Courtesy of Bailey Photo and Phil White, Lake Memphremagog, Vermont.

Martha Wood, a Harvard-educated water polo player-turned-winter swimmer, dominated the freestyle races at the 2018 Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival at Vermont’s Lake Memphremagog. The 55-year-old American from New Hampshire won the 25, 50m and 200m freestyle and placed second in the 100m freestyle.

The event attracted swimmers from North America, Ireland, and Scotland to its 25-meter, two-lane pool cut in the 2-foot (0.6m) ice of Vermont’s Lake Memphremagog.

Race director Phil White reported, “The water temperature was 30.8°F. Air temperatures were in the 30°F’s on the first day on Saturday, February 25th and in the 20°F’s on Sunday’s Day Two.

Many were new to the sport and had been training and acclimating to cold water swimming for months. Most were happy to complete their distances at any speed. But, there was also some accomplished and speedy swims with seven pool records being broken.

Conor Turner of Dublin, Ireland set records in the 100m and 200m freestyle. Canadian Craig Ross of Guelph, Ontario set pool records in the 25m freestyle, 25m butterfly , and 50m freestyle. Perennial speedsters, Daina Bouquin of Melrose, Massachusetts and Martha Wood, of Manchester, Massachusetts set records in the 25m butterfly and the 200m freestyle respectively. Winners received beef jerky from Brault’s Market and maple syrup from Couture’s Maple Shop and B & B.

Winning the highly contested Best Hat Competition was Edwin Greenfield of Richmond Hill, Ontario and, new to this year’s competition, best Team Hats was won by the New Mexico Dream Team, led by Erin Churchill, and including Amber Zimmerman, Terry Casey, and RuthAnn Goradia, all from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Each winner received a half a pound of Brault’s Beef Jerky.

The Most Mature winter swimmer was 72-year-old Ginny Peck from North Woodstock, New Hampshire. On the other end of the chronological spectrum was the youngest winter swimmer was 14-year-old Vera Rivard of Springfield, New Hampshire. They were awarded a bar of handmade soap provided by Lynn Kubasek of Laguna Beach, California.

Michelle White of Navan, Ireland received a set of ice tongs for her gritty and determined 200m swim and her infectious smile.

Swimmers enjoyed Friday afternoon Warm Up at Jaspers, a Rolling Welcome Dinner at Newport Ciderhouse Bar & Grill, a Jammy and Barr Hill Vodka Shooter Party after Saturday’s swims, a Seafood Buffet on Saturday night at The EastSide Restaurant, and a full weekend of hosting by Dena Gray and her wonderful crew. They expressed their thanks to our hosts and our wonderful crew of about 20 volunteers who were busy both days out on the ice.

Special thanks to our many sponsors who made this possible. Community National Bank, Newport City Inn & Suites, Eden Ice Cider, Newport Ciderhouse, Bar & Grill, Walt’s Sales & Service, Jay Peak Resort Burke Mountain, Passumpsic Savings Bank, and Barr Hill by Caledonia Spirits.”

25m Freestyle Female Results:
1. Martha Wood 15.93
2. Elizabeth Almond 16.11
3. Kellie Latimer 16.3
4. Terry Casey 16.57
5. Amber Zimmerman 16.74
6. Janet Manning 17.13
7. Vera Rivard 17.14
8. Cindy Werhane 17.4
9. Lelané Rossouw-Bancroft 17.45
10. Amy Ross 17.63
11. Catherine Delneo 19.24
12. Aimee Jones 19.72
13. Kristie DeMarco 19.89
14. Lauren Byron 20.11
15. Elaine Howley 20.35
16. Genevieve Mackwood 20.64
17. Sarah Clark 20.68
18. Nadine Bennett 21.31
19. Janice Burton 21.49
20. Susan Kirk 21.87
21. Mary Stabinsky 21.98
22. Gemma Sim 22.59
23. MJ Staples 23.1
24. Theresa Peck 23.5
25. Louise Hyder-Darlington 23.86
26. Mina Elnaccash 24.01
27. Katharine Borczak 24.05
28. Mindy Bowens 24.49
29. Paula Yankauskas 25.49
30. Ginny Peck 27.01
31. Sarah King 27.12
32. Robbie Bailey 30.2
33. Michelle White 30.68

25m Freestyle Male Results:
1. Craig Ross 12.35
2. Stephen Rouch 14.57
3. Talbott Crowell 15.75
4. Greg O’Connor 15.83
5. Andrew Wallace 15.98
6. Ed Gabriels 16.43
7. Richard Born 16.5
8. Ian Grimmer 16.65
9. Blake Hargis 17.09
10. Richard Sweeney 17.13
11. Robert Bailey 17.13
12. Richie Eslawa 17.4
13. Josef Polcz 18.79
14. Chris Criswick 19.15
15. Ted Hirsch 20.14
16. John Gale 20.17
17. Francis O’Loughlin 21.18
18. Chirag Tolia 21.55
19. Hugh Darlington 21.58
20. Silverio Bracaglia 23.23
21. Elliot Reed 23.81
22. Edwin Greenfield 29.07
23. Seth Bornstein 58.13

50m Freestyle Female Results:
1. Martha Wood 36.84
2. Kellie Latimer 36.94
3. Vera Rivard 38.19
4. Amy Ross 38.22
5. Janet Manning 38.68
6. Cindy Werhane 39.11
7. Elizabeth Almond 40.08
8. Lelane Rossouw-Bancroft 40.22
9. Cheryl Fellman 42.68
10. Catherine Delneo 43.0
11. Daina Bouquin 43.09
12. Sarah Clark 44.99
13. Erin Churchill 45.49
14. Kristie DeMarco 46.04
15. Janice Burton 46.57
16. Nadine Bennett 47.2
17. Lauren Byron 48.22
18. Elaine Howley 49.32
19. Susan Kirk 49.48
20. Aimee Jones 49.74
21. Gemma Sim 49.84
22. Genevieve Mackwood 50.6
23. Mina Elnaccash 53.15
24. Louise Hyder-Darlington 55.73
25. Mindy Bowens 57.3
26. Mary Stabinsky 57.89
27. MJ Staples 58.28
28. Katharine Borczak 58.78
29. Michelle White 1.11.50

50m Freestyle Male Results:
1. Craig Ross 29.1
2. Stephen Rouch 31.72
3. Andrew Wallace 35.16
4. Greg O’Connor 35.84
5. Ian Grimmer 37.06
6. Ed Gabriels 37.17
7. Richard Born 38.32
8. Ted Hirsch 38.81
9. Blake Hargis 38.89
10. Ger Kennedy 41.55
11. Richie Eslawa 41.58
12. Chris Criswick 43.02
13. Robert Bailey 44.44
14. Josef Polcz 47.0
15. John Gale 48.43
16. Francis O’Loughlin 49.91
17. Chirag Tolia 52.1
18. Silverio Bracaglia 52.26
19. Elliot Reed 53.32
20. Edwin Greenfield 1.02.91

100m Freestyle Female Results:
1. Daina Bouquin 1.18.56
2. Martha Wood 1.21.48
3. Cindy Werhane 1.21.75
4. Kellie Latimer 1.21.79
5. Vera Rivard 1.25.44
6. Elizabeth Almond 1.28.27
7. Lelané Rossouw-Bancroft 1.30.39
8. Amber Zimmerman 1.33.35
9. Janet Manning 1.34.26
10. Catherine Delneo 1.37.17
11. Erin Churchill 1.37.78
12. Janice Burton 1.37.97
13. Kristie DeMarco 1.39.69
14. Nadine Bennett 1.43.56
15. Elaine Howley 1.48.43
16. Mary Stabinsky 1.58.49
17. Gemma Sim 1.59.47
18. MJ Staples 2.01.35
19. Louise Hyder-Darlington 2.06.45
20. Michelle White 2.32.34

100m Freestyle Male Results:
1. Conor Turner 1.11.95
2. Stephen Rouch 1.12.43
3. Andrew Wallace 1.17.80
4. Greg O’Connor 1.21.57
5. Blake Hargis 1.22.38
6. Ed Gabriels 1.23.58
7. Ted Hirsch 1.24.62
8. Richard Born 1.27.02
9. Richie Eslawa 1.33.42
10. Ger Kennedy 1.35.17
11. John Gale 1.42.93
12. Chris Criswick 1.47.53
13. Elliot Reed 2.05.20
14. Chirag Tolia 2.26.30
15. Edwin Greenfield 2.46.60

200m Freestyle Female Results:
1. Martha Wood 2.51.64
2. Cindy Werhane 2.58.78
3. Vera Rivard 3.01.27
4. Elizabeth Almond 3.15.00
5. Lelané Rossouw-Bancroft 3.17.18
6. Janice Burton 3.25.58
7. Nadine Bennett 3.31.43
8. Erin Churchill 3.31.51
9. Catherine Delneo 3.32.51
10. Elaine Howley 3.50.94
11. MJ Staples 4.04.13
12. Michelle White 5.25.54

200m Freestyle Male Results:
1. Conor Turner 2.30.48
2. Stephen Rouch 2.39.74
3. Ed Gabriels 3.04.04
4. Ted Hirsch 3.04.74
5. Richard Born 3.10.23
6. Ger Kennedy 3.38.56
7. Chris Criswick 3.42.56
8. John Gale 3.44.12
9. Richie Eslawa 3.57.77

For breaststroke, butterfly and relay results, visit here.

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