Forest Nelson, channel swimmer extraordinaire, will be speaking about his travels, tribulations and triumphs in the waters around the world at the 2010 Global Open Water Swimming Conference in Long Beach, California on June 5th.

His incredible stories will spellbind listeners.

Forest epitomizes a courageous and selfless marathon swimmer. Not only has the Californian completed swims in the Catalina Channel (twice, once in summer and once in winter), the Molokai Channel (twice, once from Molokai to Oahu and once from Oahu to Molokai), the English Channel, the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the Cook Strait, the 12-mile Anacapa Channel in Santa Barbara (California) and the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, but he has also helped people as a support crew member watching, helping and paddling for other swimmers to realize their dreams.

Forest, typically humble and appreciative of his own support teams, explains why support crews are so vital to success, “Without [them], none of this would be possible. Each solo swim becomes a team achievement. Their determination grows with the rising seas.”

The 2010 Global Open Water Swimming Conference will kick-off the traditional summer open water swimming season in the USA this year. The first-time Conference will be held at the Long Beach Marriott in Southern California in collaboration with the USA Swimming National Open Water Championships.

The growing list of notable speakers include 7-time world professional marathon swimming champion Shelley Taylor-Smith, channel swimmer Anne Cleveland, the world’s fastest swimming pro triathlete John Flanagan, Mr. Open Water Sid Cassidy, FINA Medical Commission member and former USA Swimming national open water swim team physician Dr. Jim Miller, former world masters open water swimming championGerry Rodrigues, professional endurance multi-sport athlete Megan Melgaard, Ram Barkai, one of the world’s foremost cold-water swimmers, Forest Nelson, channel swimmer extraordinaire, TRISLIDE and Foggle inventor Karen Smidt-Allard, Dr. Aziz of Bangladesh, a FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee member, and a host of international speakers.

There will be Lifetime Achievement Awards given to three extraordinary people. These awards will be announced the week before the event.

Among the numerous presentation, talks at the Symposium and Conference will include:

The History of Open Water Swimming– a pictorial history of open water swimming from 1875 to the present with a colorful description of the key characters, coaches and challenges of the sport and how it has evolved over the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and how the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim became part of the triathlon lore.

Preparing Age-Group and College Swimmers for World-class Open Water Competitions and Triathlon Racing– a presentation of the key training aspects, physical, tactical and mental, for achieving success at the national and international levels at the 5K and 10K distances, and the Olympic-distance, Half-Ironman and Ironman triathlons.

Training Triathletes for the Open Water– a presentation with concrete examples of how to take beginner, intermediate and advanced endurance athletes and make them great swimming triathletes.

Professionally Officiating and Colorfully Announcing Open Water Events – a presentation on how rules are adjudicated at the national and international levels and how best to provide entertainment and color during open water events.

Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Course and Triathlon Course at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics – a description of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim and Triathlon courses at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics and how to prepare for these races that will be showcased in front of massive crowds.

Hypothermia and Hyperthermia – a medical explanation of hypothermia and hyperthermia and ways to prevent these conditions from happening and degrading your open water swimming performance.

Women in Open Water Swimming– a description of successful female marathon swimmers of all ages and what drives them to challenge themselves and to succeed against all odds.

The Life of a Professional Marathon Swimmer – an explanation of how professional marathon swimmers train and travel and their lifestyles as they travel around the world to exotic places competing under extraordinary conditions.

The Life of a Professional Triathlete – an explanation of how professional triathletes train and travel and their lifestyles as they travel around the world to exotic places competing under extraordinary conditions.

Nutritional Needs of Open Water Swimmers and Triathletes– a description of the optimal dietary habits of accomplished endurance athletes with a particular focus on professional swimmers, both in the pool and open water, and in the swim leg of a triathlon.

Training and Thinking Like an Olympic Champion – an explanation of how a world record holder and Olympic gold medalist trained himself and pushed himself physically and mentally to the highest echelon of his sport.

The Excitement and Allure of Endurance Sports for Busy People – a description of how fit individuals can find time in their busy lifestyles to train and compete in a plethora of exciting and challenging extreme endurance sports.

Creating a Big-Time Televised Open Water Extravaganza – an overview of how to plan, organize, market and deliver a safe, innovative open water swimming event that attracts pros and newcomers by the tens of thousands.

Rules of Open Water Swimming– a description of the basic rules of competitive open water swimming, from drafting and finish judging to yellow cards and red flags.

How to Become a Certified Open Water Swimming Official – an explanation of how to become an open water swimming official certified by USA Swimming, the governing body of swimming in the USA.

Masters Open Water Swimming– a description of how adults can enjoy the abundance of pool and open water swimming opportunities offered by US Masters Swimming.

How to Successfully Market Products to Triathletes and Open Water Swimmers– a real-life success story of how a mother came up with several clever product ideas and created a highly profitable, globally successful company out of her home

Pool Open Water – a presentation on how to train triathletes and swimmers in the pool in order to teach open water tactics and reach their potential in competitive open water events and triathlons.

Crossing Channels Ocean by Ocean – an inspirational story of how one man follows his passion, crossing channels and helping others do the same.

The speakers include the following individuals:

John Flanagan is currently the fastest pro triathlon in the water, a 4-year member of the USA Swimming National Open Water Team, the 2001 World Swimming Championship 4th place finisher in the 10K, owner of two of the fastest Ironman swim legs in history, a winner of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim and member of the 1997 NCAA Championship Team from Auburn University.

Shelley Taylor-Smith was one of the most successful professional marathon swimmers of all time with seven pro titles. An engaging speaker, she has also served as one of the top administrators in the sport and coaches athletes at all levels.

Steven Munatones who created The Daily News of Open Water Swimming, is a 2-time USA Swimming National Open Water champion, an International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductee and board member, a FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee member, a 7-time USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Team coach, and the Technical Swimming Delegate for the Special Olympics.

Sid Cassidy, who was the starter at the 2008 Beijing Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, is a former professional marathon swimmer, multiple-time USA Swimming national team coach, the former Chairman of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, a top age-group swimming coach and a member of the English Channel world record relay (both single and double crossing).

Anne Cleveland is the oldest individual and fastest woman over 30 to complete double-crossing of the English Channel, a solo English Channel and Catalina Channel swimmer with hundreds of open water swims and relays to her credit and a renowned motivational speaker.

Gerry Rodrigues, a renowned open water swimming and triathlon coach, a World Masters Open Water Swimming champion, a masters swimming world record holder (800-meter freestyle), the former publisher of Swimming World Magazine, a creator of SwimInfo, a US Masters Swimming Coach of the Year and America’s best short-distance ocean swimmer throughout the 1990’s.

Megan Melgaard, a professional extreme athlete, is an endurance sports filmmaker, a former USA Swimming National Team swimmer with the ‘the perfect freestyle stroke’, co-founder of Splish, a custom swimsuit manufacturer, owner of SwimMechanics and the Aquatics Director for the Atlanta Triathlon Club.

Jim Miller, M.D. is a FINA Medical Commission member, former president of US Masters Swimming, an 8-time USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Team physician, a renowned speaker on the effects of hypothermia and hyperthermia for open water swimmers, a US Masters Swimming Coach of the Year and Chairman of the US Masters Swimming Sports Medicine Committee.

Genadijus Sokolovas, Ph.D. is considered to be the world’s top swimming physiologist, an inventor and patent holder of innovative training methodologies and equipment, the Director of Physiology & Director of Sport Science at USA Swimming where he worked closely with all the American swimmers at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, including Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, Aaron Peirsol, Ryan Lochte and Gary Hall Jr.

Company founder Karen Smidt-Allard who envisioned, invented and markets TRISLIDE, Foggle and Tri-Swim hair care products to the swimming and triathlon worlds.

Ram Barkai is one of the world’s most foremost adventure swimmers who has swum incredible distances in Antarctica, South Africa, Alaska and Europe…in the dead of winter. Ram seeks adventure and reaches deep within himself to seek the outer limits of his athletic and mental potential while balancing work, family and his generous charitable activities.

Forest Nelson is one of the world’s most foremost channel swimmers who has done two Catalina Channel swims, the English Channel, the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the Molokai Channel twice in the same year (from Oahu to Molokai and from Molokai to Oahu), the Cook Strait and the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim.

The Long Beach Marriott is offering a special package deal for all conference attendees.

Copyright © 2010 by Open Water Source