Conny Stamhuis is set to make her mark on Okanagan Lake and, hopefully, send a ripple of support that reaches across the globe.
At 90 years old, the Kelowna woman plans to take on the 2.1 kilometre Interior Savings Across The Lake Swim for the seventh time.
This being the 74th edition, of the Across The Lake Swim makes it the largest and longest-running open water swim event in Canada and Stamhuis will be the first 90-year-old to take it on.
“I just thought of it simply because nobody of 90 has swum across the lake,” she said.
She’s not in it for glory or accolades. She wants to raise $10,000 for Doctors Without Borders, a cause that’s close to her heart.
“When I retired from nursing, I used to be an RN, I wanted to join them and I was accepted and, unfortunately, it didn’t happen,” she said.
“It was a little difficult, yet, from then on I was anxious to know what they were doing and I donated every month and they stayed in my mind. That’s why I got the idea, now at turning 90, I would do something for them instead of working there.”
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Stamhuis is used to challenging boundaries. She moved to Canada from the Netherlands in her 20s, studied nursing in her 40s, started swimming in her 60s, and swam for the first time across the Okanagan Lake in her 80s.
She even attended the FINA World Masters Championships in Budapest in 2017 and came back with four medals, two golds and two silvers in the 85-89 age group.
She trains three times a week with a local swim club, though she acknowledges that the “currents and waves” of Okanagan Lake are a challenge that can’t be mimicked in a pool.
While some may balk at the idea of taking such a significant swim at her age, a small sign on her fridge offers insight into her view on age. It reads, “All deaths before 120 are premature.”
This swim takes place July 16. It starts on the West Kelowna shore of Okanagan Lake and ends at Hot Sands Beach.
Stamhuis is nearly halfway to her fundraising goal. Anyone wishing to support her can do so via the Canada Helps website.
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