When it comes to
the Island Swim, there really are old masters and new
masters.
Randy
Pascal For The Sudbury Star
Published Jul 27, 2026
For much of the four-plus decades the Island
Swim has been part of the Sudbury Fitness Challenge, Masters
Swimming Sudbury has consistently ranked among the largest
contingent of supporting athletes.
The 2026 edition of the race, hosted this
past Sunday morning at Moonlight Beach, was no exception,
as the 40-plus crowd outnumbered the below-39 grouping
in the combined one- and three-kilometre field by a count
of 34-29 — even if last-minute registrations might
have skewed those numbers slightly.
And while some longtime members of the
local masters swim club boast years and years of experience
in tackling the race that was hosted for quite some time
at Lake Nepahwin (at Laurentian Beach, to be specific),
newcomers to this party are more than welcomed to join
in the fun. Few, however, might do so with quite the same
aquatic connection as John Dow.
As in the grandson of one Richard Godfrey
Dow, mayor of the town of Copper Cliff from roughly 1959
to 1973, named to the Order of Canada in 1981 —
and the man who is honoured via the long-standing swimming
venue that is the RG Dow Pool.
“We were there for the opening day
in the seventies (Dec.14, 1971 — if Google is to
be believed),” said John, now 60 years old and taking
his first shot at the Island Swim just one week after
competing in his first ever triathlon, the Copper Town
Triathlon in Bruce Mines. “I remember my cousin
was part of the swimming demonstration at that time. “It
was a little bit of a family affair.”
For as much as comfort with the water
has been part of the mix for John Dow dating back to his
youth — “I grew up going to Dow Pool twice
a day” — the truth is from a quasi-competitive
standpoint, he was more diver than swimmer.
It was only after returning to Sudbury following a quarter
century hiatus away, 17 years of which were spent in Montreal,
that Dow veered off towards a regular commitment of joining
those who think nothing of completing lap after lap after
lap in a setting all of metres in length.
“Sudbury Masters is just a wonderful
group of people,” Dow said. “And once you
start with them, they can keep you busy doing a lot of
other things — like this race and triathlons. It’s
a lot of fun.”
No argument from 72-year-old veteran of
the scene, Amanda Hey, who checked the Island Swim off
her July to-do list for something like the fifteenth time
since she made her way to Sudbury in 1986. That, of course,
came after the Australia-born, now-retired physician and
her family moved to England and then shuffled off quickly
to Kamloops B.C., where Amanda was raised.
Somewhat reluctantly introduced to the
valuable life skill via swimming lessons early on, Hey
took to tackling laps in the pool some time during her
university studies — but it is her ties with Masters
Swimming Sudbury that have most stood the test of time,
with more than two decades under her belt.
“I have never been a competitive
swimmer but I saw the masters as a group to help me along,”
said the still-spry septuagenarian who joined Maureen
Moustgaard in carrying the torch for the 70-and-older
crowd on Sunday, according to the list of registrants
that we received.
“Swimming is just a very forgiving
sport” — from the standpoint of physical demands.
That more relaxed approach to this entire undertaking
emerged as a prevailing theme as Hey shared on thoughts
on several aspects of the day, including the entry to
the water and race conditions on Sunday.
“I always start at the back because
I know I am one of the slower ones,” she said with
a smile. “And there is usually a flurry of activity
at the front. Today, the temperature is beautiful, both
air and water — and the water is calm. This is a
really nice course, very visible.”
And once she enters the water, there is
plenty to occupy the mind of the northern athlete who
managed to complete the one-kilometre trek just a few
months after breaking her wrist.
“One of the things I find about swimming which is
nice is that it’s very contemplative,” Hey
said. “Once you get the breathing relaxed and the
stroke, you get to go through your grocery and shopping
list and what you plan to do during the day.
“It isn’t stressful out there
at all.”
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