Freestyling The First Frontier
When we see so many individuals doing unprecedented swims in oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers, we are reminded of Captain Kirk played by actor William Shatner on the television series Star Trek.Shatner narrated the following, “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
If space is where no man has gone before, so too in a figurative sense the multitude of unprecedented swims that will occur in 2014 and over the next many generations by open water swimmers.
In other words from our perspective, “Open water of Planet Earth: the first frontier. These are the swims of humans of undistinguishable courage. Their lifelong mission: to cross new waters, circumnavigate new places and attempt new adventures, to boldly go where no (wo)man has swum before.”
Photo by Spike shows Penny Palfrey doing one of her many unprecedented swims around the globe.
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.
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