At the Jamie’s Swim Camp 2.0, dozens of experienced swimmers including a number of channel swimmers ranging from Oceans Seven Darren Miller and Marathon Swimmers Forum co-founder Evan Morrison to cold water extremists and Tahoeists enjoyed a long weekend of swimming, eating and conversations ith their fellow swimmers.

Conversations centered around the where, when, who, where and how of swims around the world.

Not only did they discuss established channel swims from England to California, but also stayed up late at the night planning or visualizing new swims, unprecedented adventures and uncrossed waterways.

But not everything was an old trick done by old hats. Newcomers were welcomed as warmly as the veterans, for participation and passion were the tickets to the camp.

Cherie Edborg of Huntington Beach, California, a controller for Shea Homes, is one of the newcomers.

The ever-smiling Edborg, a mother of two young boys with a mane of red hair, is attempting her first channel swim: from Anacapa Island to the California mainland in August. “At the age of 37, I discovered a passion. This is my new passion and it gives my life such balance. I started swimming in 2008 with the Orange County group, swimmers like Lynn Kubasek and Lisa Nordholm.”

Edborg took everything in at the Camp. Quiet and ever smiling, she went in the Hidden Valley Lake for a pitch-black late night swim. Paired off with her swim partners, she put on her night light as quickly as the veterans. “She is amazing in her fearlessness,” said fellow swimmer and lifeguard Nordholm. “Not only in her career and for everything she does, but also in the ocean.”

“My family will be there with me for the swim. Drew is going to kayak for me, and he is nervous himself. My mother, who watches my boys when I train, will be on the boat. I couldn’t do this swim without her and my appreciation is endless. My two boys will stay on the shore, waiting for me to finish. It has been a big commitment for everyone.”

Watching Edborg around the open water is a joy. Her smile is infectious and her appreciation for everything of the sport is clearly obvious. She relishes in the preparation of the escort boats, the navigational advice, the discussion of feeding and the avoidance of chafing, the need to acclimate to the cold and build-up tolerance for the distance. With Bob Andrieux of the Tuna Thumper, a captain with a 100% success rate – as her escort pilot, her boys waiting on the opposite shore and friends like Kubasek and Noldholm, Edborg is well-positioned to achieve her first marathon swim, smiling throughout.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source