An Awards Ceremony Worth Remembering
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Conrad Wennerberg, who wrote one of the most definitive books on marathon swimming (Wind, Waves and Sunburn – A Brief History of Marathon Swimming), has a treasure trove of first-hand insights into marathon swimming and the world of open water swimming. Here is one such interesting historical tidbit:
Olympic hero and movie star Johnny Weissmuller was selected by the World Professional Marathon Swimming Association to be its official spokesman. In this capacity, Weissmuller attended several of the professional marathon races.
On one occasion, he was asked to present the award and prize money to the winning marathon swimmer. As Johnny got up on the stage, he let loose with his famous Tarzan Yell (listen here), handed the swimmer his check and prize, and then simply sat down without saying a single word.
Simple. Dramatic. Iconic. A truly classic awards ceremony.
Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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