by Lisa DiGiorgio | Aug 16, 2016 | News
2016 RIO Olympics – Katie Ledecky
WOW….Have you been watching the Rio Olympics? The U.S.A. has won 33 medals in swimming! 16 Gold, 8 Silver and 9 Bronze! Michael Phelps ends his career at age 31 with 23 Gold medals, 5 Gold and 1 Silver at these Olympics. Katie Ledecky won 4 Gold and 1 Silver with her perfect stroke. Nathan Ryan from WA State won 2 Golds and 2 Bronze. With the Olympics and the hot weather, many of us are thinking we’d rather be swimming right now! Since that’s not an option for most of us, try the next best thing – head to the Lopez Village Market, grab a cold drink and checkout the new FLIP bulletin board display showcasing the latest site plan and artist’s conception of the pool. Take a moment to imagine what it will be like when our community crosses the finish line and a pool on Lopez becomes reality.
by Lisa DiGiorgio | Jul 6, 2016 | News
Chinc Clark Spirit Award
2016 Lopez Island Parade
Did you see our float at Lopez Island’s 4th of July Parade? FLIP’s Float was a BIG hit with everyone! Our float won the Chinc Clark SPIRIT Award! One person said, “Chinc would have loved this float”! Carolyn McGown, FLIP’s Public Relations Coordinator, organized four synchronized swimmers to perform a humorous routine to classical music in the back of a truck driven by her husband, Bill. The truck, draped in brilliant blue fabric, sewn by Carolyn to look like water, provided the stage for a lot of fun and public awareness. The swimmer’s (Linda Barton, Lisa DiGiorgio, Carolyn McGown and Ann Pottier) chanted, “Get in Sync with FLIP….Support a Pool on Lopez”! Kids joined the parade as well as Ann Auckland who gave out FREE SWIM passes for Opening Day July 4th 2018!
YES, in 2018 Lopez Will Swim! Our Capital Campaign has officially begun! Use our web site to donate and to keep up on the latest building plans and fundraising goals! Please call Robin Bergstrom, FLIP President, at 468-2253 or complete the ‘contact us form’ on this web site for more information.
by Lisa DiGiorgio | Jun 21, 2016 | News
Lopez Kids Swim Days 2016
It was not a surprise that the Lopez Kids Swim Days on June 1st & 2nd at the Fidalgo Pool in Anacortes was a great success once again! We met our goal to get kids K-5 in the water swimming and having a splashing good time! This year we had over 100 kids in the pool each day, participating from Lopez Island Elementary, Lopez Island Academy and home schooled kids, too! Good news, all the fifth graders passed the swim test this year! Splish Splash and a big CONGRATULATIONS to all the kids! Last, but never least, we are very grateful for ALL those who came together to make this happen….teachers, parents, bus drivers and the many friends of FLIP who contributed to make this event a wonderful time for all! Thank you and Keep on Swimming!
by Lisa DiGiorgio | May 21, 2016 | News
The Swimmer’s Dream Raffle for the 2016 USA Olympic Swim Trials was drawn yesterday…stay tuned, we will be announcing the winner soon!
Instructor And Patient Undergoing Water Therapy
Good things are happening behind the FLIP sign on Center Road. Momentum is building rapidly. The goal of the Friends of Lopez Island Pool is to be swimming in the summer of 2018 in an outdoor facility with the expectation that the natatorium would be completed in a second phase soon after.
The board and building committee now have a scaled-down plan and new affordable estimate for the pool bathhouse with locker rooms and reception area, along with the mechanical equipment housing and two Myrtha brand pools. FLIP has never wavered from our belief that this entire community would best be served by two pools. The largest is a four-lane, 25-yard pool for fitness, sport and recreational swimming. The smaller is an amply sized super-warmed pool for learn-to-swim and water therapy, with easy access and a soft-surfaced bottom.
Together these pools will serve parents of young children, children and youth of all abilities, elders and those convalescing from injury or hospitalization, adult recreation, after-school sports, EMT water rescue training needs and just about everything else that needs to happen in water. Warm, clean, calm water.
We have the land and now a high capacity well. Currently FLIP is in the process of completing San Juan County predevelopment requirements, which include storm water management, site drainage, septic planning, power to the site and access road enhancement. Thanks to the warm and generous response of island donors to the recent GiveBIG fundraiser, we expect to start working on the site this summer.
Most importantly, we will soon be inviting you to come together in small groups so that we can hear your questions, show you the plans and get your feedback. The board is beginning to schedule these salons, the first one being May 23. We want to hear from you. Send a message on our web page.
We are grateful for a matching grant pledge of half a million dollars to get us started for the capital campaign, which will kick off this summer on July 4th. Much more information coming soon.
A BIG thank you for your support from the FLIP Board!
Modified from the article published by Islands Weekly May 16, 2016
