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November 2025 Newsletter
Member Spotlight: Laura and Rode At 28 and new to Ashland, I came to the Rec Center sauna with friends during the winter. The sauna is the gossip capital of Bayfield and a great place to integrate yourself into the local culture, it's a popular place to hangout and crowds form in the healing and social warmth. After moving to Bayfield I would come to use the sauna and catch up with the tall, cute guy who was often saw in the sauna. Cohl and I would sauna, jump in the frozen lake together and began dating, eventually tying the knot in June 2024. Read the full Newsletter here |
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October 2025 Newsletter
Member Spotlight: Brittney and Cora Swim season is ahead of us, and we have had the pleasure of seeing Brittney and Cora grow over the last several seasons, as leaders on the team and as reliable lifeguards. What you need to know about these two: Both Brittney and Cora are hardworking and determined. Between their AP classes, asking for extra lifeguard shifts, and training for a strong swim season ahead, it’s clear that whatever they each decide to do when they leave Washburn, they will be successful. Read the full Newsletter here |
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September 2025 Newsletter
We 🩵 Our Volunteers Community members who use the Rec Center seasonally or year round have a strong connection to the mission and continued success of the Rec Center. Invested members means we have the BEST volunteers. The Bayfield Rec Center runs better because of the dedicated volunteers who share a little bit of their time each year. Read the full Newsletter here |
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August 2025 Newsletter
Local P2LP Swimmers Fundraising above and beyond We are days away from the 19th annual Point to La Pointe, the largest fundraiser of the year for the Bayfield Rec Center. Several dedicated swimmers go above and beyond their race registration minimum to raise additional funds. Meet 5 local swimmers who are not just swimming 2.1 miles to Madeine Island, but using their swim to fundraise for the Bayfield Rec Center. Read the full Newsletter here |
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July 2025 Newsletter
North Coast Community Sailing welcomes a new director Since graduating in 2019, Taylor has been working in the outdoor industry connecting students to the Northwoods by facilitating experiences for students to gain confidence and find inspiration in outdoor activities. As an Outward Bound instructor Taylor led students through the ups and downs of 30-day wilderness expeditions in canoe country, where students developed autonomy in their skills to take over leadership roles as they progressed in their expedition. Students came out of these trips knowing they could succeed even in the most challenging of environments. Read the full newsletter here |
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June 2025 Newsletter
Tips for building healthy habits Your schedule is likely changing – longer daylight hours, kids out of school, summer jobs, tourists in town. With changing routines come new habits, whether intentional or not, good or bad, the fact is that new behaviors will be formed. If you want to build healthy habits during these times of transition you have to be intentional about the steps you take. What is a habit? Read the full newsletter here |
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May 2025 Newsletter
POWER UP! - Power Lifting and Solar Panel Installation In October of 2023 we began offering 24-hour access to the fitness and locker rooms with funding, in part, through Bayfield County Health Infrastructure Grant. To date we have over 500 members with 24-hour access. Some of these members use the facility for a shower when they are in town camping or boating, others work out after a late work shift, and others are here before the sunrises. Aubrey is one of our members who consistently fits in her gym training outside of traditional hours. Read the full newsletter here |
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April 2025 Newsletter
Go twice as far when you're part of a team Maybe you can relate – wanting to get in the routine of swimming but feeling intimidated with getting started. How do you even put on a swim cap? Stephanie found that YouTube could teach her about swim caps and joining the adult swim team would force her to jump in feet first. Stephanie's Story- After years of using the pool for kid’s birthday parties and her husband’s business supporting as a 1% for Recreation Partner Stephanie was familiar with the facility, but wasn't a trained swimmer and didn’t feel ready to start swimming laps until she got the kind of advice from a friend that can seem so simple but so impactful "find someone to swim with". Read the full newsletter here |
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March 2025 Newsletter Zero-gravity healing in the pool Rachel and Ruth Anne, two of our members, have had incredible recovery journeys aided by the work they’ve done in the pool. Even if you aren’t going through physical therapy or recovery, you’ll enjoy their stories followed by great advice for getting yourself moving and accepting support when you’re trying something new! Read the full newsletter here |
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February 2025 Newsletter
Thinking a-boat summer If you’ve taken the winter months to learn a new skill, discovery something about yourself, or connect with your community you have a lot in common with our summer sailing students who learn and play on Lake Superior. This brief warming period has caught us reminiscing about the summer and what cool sailing experiences we’ve had! Read the full newsletter here |
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January 2025 Newsletter
Explore new ways to socialize and stay fit Happy New Year! However you’re approaching the new year we’d like to invite you to try something new! Routines, habits, rituals all serve their place in creating structure for our lives, and we also need to have parts of our lives where we are stretching, trying something new, learning, and exploring. A well-lived life has both stability and exploration. Read the full newsletter here |
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December 2024 Newsletter
Kicking off 40th Anniversary Celebrations In a time where independently run pools in rural areas were rare to begin with and currently many institutions are closing their pools, it’s amazing to be entering our 40th year. This facility started as a gift to the community by Mary Rice and family in 1985, in 2006 Recreation and Fitness Resources (RFR) was formed to run operations, and in 2022 RFR took on full ownership and operation. Here we are! Approaching 40 years since ground breaking in 2025! Read the full newsletter here |
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November 2024 Newsletter Expanding possibilities through 1% for Recreation We all know that a seemingly small interaction at the Rec Center might just shape your day, vacation, or life! And seemingly small donations, 1% from business partners, really add up! 1% for Recreation is a program where local businesses contribute to the financial stability of the Rec Center. While there is variation, in essence, businesses add 1% to consumer sales and send the money to the Rec Center. Read the full newsletter here |
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October 2024 Newsletter
Bay Area Swim Team Growing in Size and Spirit Just over the horizon there is a new swim culture building in the Chequamegon Bay and Bay Area Swim Team is part of bringing local youth into the sport. Swimmers come to the team after gaining experience through lessons or spending the summer in the lake and our team provides further stroke development and eventually race development. Being part of a swim team is different from a lot of sports because athletes of different ages and abilities can practice together and individually be improving, regardless of their starting ability. Read the full newsletter here |
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September 2024 Newsletter
Can you spot all the upgrades we are making to the building – inside and out? We’re busy year-round maintaining and upgrading the building, but in the last month we have been working on several especially visible projects.
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August 2024 Newsletter
Locals transition from pool training to Point to La Pointe Open Water Swim We’re days away from the 18th annual Point to La Pointe Open Water Swim with 600 swimmers expected to participate on August 3rd, 2024. Swimmers arrive from across the country and internationally to enjoy the beauty of Bayfield in August. Amongst the group of locals swimming this year are 4 women that have been training together as part of our new Open Water Swim Clinic. Read the full newsletter here |
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July 2024 Newsletter
Member Spotlight: Bev Holmes If you haven't met Bev at the Rec Center or around town, now is your chance to get to know her and say Happy Birthday next time you see her. Bev turns 90 next week and is our oldest member at the Bayfield Rec Center. Bev comes to the Rec Center 3 days a week, year round, even in the rain and snow for morning Aqua Fit. She is a lifelong swimmer, learning how to swim as a young girl growing up in Milton, MA. The Rec Center is a core part of her social life and she loves the variety of instructors that keep her workouts lively. Read the full newsletter here |
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June 2024 Newsletter-
From historic English Channel crossings to youth swim lessons, the Bayfield Rec Center meets a host of community needs. Last week the 4 women of WisconSWIM, Michele, Jennifer, Pamela, and Lisa swam together in San Francisco completing 2 of their training swims for their upcoming swim across the English Channel. The Mermaids are gearing up to be the first relay team from Wisconsin to swim across the English Channel. Lisa Weispfenning, affectionately MerLisa, is our local Washburn connection and has been training at the Rec Center over the winter while we all wait for the lake to warm up. Read the full newsletter here |
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May 2024 Newsletter-
North Coast Community Sailing boat raffle and fundraiser. And! Point to La Pointe is in full swing! Ask almost anyone you know who lives summers or vacations around the Chequamegon Bay and the odds are high that they are here for the lake. Or perhaps for the slow way of life. The lake and the slow way of life come together from sauna dipping year round, artists using and interpreting the natural world around us, sailing, and more. Read the full newsletter here |
