The Splendid Failure And Many Successes By Mercedes Gleitze
The Splendid Failure And Many Successes By Mercedes Gleitze
Courtesy of International Swimming Hall of Fame, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.At the 2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference in Scotland, Dr. Ivonne Schmid introduced Mercedes Gleitze as an International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Pioneer Swimmer.
The ISHOF induction Class of 2014 included Mercedes Gleitze (Great Britain), Dale Petranech (USA), Claudio Plit (Argentina), Judith van Berkel-de Nijs (Netherlands), George Young (Canada), and David Yudovin (USA).
Gleitze’s introductory video is shown above.
Doloranda Pember, her daughter, was instrumental in helping provide the background information on her mother for the documentary film titled Mercedes Gleitze: The Spirit of a New Age, produced by Clare Delargy of Delargy Productions.
“It’s having the willpower to endure the cold and not be disconcerted at the nearness of porpoises, dolphins and even sharks, to bear the pain of aching shoulders, knees and shins and to remain floating in the water with your arm seized with cramp and remain unperturbed when a large steamer passes too near. When you cannot have the hot drinks you’ve longed for and when an attack of sleep threatens to send you to the land of oblivion, but to have the courage to say I want to carry on,” said Gleitze in 1933.
Below is a video by British Pathé that reads “Dover. Channel Swimmers Romance. Miss Mercedes Gleitze – the well-known swimmer, weds Mr Patrick Carey.”.
Copyright @ 2014 by International Swimming Hall of Fame
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.
Latest posts by Steven Munatones (see all)
