Grace Nackers

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of shore.” -William Faulkner

Hi! I’m 15 year old, Ventura local Grace. I'm entering my sophomore year of high school, am a year round competitive club swimmer and seasonal open water swimmer; currently training and preparing for my first Santa Barbara sanctioned swim from Anacapa Island to the mainland, 12.2 miles. This will be my second open water channel crossing, but first solo. Last year I was fortunate to team up with a group of South Bay teens under the non-profit Ocean Fever. All summer we trained meeting at 0430 and swum in the dark, 3-4 miles each session between Redondo-Manhattan Beach, preparing for our Catalina Crossing. We successfully completed the sanctioned 21 mile swim in just over 10 hours last August. If I’m not swimming, you can find me playing viola, piano, percussion or ukulele. Music is almost always playing in my head during my swim workouts. Swimming from Anacapa Island will accomplish one of my largest goals in swimming while supporting mental health for Veterans and First Responders.

Marathon Swimming for me is never just about the swimming for the challenge. It’s not just the distance swum. It’s the courage to keep going, overcoming fear, fighting the cold and all the unexpected and showing there are come backs after set backs. It carries a bigger vision….To harness the power of sport and create purpose to shine a light on something greater than ourselves. The health and wellbeing of others comes to mind; specifically those that needed to find the help to process PTSD, but didn’t find the community resources or family support. We must do better supporting one another. Please join my journey to do so.

Email: gncalisurfer@gmail.com See instagram link below

- Raise awareness for those struggling with mental health or PTSD and help pave the way for others to find new strengths and passions. - Raise funds to cover participation fees for firefighters and veterans who would like to participate in the 4th Annual Ventura Honor Guard 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. (www.venturafirehonorguard.org) -Raise additional funds to support Veterans and Gold Star Families. - Challenge myself and show others they can overcome mental blocks and succeed in life.

- Support me monetarily (See venmo link down below) - Donate products or gift cards for the raffle - Purchase raffle tickets (Info below) - Find me swimming into shore, help cheer me in! (August 8th, 2025, approximately 4-10 hours after I leave the Anacapa Island shoreline. (Use provided tracking link to know when I'll hit shore) As a local business supporting my fundraising efforts, you are directly supporting our First Responders and specifically those participating in the Ventura 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb put on by the Ventura Fire Honor Guard. What better way to say thank you to the men and women that serve and protect us everyday. Your business will certainly receive the recognition you deserve for your support. As a larger corporation that’s supporting me, I’ve only reached out to companies I know, already use, trust and love and am very excited to share and link your information via social media and flyer distribution. Thank you all!

3 tickets for $20 Or 18 tickets for $100 There's no limit on how many items you can win, so Good Luck! A live-streamed raffle for generously donated products and gift cards will take place the evening before my solo crossing. If you are a winner, I'm happy to deliver locally and can also mail gift cards if you are further away. Raffle tickets will be available to purchase July 8! All proceeds raised will support a limited number of Veterans or Firefighters wishing to participate in the Ventura Honor Guard 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb being held on September 7, 2025 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ventura, California. For more information about the event: VENTURAFIREHONORGUARD.ORG. If you are a Veteran or a First Responder (that responded to the Eaton, Palisades or Mountain. Fire) wishing to register for the Stair Climb, I would like to sponsor you! Please contact the Honor Guard for sponsorship.

$25 gift card: pressed juicery $25 gift card: pressed juicery $10 gift card: Cafe Ficelle Boulangerie & Patisserie $20 Marmalade Cafe Gift Certificate $20 Marmalade Cafe Gift Certificate $25 Revolution Surf and Skate Board Company $35 gift card: Urbane Cafe $35 gift card: Urbane Cafe $25 gift card: See’s Candies $25 gft card: See’s Candies Beach Volleyball Pack- $45 value Zinka Sunscreen set-$30 value Zinka Sunscreen set-$30 value Precision Fuel & Hydration set-value $60 Precision Fuel & Hydration set-value $60 Blue Tuna Spearfishing: Women’s Tank- value $29 Blue Tuna Spearfishing: Women’s Tank-value $29 Blue Tuna Spearfishing Shop: Men’s Lobster Dive Shirt & and Spearfishing Flat Bill SnapBack hat set- $50 value Patagonia 6L Cube Bag-value $49 Betty Belts Olive Green Seaglass Pendant, silver chain. Value: $70 Grand Prizes Patagonia Terravia Tote Bag-value $99 Patagonia 55L Duffel Bag-value $169 Ninja Deluxe Kitchen System-value $200 Maui Jim Sunglassses-value $300-$400

Sand Cloud Organic Towels $50 each Ventura Surf Shop (L) Tee and Trucker hat set 1 month membership to Core Power Yoga in Ventura Neighborly Restaurant gift card in Thousand Oaks/Westlake $50 SOL Janeiro Jet Set Beach Microfiber Towel (2) Hurley Fitness Microfiber Towel Jack’s Surfboard Co. Towel value~ $18 Women’s Rip Curl Revival Cord Trucker Hat value ~ $27 Rip Curl Sol seeker pom pom beanie value~ $35 SC Dive Tank Refill $50 Card SC Dive Scuba Masks (2) Mother’s Tacos- Ventura

Hardcore Sport Betty Belts Dr. Lautt- Coastal Ortho Care-Ventura Zinka Sunscreen h20audio TRI Hard Precision Fuel & Hydration Dr. Dean Steinberger-Advanced Optometry/Westlake Village Patagonia Ventura Employees Blue Tuna Spearfishing Urbane Cafe Revolution Surf & Skate Company Marmalade Cafe SC Diving Urbane Cafe Ventura Surf Shop Mother’s Tacos

A sanctioned channel swim includes a few requirements with minimum support. In order for the swim the be sanctioned, a certified observer from the specific channel must attend and witness the entire swim from shore to shore. A swimmer must start and end on land, outside the body of water. A swimmer may only wear: a bathing suit, (no wetsuit or neoprene material) their one swim cap and goggles. A safety kayaker helps guide the swimmer between the charted vessel, but at no time can the swimmer touch the kayak or return to the boat until the swim is completed. In order to hydrate or get some carbs, a line can be thrown to the swimmer with an attached water bottle for the swimmer to gulp down every so often as needed. Many sanctioned swims across larger bodies of water take place at night when the wind and surge play a kinder roll on the swimmer. Therefore, my channel swim is scheduled to depart between 0400-0800.

As a daughter of a Marine Veteran and currently part of an amazing fire family with my Dad working for the Ventura City Fire Department, I keep so many of his coworkers and Marine brothers in my thoughts while I swim because I'm so thankful for the gift I've been given to swim freely in our beautiful Pacific Ocean. When reflecting back to my first Dwight Crum Hermosa to Manhattan Pier Swim, it was just days prior, one of my dad's Ventura Firefighter coworkers suffered a major heart attack which was no doubt stress related. Days later, we lost a great local Ventura hero. Firefighter Paramedic and Ocean Water Rescue Team member, Matt Clapsaddle, without a doubt remains an inspirational hero to me. I'll always remember him attending my first Ventura Jr. Lifeguard Pier Swim and congratulating me and even suggesting someday I too could be an ocean rescue swimmer like him. "For every hero we lose, another is born in their spirit." -Unknown

Fred Herrmann was one of the first firefighters I remember well from when we lived in Los Alamos County, New Mexico. He was one of firefighters that helped put together the 9/11 Memorial Mountain Climb with my Dad and was also part of the Honor Guard. I remember he'd join our family for dinners, bbq's and we shared numerous holidays at the fire station with him. My dad said he was always one of the hardest workers, given he had the Marine work ethic instilled in him. He shared a lot of the same veteran trauma that can't be erased from their past and needed more help than realized. Regardless of those that loved and cared for him, the PTSD he suffered from, won the battle. "Not everyone who died in war, died in combat. Not everyone who came home, left the war." -Unknown Invisible wounds like PTSD, have claimed more lives at home than in combat. Everyday, 22 Veterans commit suicide. NOT ALL WOUNDS ARE VISIBLE. HELP ME STOP SOLDIER SUICIDE.

Sgt Kenneth Conde Jr., gave his life for our freedom. He's possibly more apart of my life than some I personally know, as everything my Dad has valued and carried on, was because of what he learned from his Sgt in the Marine Corps. Their story is deep and I know there's parts I'll never know. But I do know, on 1 July, 2004, while on the front lines in Iraq, an IUD took out their humvee. While my Dad survived, Conde did not. I was honored to meet Sgt. Conde Jr.'s parents a year ago at the 2/4 Marine reunion. What they shared with me about their son, will forever be engrained in me and how I live my life. Three of his traits they shared with me that I will carry on: confidence, resilience and dedication. There's not a swim I do that's not in his honor. I'm humbled to have this life and forever thankful for the freedoms I'm provided everyday. "Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it." -Unknown

Romi- For guiding me to my passion for open water Ocean Fever Relay Teams My Ventura swim crew My Family- MY CROSSING CREW Dad- for Kayaking along side of me all the way and giving my strength . Mom-for driving all the long miles and always staying by my side. Grady (My brother)- For always uplifting me and cheering me on. Heidi-for sharing the world of music with me and being part of the Channel Crew Ventura Junior Life Guards and Instructors- for giving me the determination to conquer the water and power through My Class Aquatic Coach's- Coach Lori, Coach Steve and Coach Adrian for standing by me every step of the way and believing in my future Coach Jason York- My first ever club coach for supporting me as a young athlete, helping shape me into the athlete I am today.