Shirts, shirts, shirts!
AnthonyMcCarley
Berwyn, PACharter Member
I am excited to announce that… once again I have failed the IQ test… MSF will be producing shirts and I have volunteered to help to launch the process. (Please always remember that MSF is an all-volunteer organization. I find it quite amazing how much time is devoted to this group.)
MSF intends to do quarterly batches of shirts – with different color choices per quarter. The first two colors selected are perfectly named Natural and Aquatic Blue! These two colors allow for choices of long or short sleeves and a women's version. (This may not always be the case for future colors.)
In honor of MSF, the first batch of shirts will be simple and an instant classic – they will have a small MSF logo on the front and a large MSF logo on the back.
I can already hear a couple of you moaning. If your heart was set on something different, please… this is the first batch. Every quarter will be different.
The process to decide what goes onto future shirts hasn’t been developed yet. (Personal note: I think we should be fun and/or uplifting in our messages. The messages are a reflection of who we are and of our community. While it isn’t my decision, I would like to see us stay away from messages that are negative and/or specifically aimed at other groups of people or individuals.)
Each quarter the batch of shirts will have a unique series number and quarterly date stamp – these shirts will become collectables!
If you would like to order a shirt, please click on this link:
marathonswimmers.org/swag
The objective is to get this first batch of shirts shipped before the end of March. With that in mind, please place your order before the cutoff date of March 3rd.
For now, MSF is only accepting payments via PayPal. This is intended as a modest fundraiser to cover the costs of running and developing this website. The MSF logo will not be made available for self-produced merchandise.
There are bound to be some hiccups – as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Please keep in mind that MSF is not a store, this is the first time MSF is doing this and this is not my area of expertise. If you become too less-than-pleased with any hiccup, please consider raising your hand to help… and please remember to smile. It is just a shirt. A special shirt, a cool shirt, but still just a shirt.
This is the kick-off. I believe Evan and Donal are open to more sophisticated shopping options in the future. At that point, I will be happy to pass the reins to someone else with more expertise.
Happy shopping!
Comments
Thank you so much, Anthony, for stepping up to get this off the ground!
Incidentally, MSF is coming up on its fourth anniversary in a couple weeks. So think of this batch of shirts as the Anniversary Edition. Limited time only!
@AnthonyMCarley, I hope you can also hear the rest of us who are shouting, "Yipppppeeeeeee!" :-)
Big thanks to you and everyone involved in the process!
Killer. Just placed an order. My 1996 Key West shirt is looking a little ratty. I'm down in South Florida for a few months. I'm going to seek out Diana Nyad and see if she'll autograph it for me.
Cheers, Chris. We've got you covered.
Speaking of our favorite Key West hero, not sure if I've ever mentioned an interesting "artifact" I received a couple years back:
May need to return the favor....
(just kidding, that was a gag gift from some SERC buddies)
Thank you!
Can I ask about sizing of the female versions? Any measurements for sizes small, medium and large? Or if you let me know the manufacturer and name of the t-shirt, I can maybe look it up.
$16.50 postage to Europe / Asia? Ouch!
@pavlicov I have an email out to our producer of shirts asking your question (did I mention this isn't my area of expertise?). In the meantime, the shirt manufacturer is Port & Company.
@WarmWater There no mark-up on the shipping - it is straight pass-through. (In fact, I believe I am taking a risk on shipping multiple shirts.) If buying patterns indicate a large enough interest, I will do my best to find a way to reduce that cost in future quarters.
Also - I should have mentioned this in the original post - please scroll down on the order screen to see the images of the shirts.
Thanks @AnthonyMcCarley for taking this on!
Got one of each, as I will each quarter.
Are swim caps far behind?
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Not having swum a marathon yet, I'm not sure I should be wearing it. But yes, I'll order a shirt
@NoelFigart, you don't have to have swum a marathon to wear the shirt. You're already a member of the MSF, thus you can wear the shirt.
If you can answer yes to the following question, then you can wear the MSF shirt: Do you agree with the spirit of marathon swimming as described here? Yes? Then you can wear the shirt.
Also, and more seriously, I've claimed the MSF as my "club" when I've registered in any OW swims since this federation was created. If you agree, you should do the same thing.
OK, I've been drinking (it is after 8pm here), so maybe I"m not making sense?
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
IronMike! Alcohol can be a truth serum!
I plan to order a shirt....b/c
1) I managed to eke out 7 miles this past Sept. This, of course, pales in comparison to what the big league folk are doing, but it's a step in the right direction.
2) Wearing it commits me. I can't afford to wear it while lying on a couch eating Doritos
and watching sitcoms (plus I don't even like Doritos). That would be like turning Beethoven s 9th into elevator music. Just WRONG!
Plus, it will plant a strong message in my subconscious mind. Swim, swim, swim. Even if I try to escape its message, it will stare balefully from my closet or dresser drawer. (Swim, swim, swim...)
Hope this helps:
SIZE CHART
Male Short and Long Sleeve
Female Short and Long Sleeve
Size charts have been amended with 3XL sizing!
@AnthonyMcCarley Do you know if there is any possibility of bigger and taller shirts. Some of us have too much channel fat these days (OK maybe its just me). I would love to order a shirt or two but I'm the outlier that needs a 3XLT. Without the tall (that I can't change) they just wind up being belly shirts. Thanks
@Theo
I hear you and it is being worked on now. Please check back in a little while. Brace yourself, they will cost a few dollars more.
Thanks, @AnthonyMcCarley for taking on this thankless task! Any idea on ship date for the first batch? I just placed an order. :-)
Stop me if you've heard this one...
A grasshopper walks into a bar...
https://elainekhowley.com/
3XL and Tall options now available on the order page.
http://marathonswimmers.org/swag
@emkhowley To save costs there is only going to be one production run per quarterly batch. So, the March 3rd order cut off date is a serious one.
I am expecting hiccups for this first run, so the hope is to start shipping in late March.
The calendar is not set for future quarters - we need to get through all the lessons to be learned on this quarter first.
Thank you so much, @AnthonyMcCarley , for taking this on! Bouquets to you (and if we should have a chance to get together in the Philly area, I'll buy you a beer or so!).
When my shirt arrives, I'll proudly wear it to my group open water swims (but not IN the swims, ha!).
Of course, a shirt like that comes with expectations, which I will do my best to fulfill!
Very cool.
May I request a collar option for future runs....
Thinking about casual Friday's and traffic court.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Thank you @AnthonyMcCarley ! This is exactly the info I was looking for.
Anthony, you da man! Ordered mine first thing this morning. Thanks for organizing.
Thank you! It looks like I get my own line......I feel so special. Hopefully I ordered it the right way. I ordered two shirts as regular size then added two $3 upgrades for the 3XLT. Thanks for helping out a statistical outlier.
Besides I always expect a surcharge for the size I need. I float well but don't fit well in airline seats.
..........................or speedos
TMI ?
What kind of fabrics will the shirts be made of?
I'm looking at these, in case they're the menu of what you've selected from: http://www.redleafscreenprinting.com/#!t-shirts/cvz4
Are the women's shirts going down past the hips?
@JenA This is the company website that produces the actual t-shirts:
http://www.portandcompany.com/site-servlets/SiteBrowser?page=browse_category&top=11039788&sub=11039789
If you click on each t-shirt and then product details, some of them have mention that they are shorter or longer.
I am not sure which t-shirts are exactly ordered by @AnthonyMcCarley .
@JenA
From the producer of the shirts:
They are all 100% cotton. The women's shirts that we are using do not go down the hips like the ones on my site. They actually aren't on there since my site is in need of some updates.
okay- 1.) Who DOESN'T like Doritos?!?!?!
and 2.) Is it acceptable to wear them home from practice and drink wine while watching tv on the couch?
In all seriousness thank you for putting this together, I can't wait to wear mine!
I must confess... I'm thinking of buying two so that I have a backup when the inevitable staining occurs.
... because I imagine that there will only be one opportunity to buy Series 1.
I know, right? I'm weird that way! But if it helps at all, I do like these: http://www.herrs.com/Products/Chips/KettleCooked-Russet.html
It absolutely is... my bad! Should have clarified that I was thinking I wouldn't want to do this instead of going to practice. Of course, wine and these shirts would go well ANY time--'cuz I drink wine and these shirts would certainly go well w/ wine. I ordered the aquatic blue, and I'm thinking it would be set off nicely with a glass of Merlot or Shiraz (a white wouldn't show up well, although I could see it with a natural color shirt, as a matched set).
I too ordered one--aquatic blue. Looking forward to it. Now let me go train!!
@JenA …
...you are right - Just like you never get a second chance to make a first impression, this is the only chance to get a Series 001 MSF shirt.
Wondering if everyone has thought about buying a Series 001 MSF shirt for those wonderful people who have supported or are supporting their swims?
All, Please don’t forget the order Cut-Off date is March 3rd. Just a few days left.
Good point, Anthony--although I could go broke buying shirts for the many wonderful people who have supported my swimming. In that respect, I feel very fortunate!
@AnthonyMcCarley, I've decided to buy a shirt for each of my family. The size chart shows an XS for women's fit, but XS is not a choice in the drop-down. Can you confirm if we can order XS women's fit?
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
@IronMike
Every family should be so fashionably dressed!
I am 99% sure that there is a XS women's fit, but I will double check with our supplier.
Yep, you're right @Niek.
I can confirm that the MSF Swag link now does NOT offer an XS women's fit.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Ordered! Thank you!!
@IronMike
Order screen modified. Please note that XS is only available in Women’s Fit, Aquatic Blue. No other XS is available.
THanks @AnthonyMcCarley. PM coming your way.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Ordered!
Only a few hours left to order a Series 001 MSF shirt.
(Sorry to be a pain, but this Cut-Off date is a real one.)
http://marathonswimmers.org/swag/
Dude, don't apologize. I think the person who steps up to the plate to organize something should be allowed to call the shots!
Out of interest, how many orders did you get?
200, all from @IronMike
Hard to say at the moment... people are buying more this morning... and if @IronMike purchases the 200 he promised, it will have a significant impact on the numbers... I will report back...
The bank has answered my loan request, and it's a no. 7 will have to be the limit, this time around anyway.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
So, deadline has come and gone. How many total were ordered?
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Cheers to all who snagged their Series 1 MSF shirts. There won't ever be another Series 1, just sayin.
Cheers to Anthony for coordinating the project and finding a producer.
We'll post any updates on the production and shipping to this thread.
Looking forward, we hope to find a better solution for international orders. We realize the shipping costs were a bit ridiculous relative to the price of the product.
MSF swim caps... available soon.
Thanks for organizing this, Anthony, and I look forward to the arrival of my shirt--even thinking about it, I increased my yardage! (Yes, even included some butterfly in the workout!)