CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - 2013 Barra Award

evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
edited March 2015 in Admin Communications
The Second Annual MSF Global Marathon Swimming Awards are upon us!

Please submit your nominations for the Barra Award, by commenting on this thread.

This award is intended to honor the marathon swimmer (male or female) (one male, one female) with the most impressive body of work in 2013, considered as a whole.

Please, only one nomination per comment. Individual forum members may contribute more than one nomination, but please try to spread them out if possible so others have the opportunity to nominate.

To submit a private nomination, send a PM to the Admins ( @evmo and/or @loneswimmer) and we will submit it on your behalf.

In your nomination, please include the following details:
  • Name of swimmer
  • List of marathon swimming-related achievements in 2013. Not limited to solo marathon swims - could include relays, stage swims, organized races, community-building, leadership, "ambassadorship," etc.
  • Brief comments: Why does this person deserve this honor?
If you agree with a nomination and want to "second" it, click the "Like" button on that nomination.

Nominations will remain open through the end of November.

The Barra Award is named after forum charter member @david_barra, who in a single year (2010) completed the English Channel, Catalina Channel, Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, Maui Channel, Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, Ederle Swim, and the Boston Light Swim.

Last year's finalists were:
- David Barra
- Darren Miller
- Anna-Carin Nordin
- Stephen Redmond
- Grace van der Byl

Last year's winner was: Grace van der Byl
Tagged:

Comments

  • ZoeSadlerZoeSadler Charter Member
    edited November 2013
    I would like to nominate Anna Wardley.

    EDIT: Just before I posted this I saw that Niek had also nominated Anna, although my nomination has an additional swim!

    2013 Swims

    Cabrera Channel solo. First ratified non-wetsuit crossing from the island of Cabrera to Sa Rapita in Mallorca. 27km in 12 hours and 24 minutes. May 2013.
    Round Jersey solo. Island #3. 26th June 2013. 41 miles in 11 hours 53 minutes.
    Round Tiree solo. Island #4. 13th August 2013. First person to attempt this 30 mile swim in the cold waters of the Scottish Hebrides. She swam for an incredible 16 hours 9 minutes in these cold waters, covering over 20 miles.
    Isle of Wight solo. Island #5. 20-21 September 2013 in 26h 33m. The fourth person in history to complete the 60 mile circumnavigation of the island. The three previous swimmers were the Channel legends Kevin Murphy, Michael Read, and Alison Streeter.

    These swims are in addition to her 2012 swims which are included here for completeness as the two additional islands complete her “Five Island Challenge”.
    Round Portsea Island solo ( South coast of England). Island #2. 21 June 2012. First ratified swim around the island. 7 hours 20 minutes for the 21km circumnavigation.
    Round Dragonera Island, Mallorca (participant in the event organised by Culture Sport 365). Island #1. 27 May 2012. 10K in 4h40m.
  • gregocgregoc Charter Member
    edited November 2013
    Mo Siegel, 62, New Yorker

    SCAR, Arizona 5/01-5/04/2013
    Suagaro Lake, 9.5 miles
    Canyon Lake, 9 miles
    Apache Lake, 17 miles
    Roosevelt Lake, 6.2 miles, night swim

    8 Bridges
    6/15/2013, 18.3 miles
    6/16/2013, 19.8 miles
    6/20/2013, 15.7 miles

    P2P, 20 mile Cape Cod Bay crossing, 8/17/2013

    Tsugaru Channel attempt, 9/11/2013

    Cold Water Callenge, 55 degree water, 2.6 miles, 11/02/2013

    I am sure there is more so someone please add.

    Mo is the man. He is a caring individual despite being from New York.
  • emkhowleyemkhowley Boston, MACharter Member
    I'd like to nominate Sarah Thomas for her duo of double swims in 2013. I'm sure she did other swims over the summer, but those two enormous events alone fit the Barra Award bill for me-- 44 miles at altitude across Tahoe and then just 6 weeks later a 50-mile, 30-hour double across Lake Memphremagog between Vermont and Canada. Color me immensely impressed and it was an honor to be there at the finish of the Memphre swim and see just how strong Sarah still was even after all that Memphre tried to throw at her. Where's the limit for Sarah? I sure don't know.

    Stop me if you've heard this one...
    A grasshopper walks into a bar...
    https://elainekhowley.com/

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    emkhowley wrote:
    I'd like to nominate Sarah Thomas for her duo of double swims in 2013.
    add SCAR to the list of Sarah's 2013 swims.

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Tori Gorman’s 2013 season included:
    Rottnest Channel Swim
    SCAR
    The South Head Roughwater Swim 10k from Bondi to Watson’s Bay (after coming in 1st female, Tori swam back!)
    MIMS

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • GordsGords Syracuse, UTCharter Member
    edited November 2013
    I know he was a finalist last year, but again Darren Miller continues to amaze. So again, for 2013 I'd like to nominate him for the following swims:

      *18.4 Mile Cook Straight - New Zealand (3/21/2013)
    *17.5 Mile SCAR Swims - Arizona (5/1 - 5/4/2013)
    *21 Mile North Channel - Ireland (9/29/2013)

    Topping off the Ocean's Seven with his North Channel swim. I'm amazed that every first attempt of his oceans seven swims was a success. 7 for 7. WOW!
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    As suggested by this award's namesake @david_barra, there will now be two 'Barra Awards' - one for each gender.
  • ColmBreathnachColmBreathnach Charter Member
    A Barrette?
  • NedNed Charter Member
    Marcy MacDonald

    Yeah - she did a double EC in 2013....but that's not why I am nominating her.

    Some marathoners can't even dream of an EC...much less a double.

    Marcy dreams TRIPLE

    From Openwaterpedia: Marcy has completed 14 successful English Channel crossings and is the only American woman to have completed 3 double-crossings (2001, 2004, and 2013). She was booked for a triple-crossing in 2004, but was forced to retire after the second leg. She joined the 24-hour club with her two-way crossing in 2013.

    With the Kings and Queens off the center-stage (let's hope temporarily), Marcy is NOW the BEST of the active amateur marathoners IN THE WORLD.

    NO AMATEUR HAS A RECORD LIKE THIS - WHO IS STILL BANGING OUT THE BIG ONES!

  • dc_in_sfdc_in_sf San FranciscoCharter Member
    I'd like to nominate Kim Chambers who has built on her swims last year completing another 4 of the Oceans 7 to build on the Cook Strait she did last year - Molokai is on the bubble for being in this year/last year but an impressive body of work no matter how you look at it.

    Molokai Channel (Nov 2012, 19:27)
    Strait of Gibraltar (May, 4:39)
    Catalina Channel (July, 11:26)
    English Channel (September, 12:12)


    Kim (like many of us) is a relatively recent convert to swimming and for someone who was a 1:40/100y swimmer back in 2011 to be knocking off these big swims as quickly as she is pretty amazing.

    http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer

  • dc_in_sfdc_in_sf San FranciscoCharter Member
    edited November 2013
    I'd also like to nominate John Walker who is very much the definition of the 'quiet achiever' when it comes to swimming. His EC attempt last year was foiled by the weather failing to co-operate, but he came back with a vengeance this year taking on and completing


    Catalina Channel (July 12:13)
    Length of Tahoe (August)
    English Channel (September 14:13)


    Three big swims in the space of three months is insane.

    http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer

  • John Walker... the man doesn't know what NO means! Go john!
This discussion has been closed.