I’m sure that, like me, whenever a non-swimmer realises that you’re swimming in the sea in Winter, you get the “Jayzus, you must be mad” or “You need your head examined”, friendly comments.

I always ignore these, because I know it’s not true that you have to be mad to enjoy OW Winter swimming.  Or at least, I thought it wasn’t true, until I saw the crowd who’ve started getting their pictures taken on the frozen beach in “Calendar Poses”.

I don’t know where they get their calendars, but I’m not shopping there.  Funnily enough, it’s all James, James, James in this game…

He started it – no wonder we had to post Jamie O’Donnell overseas (to Limerick).

James Slowey goes for it in his January Man Calendar pose.

The old dog for the hard road, Jim Shalloo shows the younger James how it’s done.

Still, let’s not blame the boys, or the Jameses.  There’s Mnás at this lark too.

Anything they can do, I can do – waaaaay better. Ms. Collins reclines.

Of course, for the week that’s in it, don’t forget (voting closes this Friday, 23rd)…

Vote here: Section 10 is us, by the way https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ildsaawards2014)

Here’s one ye never thought ye’d see on this site – courtesy of LoneSwimmer.

I know in the past I may have made the odd comment that might have been open to misinterpretation but really, we’re all friends in Myrtleville and Sandycove – right lads?

I mean – seriously – Moz never thought I really wanted him tarred and feathered for what he did to The Hat, did he?  And Mr. Finbarr, sure he didn’t mind being compared to Clarence “The Big Man” Clemons – sure he didn’t?

The Bull – me ould buddy, Robbie – he wasn’t put out about being taunted repeatedly for having to swim in Myrtleville whenever the tide went out around the Island?  Angela?  Angela couldn’t have minded me ripping off her Minutes or encouraging counterfeit shower production worldwide….

No, no, I’m convinced that it was all taken in good humour and therefore couldn’t possibly prevent wholesale voting by all Sandycove Swimmers for us in the ILDSA Awards (Vote here: Section 10 is us, by the way https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ildsaawards2014).

However, in light of the fact that maybe there was the occasional misunderstanding and since we are 100% not above buying votes here in Myrtleville, loyal Myrtlevillains have been glad to offer the following, if sufficient votes* are received from Sandycove:

1. B. Lynch will spend the entire day in his retail establishment in his Speedos, wearing a Sandycove swim hat.

2. D. Cregan-Condon will provide Sandycove-branded Showers for the first fifty swimmers who lap the Island five times in the dark in February. (Denis doesn’t like to give showers away easily).

3. P. Lowry will wear a pink wetsuit and walk behind Ms. Harris for one hour at the Sandycove Challenge next year, while sprinkling fairy dust and chanting “make way for the Pink Fairy”.

4. S. Russell will photograph N. Denison and G. Molnar’s next nude swim around Sandycove and have the images produced as mousemats for all SISC members.

Now, how could you not vote for us, your bestest, bestest friends forever?

Vote here: Section 10 is us, by the way https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ildsaawards2014

*(Legal Note: Determination of the meaning of “sufficient votes” is solely at the discretion of the Vote-Buying sub-committee of the Myrtleville Swimmers Is Not A Club, Club Committee.  All individuals mentioned in this article are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental, although we do all know most of them.)

I’ve seen people on FaceBook proudly announcing “Done” in reply to various calls for voting for the world’s most active swimming group – US 🙂 – in the ILDSA awards.

Vote here: Section 10 is us: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ildsaawards2014

One “Done” is no use at all.  We need done, done, done, done and more done. We need votes from every device in the house and office. Phone, PC, TV, Laptop, xBox etc etc.  Use Internet Explorer, Chrome, FireFox.  Grab a phone off passing strangers and vote on theirs.  Force co-workers to vote.

Vote here: Section 10 is us: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ildsaawards2014

Where is the spirit that got “A Nation once again” by the Wolfe Tones voted the greatest song of all time on a BBC online poll?  Come on all those who crashed Time’s Person of the Century by voting for Ronnie O’Brien! Where are all the Rage Against The Machine fans who stopped the X Factor number one??

Vote here: Section 10 is us: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ildsaawards2014

This is definitely the most important vote of the year – if not ever.  Perspective and reason have nothing to do with it: just vote – you know it’s right!

Vote here: Section 10 is us: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ildsaawards2014

Of course it’s completely up to each person how they vote.  But remember,

Janey Mac!  Myrtleville Swimmers got nominated for something!  The 2014 ILDSA Award Nominations are out and “Myrtleville Swimmers Cork” (Das Us!!) are nominated for:

ILDSA ‘MARGARET SMITH AWARD’ 2014 – for a person or group of people who increase the profile of open water swimming.

In addition, regular local swimmers are up for other awards – Carol Cashell for the “Sheena Patterson Spirit of OWS” Award, and Gordon Adair, Ciaran Byrne, Mr. Finbarr and Rian Herlihy in other categories.

GET VOTING HERE AND SUPPORT LOCAL:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ildsaawards2014

(Shameless plug: No. 10 is the one we’re under!! 🙂

It really is like the Summer at this stage with the number of scheduled swims.  We had 08.15 Saturday and Sunday and then 11.30 on Sunday as well.  Around those times there were several other small groups.   January is being kind!

Flying visit from Jamie before moving to Limerick – still waiting for the sun on Saturday morning.

Recharging the fuel levels after the 11.30 Sunday morning swim. That Ninja on the left looks fierce familiar.

There have been a few journalists writing lately about the explosion in numbers of OW swimmers in the UK and Ireland.  All of them comment on the stress-relieving aspect of it.  Ms. Maguire takes that a bit further.  She gets the stress-busting benefit of the swim and then doubles it by strangling someone to take out any remaining frustrations.  No wonder she’s always beaming for the photos – de-stressed, de-toxed and very, very deadly.  Posing for swimfies is dangerous when she’s around.

This is great crack – strangling Gordon first thing in the morning.

Answer: When it’s Myrtleville, of course.  For some reason several old pictures found online refer to Church Bay.

Postcard marked Church Bay, Crosshaven (from Francis Stokes on the Old Photos of Cork FaceBook page).  Picture is clearly Myrtleville.

William Lawrence in his photographic tours of Ireland took pictures pre-1905.  Again, some strangely marked as Church Bay.

Picture by William Lawrence taken pre-1904. Interesting to see the clear fields and lack of houses at Fennell’s Bay and overlooking the Dutchman.

Other William Lawrence pictures are then marked correctly.

Myrtleville from Fennell’s Bay and on to Robert’s Head in the background.

Myrtleville and O’Regan’s field – when it was a field.

Annagh House – the 1913 postal directory says Mr. Charles E.L. Olden was the resident.  Correctly shown as Myrtleville.

We’ve also got one from the 1930’s labelled as Fennell’s Bay!

Nice to see swimmers in several of the pictures 🙂

Jeez, you can’t say anything.  As soon as I say there needs to be improvements in posing next year, I get a flood of photos from fellas saying “I’m doin’ my bit – it’s everyone else who’s lettin’ the side down….”.  Lowry was on –

Kieran Murphy, straight in after him saying he was bringing other, more shy and retiring swimmers along with him.

Mr. Murphy encouraging the shy, retiring Ms. Maguire.

Denis, of course..

And Jim Shalloo – demanding to be given credit for his efforts.  Fair dues, Jim.  To be honest, you don’t look like you’re suffering too much for your art, though.

Look, lads, the point isn’t that individuals aren’t making an effort, it’s that we need to co-ordinate things better in the approach to the sea from the slip.  That was what I was trying to say, but the message was clearly lost on the buachaillí dána.

On the other hand, the mná (as Denis says) missed that point too.  They were all straight down to the beach trying to get their flag picked.

Pick mine – it matches my hair! Mine goes with my eyes! Mine’s the best all-rounder to match neoprene and skin!

Maybe we’ll have to have a Flag competition, like the Hat one 🙂

Swim Safe.  Still waiting for the water to get cold and great to see up to 20 people in the water regularly.

How ’bout that for a fancy title?  Everything changes, everything stays the same.  Great to see some pictures of the real Myrtleville Swimmers at the start of another year.  Still swimming..

Tom and Pat – in the sea every day and it’s always warm (they say)!

Watching over us, as ever, Jimmy Long heads into his 85th year on the beach (I think I’ve got that right!).

Jimmy Long bestowing his blessing for another year on the beach!

Last thing, in case I forget it – prize for the coldest swim so far this winter: 7.8c for these gentlemen at 08.00 last weekend.

Dave Cotter and Brian Twomey waiting for their award for the coldest swim over the holidays. Still waiting…

Another great year coming up.  Swim Safe.  Don’t swim alone.

I’ve had a few days off from updating the site to review performances in the important bit about OW swimming – posing for the photos.  Unfortunately, it’s hard not to conclude that we’ve become a bit lax and while some efforts are being made, we really have to try harder next year.

As this great video from Denis Condon and Anne Sheehy shows, we’re doing reasonably well at organising picture taking at the Turkey Swims.  We’ve got the “posing in lines on the beach” part pretty well sorted….

Good posing – but a bit dated and perhaps lacking in props.  Still, a valid effort.

It’s what happens from there on that the real problems are.  This shambling, messy walk into the water with no style or co-ordination.

The dogs on the street can see this is shambolic – no clear focus point, everyone doing their own thing. Just not good enough.

Better effort made here at the Marymount Hospice swim on New Year’s Eve. Well done to all who participated!

We need to up our game – big time.  Fortunately, extensive research has led me to realise what we’re missing and how we need to improve things.  We need A FLAG!

This is how it’s done – The Cryophil Winter Swimming Club in Siberia. We need a flag for next year – definitely.  And one of those green garlandy things.

In fairness, this crowd know how to make an entrance and we can take their lead.  No more wandering down the slip and on to the beach.  We’ll form up for parade by the boathouse and march into the sea.  Class.

For the Turkey Swims, we’ll substitute a tree for the flag…

Possible Turkey Swim parade format for 2015.

Then we’ll have a King and Queen of the Turkey Swims to lead us into the water.

King and Queen of Turkey (swims) get to lead the swimmers into the water. Just me or can anyone else see Anne and Denis leading this out next year?  They’re the heads off them.

Swim tomorrow morning at 08.15 as usual.  Might be too soon for the flag to have arrived by then, but we can still practice our parading 🙂