Spellbound By Swimmers
Spellbound By Swimmers
Courtesy of WOWSA, Isle of Bute, Scotland.When Michael Read, Sally Minty-Gravett, Kevin Murphy and Tom Watch participated in a wonderfully inspirational panel discussion about their swims across the English Channel during the 2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference, the audience was spellbound.
The quartet talked about their most difficult challenges (e.g., “the last mile“), what they have eaten during a Channel swim (e.g., tinned peaches and soup), and the profound joys of their sport.
Watch, who took his first swimmer across the English Channel in 1951, spoke about when former King of the Channel® Melvyn Sharp and a slew of other swimmers of the past crossed the channel. “Melvyn used to eat chicken legs and dip them in the sea water for salt.”
Photos courtesy of Ram Barkai show Ned Denison and the quartet of Channel heroes and heroines.
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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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