Welcome to the 2021 South32 Rottnest Channel Swim first timers - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Welcome to the 2021 South32 Rottnest Channel Swim first timers seminar

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RCSA President

VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE (7)

• President – Iain McCarrey
• Committee Members –Shane Cartwright, Bec Johnson, Rhys Spicer, Kirsty Bellombra, Tess Fisher, Joseph

Bennett, Olivia Williams Staff Members (2)

• Executive Officer: Nic Blackburn

Email: admin@rottnestchannelswim.com.au

• Event Officer: Michael Hodder

Email: info@rottnestchannelswim.com.au

• 2020 HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO
• NIC BLACKBURN– RCSA Executive Officer
• JULIAN MILLS – Past Solo Swimmer
• DANIEL RODGERS – Swim Coach
• PROF. IAN ROGERS – Hypothermia
• Q&A

RCSA Executive Officer

• Support Boat & Paddler
• Registrations
• Qualifying Swim
• Briefing

ALL SOLOS, DUOS AND TEAMS MUST HAVE ONE! Finding a Support Boat and Skipper

• Word of mouth
• Social media - Rottnest Channel Swim Facebook / Instagram sites (@rottoswim)
• Advertise in the local newspaper, Quokka or Gumtree
• Commercial Boat Hire. A quick web search is the best way to find boat hire businesses in Perth.

Support Boat Requirements

• Must be able to fit the number of people the skipper will be responsible for.
• Vessels >10m – must stay south or north edge of the fleet

(and use a tender to stay in close proximity to the swimmer)

FINDING A PADDLER

• Word of mouth
• Social media - Rottnest Channel Swim Facebook / Instagram sites

(@rottoswim)

• ‘Sea Kayak Club WA’ Forum – www.seakayakwa.asn.au
• Local Surf Clubs i.e. Fremantle, Cottesloe, North Cottesloe, Swanbourne

Nedlands and City Beach (may have their own Facebook page) - www.mybeach.com.au/get-involved/our-clubs/

SOLOS / LAVAN CHARITY CHALLENGE TEAMS:

Open: 8.30am (WST) on Monday, 26 October 2020 Close: 5.30pm (WST) on Sunday, 1 November 2020

DUOS / TEAMS:

Open: 8.30am (WST) on Wednesday, 4 November 2020

• SOLOS - Each solo registration will be guaranteed entry if

registered and paid within the registration period.

• DUO AND TEAM ENTRIES - First in first served basis. Teams will

need to be registered and paid within the registration period.

• LAVAN CHARITY CHALLENGE - There will be a maximum of 30 x

Lavan Charity Challenge Team spots available.

INTENDING SOLO SWIMMERS MUST HAVE EITHER: Completed a Rottnest Channel Swim solo crossing within the previous two (2) years;

OR

Must complete a 10km qualifying swim in 4 hours 15 minutes or less, between 30 October 2020 and 30 January 2021

Swimming WA – Open Water Series - www.openwaterswimming.com.au

• Rockingham Beach

Saturday, 28 November 2020

• Mullaloo Beach

Saturday, 27 December 2020

• Sorrento Beach

Sunday, 26 January 2021 Christmas 10km - www.christmas10k.org.au

• Coogee Beach

Saturday, 19 December 2020 INDIAN OCEAN - www.indianoceanswim.com.au

• Floreat Beach

Saturday, 14 November 2020

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• It is compulsory that all solo swimmers and a swimmer from each duo/team,

attend the briefing.

• It is highly recommended that your support boat skipper also attends with

you, as they are ultimately responsible for your wellbeing on swim day.

Saturday, 30 January 2021 HBF Stadium – Main Arena 2.30pm

• Collect registration pack (boat stickers, swim cap, T-shirt etc)

Tips For A Successful Crossing

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• Almost 20 years of involvement having started as team member in 2002
• Eight solos
• First swim over 7 hours – Best 5:36
• 25km P2P
• 2006 Cancelled RCS
• 2018 Cancelled PTB then successful Out of Event Crossing
• 2019 Out of Event and 2020 Solo
• Duo with son
• 5 team crossings plus one team DNF due to weather
• Skippered 6 times in race and 4 times Out of Event

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• The hardest part is deciding to do the swim, making the

commitment and dedicating the time to the training

• Overall its 60% training, 30% natural ability and 50% in the head
• Back yourself into a corner
• Tell everyone you are doing it
• Find a Gang/Mentor

• Join a Squad
• Make sure you do ocean/river swims
• Get used to swimming without a dotted line and experience waves,

salt and stingers

• Organised swims are good (OWS, surf clubs)
• 10k qualifier – try and get it over and done with and try to do more

than one

• Start training at least 3 months out
• The key goal of training is to find your “Rotto Pace”

• Training will be time consuming
• Expect to be tired and grumpy
• Vices should be foregone
• Overseas holidays used to make training difficult
• Appreciate your family’s patience

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• Lock down logistics well in advance
• Skipper/Boat
• Paddlers/Canoes
• Food, drink, medication, music ….
• To suit up or not?
• Transport and Support at Cottesloe/boat
• Communication reduces stress
• Support/Accommodation at Rottnest
• Pack a post swim bag

What not to do

• Pre Swim

− Taper and Carbo load in last few days – its as good as life gets! − Big meal in morning – but try before − Protect against sunburn, chafing and seasickness

• During Swim

− Set a feeding schedule (maximum 30 minutes – some go 20 minutes) − Consider Medication – seasickness, stingers and soreness − Make sure crew only tells you precisely where you are − Get times for each kilometre swum

Anti-Histamine for Stingers Kwells for Seasickness Anti Inflammatories for soreness Zofran for last resort

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Further Questions: jrsmills@iinet.net.au

Training and Preparation

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• Start Early
• Both open water and swimming pool
• 3 - 4 swims per week
• Build to 4.5km – 5km+ per session
• Last stages have 1 x 8km – 10km swim per

week

Solo

• Start with 4 – 5 hours per week
• Progress to a base line 10 – 15 km p/w
• 3 weeks out: 25 – 35 km p/w
• Taper to 10 – 15 km

Duo

• Start with 4 – 5 hours per week
• Progress to a base line 8 – 10 km p/w
• 3 week out: 15 – 25 km p/w
• Taper to 10 – 15 km

Team

• Start with 2 – 4 hours per week
• Progress to a base line 5 – 8 km p/w
• 3 weeks out: 15 – 20 km p/w
• Taper to 6 – 10 km

Progressive Loading / Adaptation

Team Duo Solo Week 1-3 2 – 4 hours 4 – 5 hours 4 – 5 hours Week 4 4 km 6 km 10 km Week 5 6 km 8 km 13 km Week 6 8 km 10 km 15 km Week 7 6 km 8 km 13 km Week 8 8 km 10 km 15 km Week 9 10 km 12 km 17 km Week 10 8 km 6 km 15 km Week 11 10 km 12 km 17 km Week 12 12 km 6 km 20 km

• Sessions at sea with your paddler
• Practice feeding and sighting
• Mix your stroke styles
• Mix your training

5 x 400 5 x 200 5 x 100 8 – 4 x : 50 build 100 easy 4 – 5 x: 2 x 400 free 200 free/back 4 -5 x: 400 4 x 100 build to 80% 200 easy free/back

Measuring training

• Distance
• Time
• Effort – Heart Rate
• Threshold ≈ 20/30 beats below max

Aerobic Anerobic

Measuring training

Distance HR Beats Per Min Control Time/ speed Time p/100m Control HR Beats Per Min 50 m 140 bpm 50s 47s 155 bpm 100 m 155 bpm 1’40 1’40 155 bpm 200 m 160 bpm 3’20 3’28 155 bpm 300m 167 bpm 5’00 5’17 155 bpm 400 m 180 bpm 6’40 7’00 155 bpm 500 m 185 bpm 8’20 8’52 155 bpm 600m 190 bpm 10’00 11’09 155 bpm

• Fins – DMC Elite
• Kickboard – Any
• Pull buoy – Any
• Paddles – Finis Agility Paddles
• Snorkel - Finis Freestyle Snorkel

• Keep a training log
• Replenish fluids during and after training
• Have consistent pains checked out
• See a stroke specialist if needed

• 1 - 1.5 weeks
• Ease intensity
• Peak taper ≈ 50 % volume
• Don’t over taper

Injury Prevention

• Over training
• Progressive loading
• Safe Technique – Length & Volume
• Recover
• Sleep
• Appropriate strength and conditioning
• Pre-existing injuries

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• Must have a plan
• Inform your team
• Tested swim suit
• Shave your beard
• Abundance of sunscreen
• Practice feeding and test food types
• DON’T do any new on the day

• Train smart
• Don’t listen to the hype
• Avoid alcohol
• Don’t drink the sea water
• Be sun smart
• Listen to your support team
• Hand the keys over
• Good Luck, train smart, have fun!

Hypothermia & Pulmonary Oedema

Spend long enough immersed in the channel and anyone will eventually become hypothermic The KEY FACTORS at play are:

• TEMPERATURE (of the water)
• TIME (in the water)
• INSULATION (ie body fat)

• Lots has been done to prevent hypothermia BUT…
• Hypothermia is still the most common important medical problem seen

most years

• Every year we treat many solo swimmers for hypothermia and in some it

is severe

• Race conditions and hypothermia incidence naturally vary from year to

year BUT

• Don’t be complacent - the hypothermia risk is ever present

• Mild
• Apathetic, lack of co-ordination, slurred speech
• Shivering (but that can be hard to detect in the water)
• Severe
• Confused & disorientated
• Eventually loss of consciousness and death by drowning

• Mild (if you recognise & intervene here, they are safe)
• Style and stroke rate going off
• Disinterested in conversation
• Loss of “sense of humour”
• Severe (if you don’t recognise here, they are at real risk)
• Nonsense conversation
• Disorientated (eg swimming well off course)

• Support crew must actively monitor and intervene early
• swimmers don’t know they are hypothermic
• Get them out of the water (gently)
• Minimise further heat loss
• dry, insulate, wind proof barrier (space blanket, garbag)
• “Fuel the engine” (sweet drinks, jelly beans, carboshotz)
• Call Channel Swim base urgently for medical assistance

• Recognise risk factors
• Especially slow, thin, first timers on a “tough day”
• Build up your insulation (? consult a sports dietitian)
• “Seals” are ideally suited to open water swimming
• Glycogen loading pre-race
• Regular glucose during the race (“fuel the engine”)
• Trust your skipper & support crew to think for you and pull you
• ut before your mild hypothermia becomes severe
• Your skipper takes ultimate responsibility for your welfare!

• Pulmonary oedema is fluid collecting within the airspaces (alveoli) of the

lungs causing low blood oxygen levels

• It is usually linked with hypothermia, probably because uncoordinated

breathing leads to salt water aspiration

• The major symptoms are cough with frothy sputum and shortness of

breath out of proportion to that which would be otherwise expected

• Unless they are very hypothermic, swimmers know when this is

happening to them and will typically ask for help

• Call Channel Swim base urgently for medical assistance
• In the meantime keep them warm, dry and sitting up