Jade Scognamillo is not about to let a tiny matter such as timing get in the way of a record lake swim attempt.
She’ll just re-set her dials.
Conditions permitting, the 14-year-old Country Day School student is planning to enter the waters of Lake Erie Saturday between 7 and 8 a.m. as she attempts to become the youngest and fastest swimmer to cross the lake.
Never mind Kingston, ON, resident Natalie Lambert, also 14, shaved nearly 30 minutes off the previous best time last weekend when she accomplished the 19.2-kilometre swim from Crystal Beach, ON, to Sturgeon Point, New York, in seven hours, 47 minutes and 30 seconds.
“It just means I have to pick up the pace. All I can do is try,” said Scognamillo, who is several months younger than Lambert and entering Grade 10 at the King Township school in September.
There is no question she is up to the task.
Initially, she wanted to attempt a crossing of Lake Ontario but lacks the experience, according to Solo Swims of Ontario, which oversees open-water, solo and long-distance swims in Ontario.
The physical aspect of the swim won’t stop the Caledon resident, she vows.
She has overcome the notion of cold water by taking icy cold showers and training in her family's pool, set at 64 degrees. She no longer worries about the perception of a bottomless lake.
To qualify, she had to swim one-third the distance she is attempting in a supervised swim in Lake Ontario last weekend.
“I thought it was an incredibly long distance, but if I can swim seven or eight kilometres once, I think I can do it three times,” said Scognamillo, who is coached by Aurora Masters Ducks’ Nancy Black. “I’m pretty confident. I know I can do this.”
Scognamillo, whose family moved to Canada from England in 2005, is also aiming to raise $30,000 in pledges for The Hospital For Sick Children’s neonatal unit.
“I’ve been a competitive swimmer since I was nine years old,” said Snognamillo, a member of the Vaughan Aquatic Club. “I didn't want to waste all that training, so I decided to put it to good use.
In 2005, while still living in England, she swam the equivalent of the English Channel in her family’s back yard pool, raising money for charity.
In a symbolic gesture, Scognamillo plans to swim from Sturgeon Point, near Buffalo, coming ashore on Canadian soil at Crystal Beach.
She also is hoping, if successful, to be recognized as Canadian, despite efforts by Solo Swims to record her as a British citizen.
There is one item that may play a factor in the swim — she detests seaweed.
“That’s the only mental barrier. There’s seaweed at the start and finish right in your face, and patches in the middle.”
Her support team is completing the final details for acquiring the required boats and volunteers.
Visit www.jadeswim4life.com for more information and details on how to pledge support.