SUNAPEE HARBOR, N.H. – This past summer, head swimming and diving coach Helaina Sacco accepted a challenge by swimming enthusiast and local Hogan Sports Center swimmer Skip Hause to race across the Sunapee Harbor for a fund-raising opportunity for the Colby-Sawyer swimming team. 
 
For the past seven years, the seventy-seven-year-old legend has been challenging "celebrity" swimmers to a half-mile open water swim across the beautiful Sunapee Harbor, starting in Lake Avenue and ending in Dewey Beach. Despite the 46-year difference in swimming experience, Sacco accepted the challenge for a chance to not only compete again but build a relationship with some local swimmers. 
 
THE DEAL:
 
Before the start of the race, Hause made some "rules," if you will, for the young and elite former division one college swimmer. First, Sacco was to wait 12 whole minutes at the start of the race, from Skip's dock on the harbor, to give the veteran an advantage. The 12-minute agreement was settled after calculating Skip's best time of 26-minutes, set four years ago, along with the idea that Sacco hasn't raced in open water since her early high-school days. Additionally, Sacco performed four different strokes during her swim, including the freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke. 
 
THE RESULTS: 
 
Given a 12-minute head start, Sacco was able to catch up to Skip just 10 minutes after her initial dive displaying the breaststroke movement and swiftly switching to the butterfly. From there, Sacco transitioned into her two final strokes as she met Skip and swam alongside him for the remainder of the half-mile, displaying a real sense of sportsmanship. Finally, the two crossed the finish line simultaneously to earn a shared victory in this friendly local challenge.
 
A film was made to capture the event and was submitted to the Green Mountain Film Festival, in which the film was noted in the official selection. Click HERE for the link to the movie!