful natural environment with which we are all surrounded on the Outer Cape. It’s become a communal memorial to remember all those who have passed. It’s become affectionately known as just “The Swim.”
| “You can hear the people cheering from all the way across the harbor,” says founder Jay Critchley. “People really realize what a special place P’town is. A lot of people think of P’town as their ‘hometown,’ even if they don’t live here. This is a way f |
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This weekend, the town celebrates the 22nd annual Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, where over 300 swimmers and kayakers cross Provincetown Harbor, each year raising about $160,000 for local AIDS, women’s health, and youth organizations.
“You can hear the people cheering from all the way across the harbor,” says founder Jay Critchley. “People really realize what a special place P’town is. A lot of people think of P’town as their ‘hometown,’ even if they don’t live here. This is a way for them to give something to the community.”
The Swim began over 20 years ago, really on a dare. In the summer of 1988, Critchley and Walter McLean were sitting on the harbor beach in Provincetown. They wanted to see if they could swim across Provincetown Harbor.
“It was the summer when there was all this pollution, needles and stuff washing up on beaches all over New England,” says Critchley. “But the Cape and Provincetown beaches were fine. We thought that we should celebrate the fact that Provincetown Harbor is here and safe and environmentally sound.”
Personal accomplishment lit the fire of community spirit. Two weeks after their own swim, 18 people swam across the harbor and raised $7,000 for the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, and a Provincetown tradition was born.
“That first year all we had was a jug of water and we all swam from the Boatslip to Long Point,” says Critchley. “When we got there we were excited, but freezing. And then we said, ‘Oh, great, now how do we get back?’ And then finally a boat came and picked us up.”
Now, people from all over the world come to Provincetown to cross the harbor and raise money for the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod and Helping Our Women, two Provincetown-based health organizations, in a weekend-long celebration. Outer Cape Health Services, the Provincetown Rescue Squad, Cape and Islands Gay Straight Youth Alliance, and the Lower Cape Ambulance Association also receive smaller amounts.
“People swim for all different types of reasons,” says Critchley. “Some are confronting their own fears about their ability to swim or their own illness. Some do it to honor someone who has died.”
The event also annually honors a local volunteer for their tremendous generosity and compassion. This year, the David Asher Volunteer Award goes to Madeleine Miller.
The tireless volunteer Miller moved to the Outer Cape with her husband, Dennis Clark, in 1980, into her family’s summer homestead in Truro, which the family has owned since 1956. She lived in Provincetown for 14 years, where she raised her children, Morgan and Casey, and served for six years on the school committee and six years as a Girl Scout leader.
Over the years, she has worked for the Town of Truro, the Crown & Anchor, the Lobster Pot, and Simon’s Deli. Since 1997, she has worked full-time at the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, serving as Director of Finance. She has also served as business manager of the Provincetown Banner since 1995. At the second Swim for Life, David Asher, the award’s namesake, asked her to volunteer, and she has participated at every event since. For many years, Miller did the work of several volunteers – from collecting pledges, to registering participants to cheering on swimmers.
“The Swim represents the best qualities of the community,” says Miller. “It’s inspiring to hear people’s stories and experience their generosity, and passionate spirit – to connect with something larger than ourselves.”
To watch the Swim and cheer on the participants, gather at the Boatslip Resort, 161 Commercial Street, prior to 11 a.m. After the swim, the Mermaid Brunch takes place, which includes entertainment and the awards ceremony. The Celebration of Life Concert will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, 236 Commercial Street, on Friday at 8 p.m., where a long roster of Provincetown entertainers will take to the mic. For the third year, local community radio station WOMR 92.1 FM (www.womr.org) will broadcast the event live and online from the Boatslip Resort, the beach, and the starting line at Long Point.
For registration forms for swimmers, paddlers, security boaters and volunteers; sponsorship opportunities; or to make a donation, contact Swim for Life, P.O. Box 819, Provincetown, MA 02657, 508-487-1930; e-mail: thecompact@comcast.net; or visit www.swim4life.org.
Also visit ProvincetownMagazine.net for more articles and information.
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