Saratoga News
Columns
Saratoga Sampler
Cold, choppy waters make Alcatraz swim a challenge
By Mary Ann Cook
OUT-SWIMMING THE SHARKS: Three local stalwarts withstood the chilly waters of S.F. Bay to complete the grueling Sharkfest, a mile and a half of endurance swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco. They are Dr. Arkadii Samoilov and Craig Pettengill of Saratoga and Kurt Wilson of Los Gatos.
Samoilov won third place in the men's 40-44 age group with a time that was a whisker faster than half an hour: 29:58.8. He placed 15th overall. Wilson completed the swim in 47:31.26, and Pettengill's time was 53:34.38.
Samoilov describes the adventure as challenging but enjoyable, what with water temperatures in the low 60s, and colder swells and choppy waters in the middle of the swim. "The Golden Gate Bridge was partially enveloped in the fog on swimmers' right; the magnificent white buildings of San Francisco were getting closer and the rocks of Alcatraz farther with every stroke," he e-mails.
Nearly 1,000 wet-suited swimmers trekked from Aquatic Park to Pier 39 at 8 a.m. to board two ferries. Imagine the tourists' reactions, Samoilov comments. Dr. S. averages swim workouts of seven or more miles per week at the Decathlon Club or Santa Clara Swim Center.
He attempted the swim three years ago but it was so foggy participants ended up swimming around the Aquatic Park breakwater instead. Samoilov is senior scientist/director of R&D at Maxim Integrated Products in Sunnyvale. Maxim develops and manufactures electronic circuits and R&D ensures that the circuits work in concert with each other.
Only one Alcatraz prisoner, John Paul Scott, completed this swim, only to be discovered the next morning near Fort Point.
CHICK COMIC: Saratogan Mari-Esther Kaplan copped first place in the recent 2007 Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Competition. She won from a field of 150 entries over a four-month period. In the last phase of the competition, the top 13 from prior rounds competed. Audience votes decided the victor.
"Winning the competition is a great thrill for me. I feel like the comedy community is saying 'Welcome Back!' " As a Mexican-American woman who moved to the United States as a child, she feels her comedy is giving a voice to Mexican women throughout the country.
She received a cash prize and will be featured at Rooster T's throughout the year. Kaplan worked as an actress in New York for 10 years, often in comedic roles. After the birth of their son, Max, the Kaplans moved to the Bay Area and Mari-Esther took up stand-up comedy.
She had some early successes, but took a three-year hiatus to concentrate on motherhood. So it was a new beginning when she signed up for the Rooster T. competition. Second-place winner was Marty Grimes, followed by Ellery Urquhart in third.
Heather Barbieri, owner of Rooster T. Feathers and a comedian herself, says, "It's exciting to have a chick rule the roost for the first time."
MEMOIR: "I've always wished I knew more about my great-grandmothers," says memoirist Julianna Richmond, whose book, Dancing Mama, came out recently. "After all, you know your grandparents if you're lucky ... but the great-grandparents are a mystery.
"So when my fourth great-grandson came along, I decided to get serious about leaving something for [the greats]. I tried to be as honest as I could, and give them a bit of history as well." Hurdles will come along in their lives, and they can see how someone from another generation coped.
Others who read the book will also get an idea of how it was for Richmond in the changing times from 1921 to the present.
HEART-ENING SUM: The gala for the American Heart Association that Marie Lo Presto chaired recently earned $400,000, the largest amount the committee has raised in all its years of fundraising. Raising money for the heart association is a lifelong passion for Lo Presto, who was born with two holes in her heart.
Through the invention of the heart/lung machine and successful surgery, Lo Presto was finally able to live a full life, after a childhood as an invalid. She has been nationally honored for her fundraising efforts twice--she was named National Volunteer of the Year in 1967 and first lady Lady Bird Johnson presented the award.
In 1968 she received the Heart and Torch Award from the College of Cardiology.
LAUGHING TO HEALTH: Laughter is the best medicine, attests retired heart surgeon Dr. Francis Stutzman of Saratoga. "You can literally laugh your way to health," Stutzman told the lunchtime gathering at the Saratoga Senior Center recently. His topic was laughter and medicine and, like Jimmy Durante, he had a million of 'em.
Here's a sample: "A moviegoer was seated next to a man and his dog at a movie theater and was amazed to see the dog so thoroughly enjoying the show. The amazed observer commented to the dog's owner about how unusual this was. 'Yes,' said the pet's owner, 'I'm amazed, too. He didn't like the book at all.' "
Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to mac@impruve.com.
