Over the past four months, Chicago’s very own Friday Morning Swim Club has caught both the city’s and its citizens’ attention. This three-year-old “get together” began with only eight members and now reaches averages as high as 2,000 people per week. “Last year was crowded but this year I couldn’t even find a spot to put my bag,” said English teacher Courtney Gingerich.
Andrew Glatt and Nicole Novotny founded this club with the intent to simply have a fun Friday morning. Novotny is a co-owner of Printers Row Coffee located in Lincoln Park and Glatt is an incredibly talented photographer.
For most attendees, their Friday starts with a 6:00 am wake up call to accommodate a 6:30 am arrival time. According to DePaul College Prep students, all they need is a floatie, their keys and a cup of coffee.
Despite the early hour, the traffic on Montrose is incredibly busy. Many students have admitted that it’s almost like getting off at Irving Park during a Cubs game. “You’re stuck on this exit ramp and you just see swarms of bikers and cars and people with inner tubes,” said senior Avery Moulton. It’s certainly a sight to see!
For the most part, it seems like just about everyone shows up in a group from anywhere between two to eight people. And while the swim club still encourages you to go if you’re alone, a group setting is definitely preferred.
In terms of the logistics, “it’s really well structured,” confirmed English teacher Alyse Adolf. She continued by making note of the fact that they would send out polls to get a general number check on their Instagram the week of. They also sent out a copy of the rules and the forecast, and shared the lake temperature the night before.
Right before the main 7:00 am jump the founders do an overview of the whole swimming and coffee situation. It’s a little something along the lines of “Here are the safety precautions, here is how the coffee line is going to work, this is how the waves go in,” said Avery Moulton.
And while there is clearly a plan in place, the actual jump time is not as official as you think. Sure, the first jump takes place at 7:00, but a fair amount of people prefer to hang out for the first half hour or so and jump in closer to 7:30.
By 8:00 am, it’s safe to say Montrose Harbor is deserted.
According to Adolf who attended last year, most of the attendees were in their mid twenties and early thirties. However, as the club gained popularity this last summer through Instagram and word of mouth, kids, seniors, and just about everyone in between showed up bright and early for the big jump.
One of the main things that people love so much about this club is that it’s theirs – it’s Chicago’s. Not only is this the only city in America that does something like this, but everybody that shows up “seems to be from Chicago,” said senior Ryen Kilander.
Especially in the last couple weeks of the club though, people felt like it was starting to get touristy. Comments on the club’s Instagram posts verified that people from other states were coming to the city, and getting a hotel for the night for the sole purpose of attending Friday Morning Swim Club.
The Friday Morning Swim Club Season Ends Five Weeks Early
According to the founders, the club ended early because of “last Friday’s events and the complex communication that is happening between the Chicago Parks District and the city.”
After the club was canceled for that week, about a hundred or so people still showed up and jumped in. According to witnesses, the police showed up and monitored everyone’s safety.
While this has not been addressed specifically, it’s likely that part of the reason the club ended early is because they were constantly going against Park District rules. According to the Chicago Park District, swimming is not allowed that early in the morning due to the absence of lifeguards, and inner tubes are not allowed in that area.
With that came a concern for people’s safety; and while the lack of ladders and lifeguards was annoying, none of the attendees ever felt scared. In a similar way, the whole club and how you go about it is up to the individual’s discretion. Gingerich mentioned that it’s the individual that has to make those judgments for themselves. “If they think the waves are too big then don’t jump in.”
In terms of the remaining year, the founders are hosting meet ups around the city for other small events but the students confirmed that that’s not what they originally came there for. Many are afraid that with next year and the potential reopening of the club, it’s going to become incredibly touristy.
While the club is canceled for the rest of the year, the founders are in the midst of communication with the park district to be back on track for next season.
