Join us May 17-18

The 24-hour Oz Relay will be held at the YWCA Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18. You can be part of this fun, meaningful event!


The Oz Relay honors the memory of Flying Fish swim coach and instructor Oswald "Oz" Roper and raises money to fund scholarships for the Flying Fish Swim School.


Oz was particularly interested in teaching as many kids as possible how to swim.


According to the USA Swimming Foundation:

  • Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children under the age of 14.
  • 64 percent of Black children, 45 percent of Latino children, and 40 percent of white children have low or no swimming ability.
  • Formal swimming lessons reduce the likelihood of drowning by 88 percent. This is particularly important in lakefront communities like ours.

Oz Relay details


The Oz Relay begins at 6:30 pm Friday, May 17, and ends at 6:30 pm Saturday, May 18, 2024.


The Oz Relay is open to everyone! This includes:

  • ALL Flying Fish swim team members. (Swim team members age 9-under must swim with a parent or guardian.)
  • Flying Fish alums, parents, siblings and extended family.
  • Masters swimmers, lap swimmers, community members, dog paddlers.
  • Anyone else who likes the water and wants to help kids learn to swim.


More about the relay:

  • The goal is to fill all five lanes of our 25-yard pool for 24 hours.
  • You can sign up for a 30-minute or one-hour swim (or more) in a lane to yourself. Kickboards, fins, etc. are fine. We don't judge!
  • You pick the time you want to swim. 
  • Each 30-minute leg of the relay requires a minimum $80 donation, which is half the cost of one session of swim lessons for one child in our swim school.
  • You can also pay $160 for your 30-minute swim, which covers the full cost of a session of lessons. Just donate an additional $80 when you check out on Community Pass.

How to sign up for your swim


Go to Community Pass. On Community Pass, go to "click here to register" and find "Oz 24-Hour Relay Swim." You'll get info about how to pay and select the time(s) you want to swim. You can also sponsor other swimmers and enhance your donation!


There is no registration for the Oz Relay outside of Community Pass.


New to Community Pass? When you visit the site, click on "create an account."


Questions about the Oz Relay? Contact Pete Caragher.

Can't be there but want to help?

You can make a donation to the Oz Fund for Aquatics Scholarships by clicking the button below.

Give to the Oz Fund
YWCA Flying Fish | 847-864-8445 | flyingfish@ywca-ens.org | www.ywca-ens.org
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