Thank you so much to everyone who came out last night for our 6th annual Swim Across America Swim-a-thon! It was definitely our biggest and best swim-a-thon ever! We had over 60 swimmers making waves to fight cancer!

Thank you to former Team USA member (and world champion and record holder) Doug Van Wie for coming out to support our swimmers, signing autographs, taking photos, and showing us your medals and rings. 

A LOT of laps were swum :). Some of our top lap swimmers include Easton Liddle (253), Sabine Lytle (184), Evelyn Teske (162), Maybeth Rutherford (155), Max Starecki (150), and Callan Walker (150). And we had many more who swam 100+ laps, which is so amazing! Our youngest swimmer, 4-year-old Shark Pup Luca Harris, swam 2 laps!

Sorry we ran out of certificates. If you didn't get one (or got an old one from 2025 and would like a new one), please let me know and we'll get it to you!

We would love to see your photos! Please send them to us, and we might feature you on Instagram or in the SPLASH :).

We have a few participants who haven't sent in their donation yet ($25 bronze, $50 silver, $100 gold per swimmer). Please Venmo those to @coolsharksswimteam1 and put "Swim Across America" in the note. We are trying to put the final tally together today. If you didn't attend and would like to make a donation too, that would be awesome! We've collected more than $2500 so far, and we expect the final total to be over $3000!!!

If you want to see the impact your contribution makes, click HERE. The Atlanta open water swim and local pool swims have raised over $4 million since 2013. And that's just Atlanta! There are swims all year long all across the country, making huge and lasting contributions to cancer research. We're so proud of all our swimmers who were a part of that :).

Interested in joining Team Garden Hills for the Atlanta Open Water Swim next month? Many of our Cool Sharks are ready and could easily join in!

How many laps did you swim last night?

• 35 laps = 1/2 mile
• 70 laps = mile
• 211 laps = 3 miles

Join us at Lake Lanier on Saturday Sept 19th for a super fun and inspirational morning of swimming in a peaceful cove for a great cause! Meet Olympians as well as some of the cancer warriors for whom you are swimming. Choose between 3 distances (1/2-mile, 1 mile, and 3 miles) and know that the water will be filled with an amazing group of volunteers on kayaks and paddleboards to keep you safe (you can even request to have an "angel swimmer" swim alongside you the entire way). The event is open to anyone ages 8 and up, and there are always lots of children and young people participating. Parents, adults, and old people too. You'll see college teams too (the UGA, GT, and Emory teams will be there). There are participants of all ages, sizes, and abilities :). Click HERE for event information.

Please go to our team page (click HERE) and click "Join Team" to register. Email [email protected] if you have any questions (her daughter Siena swam the mile with her dad last year when she was 10). My kids also participated for years and I'm happy to answer any questions, offer encouragement, and share my love for this event!