Swim Across America Greenwich To Stamford Swim

Swimmers Make Waves to Fight Cancer

Who: The third annual Swim Across America Greenwich To Stamford Swim is making a big splash in the area in its fight against cancer with its swim scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2009.

What: There will be two open water swims - a 1.5 mile swim that starts at the beach at Greenwich (Tod's) Point with participants swimming along the shore of Long Island Sound, and a shorter half-mile swim (geared for swimmers ages 12 and older), that is also in Long Island Sound and leaves from the Rocky Point Club in Old Greenwich.  In addition, Swim Across America is offering a pool swim this year at the Rocky Point Club for those who prefer to pledge their support in a pool.  All swimmers end up at Cummings Point in Stamford, Conn., at the headquarters for the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), which is the beneficiary of the swim and will use the funds raised to support a research grant for brain cancer with one of ACGT's research fellows at Harvard University.

ACGT is the nation's only non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to funding cancer gene therapy research. All Swim Across America participants and volunteers must register in advance at www.swimacrossamerica.org by clicking on the Greenwich Swim link.

There are numerous "teams" swimming this year in honor of friends and loved that are battling cancer or in memory of loved ones who have lost their fight to cancer.  One team is "Team Max," which is in memory of Max Scotti, a seven year-old Greenwich resident and avid swimmer who lost his fight to brain cancer just this past April.  Other individual swimmers and teams include friends, family and even cancer survivors, such as Karen Newman, a five-time all American triathlete who is swimming for the third time in a Swim Across America event.  Karen is an Old Greenwich resident who is battling breast cancer.  Swimmers come from all over Fairfield and Westchester Counties to participate in this event.

Several Olympic swimmers will also be swimming on Saturday and include Janel Jorgensen, Craig Beardsley and Brenda Borgh Bartlett.  The honorary co-chairs include Olympic swimming champion Donna de Varona and her husband John Pinto, and John and Cindy Sites.

To learn more about the Swim Across America Greenwich to Stamford Swim, visit www.swimacrossamerica.org and click on the Greenwich/Stamford Swim link.

When: Saturday, June 27, 2009

6:30 AM    Registration at ACGT - 96 Cummings Point Rd., Stamford, CT
7:00 AM    Group Photo Opportunity
7:10 AM    Swimming in memory/honor Tribute Team Photos
7:20 AM    Bus leaves for Rocky Point Pool Swim
7:20 AM    Bus leaves for Greenwich/Tod's Point
7:30 AM    Pool Swim at Rocky Point Begins
7:45 AM    Swimmers leave Greenwich/Tod's Point for 1.5 mile open water swim
8:15 AM    Half-mile swimmers leave Rocky Point for open water swim
8:15 AM    Swimmers start arriving back at ACGT (open-water 1.5 mile)
9:00 AM    Bus leaves Rocky Point and returns pool swimmers to ACGT
10:00 AM  Award's Ceremony at ACGT - 96 Cummings Point Rd., Stamford, CT

Where:
- ACGT - 96 Cummings Point Road, Stamford, CT 06902

- Greenwich Point Beach - Tod's Driftway, Old Greenwich, CT 06870

- Rocky Point Club - Rocky Point Rd., Old Greenwich, CT 06870