Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (July 30/99) - In a bid to challenge themselves against the big river and to raise some money for a new Fort Simpson pool, 10 swimmers swam the width of the Mackenzie River.

Lyn Anderson, one of the more seasoned swimmers, thought of it as a challenge to himself and to all the younger swimmers who might be thinking about making the swim.

"I think I just challenged a lot of younger guys out there," Anderson said. "I'm going to be 43 years old and if I can do Œer they can damn do Œer.

"I think you'll see a lot more next year," he predicted. "It'd be great to see."

Anderson had a good swim and didn't think the 17 C water was too cold.

"The water's pretty cold, but I was working hard enough that I didn't notice it," he said. "I had more trouble trying to regulate my breathing, because if I start breathing too hard, I'd just tire out."

He's been away from the water for a while, but enjoyed the workout.

"It's not something I'd like to do everyday. I haven't swam for many years, but it's a good workout, that's for sure."

The youngest swimmer to complete the near-mile swim was 16-year-old Kerry Kraft, who loved the swim across.

"It was awesome," Kraft said, following the swim. "I'll probably go again next year, if I'm here."

Raquel Cli-Michaud also braved the chilly Mackenzie to meet the challenge for the second year in a row.

"The first few minutes were really cold, but after that it was nice," Cli-Michaud said. "It just takes a while to get used to.

"I did it last summer, but this year I felt a lot better -- it was just a better swim, except this year we drifted downstream a lot further."

Most have the same reason for crossing the river and Cli-Michaud was no different.

"I do it for the challenge," she said. "I always wanted to do it and I got to do it last year.

"A lot of my relatives were saying, ŒNo way!' but I did it," she said. "This year it seemed less of a challenge, but more like something cool to do."

Cli-Michaud collected more than $150 in pledges for the pool fund.

Swim organizer Elaine Tufts saw the swim as a great success.

"It went very well," Tufts said. "Everyone got off to a good start and there was no big panic.

"It rained for a little bit in the middle, but it was fine," Tufts said.

The swim also raised a good chunk of change, Tufts said.

"The committee has got to get together and count the money, but we should have over a thousand," she said.

The swimmers want to challenge themselves, Tufts said, and the annual event gives them the opportunity.

"Sometimes the ambition is that they've always wanted to swim across and I think that was their passion and this was their chance," she said.

She added that hosting the annual swim just might bring more people to Simpson each year.

"I think that if we hold this every year, it could really build and maybe help out with maintenance costs on a pool," she said. "It also could attract a lot of tourists."