Teen Battles Strong Winds In Charity Bid To Swim Lake Ontario
Posted July 19, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The thought of swimming across Lake Ontario is daunting to even experienced swimmers – now try to imagine doing it without the use of your legs.
That’s what 15-year-old Jenna Lambert is attempting this week, with the goal of raising money for a swimming pool for kids with disabilities at the YMCA in her hometown of Kingston, Ont.
Lambert has cerebral palsy and cannot use her legs to swim. She began the 32-kilometre journey Tuesday at Baird Point, New York, and is expected to reach the shore at Fairfield Park in Amherstview, Ont. sometime Wednesday afternoon.
Strong winds were hampering the determined teen’s swim across the lake – delaying her estimated arrival time by a few hours.
Team leader Jeff Hannah said Lambert did very well through the night, even though she was battling two-metre-high waves at certain points.
She received moral support from Vicki Keith, who kayaked alongside her for a time.
Keith is one of Canada’s most renowned marathon swimmers – she’s traversed Lake Ontario half a dozen times and has raised more than $1 million for children with physical disabilities.
