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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - 2013 Service to Marathon Swimming Award
evmo
Sydneydev
In response to suggestions in the New Awards Categories thread, we are establishing a new award for Outstanding Service to the Sport of Marathon Swimming.
This award is meant to hono(u)r individuals who have selflessly given their time and energy to advance, enrich, and support the sport of marathon swimming. It is meant to hono(u)r the individuals who demonstrate that no "solo swim" is truly solo - the crew members, kayakers, pilots, observers, race directors, volunteers, and administrators who facilitate the fulfillment of swimmers' dreams. It is meant to hono(u)r the individuals whose passion keeps the spirit of the sport alive and vibrant.
Please submit your nominations, by commenting here, for individuals who have gone "above and beyond" in service to our sport, in a non-swimming role, in the year 2013. Please also explain why the individual(s) deserve the nomination.
This award is meant to hono(u)r individuals who have selflessly given their time and energy to advance, enrich, and support the sport of marathon swimming. It is meant to hono(u)r the individuals who demonstrate that no "solo swim" is truly solo - the crew members, kayakers, pilots, observers, race directors, volunteers, and administrators who facilitate the fulfillment of swimmers' dreams. It is meant to hono(u)r the individuals whose passion keeps the spirit of the sport alive and vibrant.
Please submit your nominations, by commenting here, for individuals who have gone "above and beyond" in service to our sport, in a non-swimming role, in the year 2013. Please also explain why the individual(s) deserve the nomination.
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(Love the dual-language description of ths award, @evmo)
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
(Not that I am challenging the nomination, I absolutely agree... but this is the process.)
Not only has this amazing woman given of herself to crew for others, she has also had a large part in helping to coordinate Tsugaru Channel Swims over the last few years being a native of Japan and now residing in Jersey City, NJ.
This year, Eri helped crew/volunteer/observe/kayak for Swimmers at MIMS, Ederle, and other NYC Swim Events. Additionally, she helped with many CIBBOWS swims, 8Bridges, Cold Water Challenge, and a handful of other races on the east coast (US).
In addition, she helped crew in Catalina and San Francisco and did this mostly on her own dime; a woman that I may note is not gainfully employed.
This is a worthy nominee that dedicates herself passionately to the Open Water Swimming Community and helps make swims and dreams a reality for so many marathon swimmers.
I will list a few of the things that Dave did this year for Marathon Swimming, but it will be far from complete.
Assisted with MIMS (Safety Officer?)
Assisted with CIBBOWS Swims
Crewed for Bob Needhem's EC attempt
Escort pilot for Mo Siegel's 20-mile Cape Cod Bay Swim
Assisted JC at the finish for the C3 swim
Organized the 8-Bridges Swims
assisted Alan Morrison's Sandy Hook to Manhattan Beach Breaststroke?
This is just what I an aware of. Please add more.
Particularly The General, Freda Streeter, with Barrie Wakeham, and Irene Keel, and various others who come and go over the season, who sit there in rain and wind and sun, week after week, month after month after year after year, who feed swimmers from the shingle, who help hypothermic swimmers get dressed, who encourage them, who chat and share the obsession, who watch out for them, who abuse and insult them to get back in the water, who listen when they aren't successful, who greet those are and those who aren't with smiles and advice, who share a treasure trove of experience, who also crew and who help swimmers achieve their dreams.
loneswimmer.com
- Crew for @jcmalick Catalina solo, @Lynnkub Anacapa-Santa Cruz inter-island, Julian Rusinek San Miguel-Santa Rosa inter-island.
- Ass't observer for a Santa Cruz island solo attempt
- For Avila Beach OW Swimmers, organized various events & supported long training swims.
- Started weekly Friday night swims @ Lopez Lake.
- Joined Board of Directors for SBCSA.
- Mysterious bearded presence in DRIVEN documentary.
- Tricked girlfriend into kayaking for 7 channel swims and thinking that marathon swimming is actually cool.
What I think is great about what Phil, and his events do, is that they recognize different swimming ability and allow you to compete in whatever way you are comfortable. I like that spirit of inclusion and fun- I think it's great for our sport!
Pretty awesome stuff going on up there, and I know Phil spends a lot of time making it happen. (And he also organizes things like *gasp* running races....)
My poor husband, Ryan, threw out his back 4 days before the swim. He could barely walk in the days leading up to the swim and the doctor advised him against flying. Yet, somehow, he dug deep and managed to sit in a 12 foot aluminum boat for 30 hours, albeit with some pretty heavy medication. It was also his first time as pilot and navigator. He only ran aground once and only nearly ran into me a couple of times. I call that success! I’ve said before: Loving me is expected from a relationship, but crewing for me is not. I’m blessed to have his support in all my crazy swims.
The second piece of that crew is Bill Shipp. Bill was a complete stranger to me until the day before the swim. My original second crew member bailed a few weeks before the swim, and Phil sent out a call for help. Bill had never met me and probably had never heard of me. He still volunteered to drive up from Maryland to sit in a boat with a complete stranger and to make feeds for a complete stranger… for 30 hours. We exchanged a few pieces of information before the swim- including when he offered to rescue our bags from the airport after a missed connection- but otherwise, he went in blindly to help out a swimmer in need.
Both men suffered the elements: It was cold. It was windy. It was wet. They had to pee in a shared nalgene bottle. Ryan ran us aground in the middle of the night and while I treaded water a few feet away, Bill took off his pants and got the boat out of the muck. I was cold in the water- I can’t imagine how cold it was out of the water to be partially wet and unable to move around to warm up and dry off. When I needed hot feeds and our hot water ran out, they figured out how to get me more hot water. Bill diligently recorded my swim, feeds and stroke count. He took video. He took pictures. He cheered for me. He snuck some Ibuprofen into my feeds when he knew I was being too stubborn to ask for it. They both anticipated and reacted to whatever I needed to keep me swimming.
Without the two of these outstanding crew members, this really long, really difficult swim never would have been successful. I could never thank either one of them enough- and that’s why I think they deserve at least some sort of recognition of their amazing accomplishment from someone other than me.
I would like to nominate Allison Bayne for the Service to Marathon Swimming Award, I think she definitely beat me out this year in marathon swimming support work. As Evan noted one of my biggest contributions to the sport this year was cultivating an enthusiastic EMT certified paddler and buying her a roof rack for her car
In 2013 she paddled for Steve G.'s off season Anacapa attempt, Thomas K's successful Catalina crossing, Graham L's successful Catalina crossing, Lynn K's Anacapa circumnavigation attempt and successful Santa Cruz Island to Anacapa crossing, Bob N's Santa Cruz Island attempt, Julian R's San Miguel Island to Santa Rosa crossing, and JC's successful Catalina crossing. Her support season included an Alaskan, an Italian swimmer, a UK swimmer, and a Delawarean so she provided a great service to our far away marathon swimmer friends. If you're counting that's 7 outings! The only thing that kept her from doing even more channel swims was that her day job only allows for so much time away.
It's worth noting we live ~2 hours from Ventura Harbor (most SBCSA swims) and ~4 hours from San Pedro (Catalina swims) so going on a swim is no small travel undertaking! Also she's one of the few people I've seen Captain Bob smile at regularly and on purpose... not sure how to measure that particular metric, but it's impressive
Locally Allison was a frequent support paddler for the Avila Dolphins crew for our Sunday swims as well as some of our Friday nights at Lake Lopez. Having a paddler around on a fairly regular basis was great for the group and made a lot of swimmers a lot more comfortable. She also paddled a local 5k and 10k swim as well as assisting other swimmers of ours on shorter adventures that were a big deal to them. Since I couldn't make it this year to Semana Nautica she paddled for Dave VM instead.
Oh and for what it's worth she's a super cool girlfriend in that when I break a date for an evening out at the last minute to fill in on a channel relay she's totally cool with it
Allison doing a practice rescue in Avila Beach
Asleep in the kayak at Channel Islands Harbor after 9 hours of paddling
Seriously though, this is a great nomination and completely deserved. Allison is also responsible for this memorable piece of attire:
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
At a lunch last week I met a CIO of a national healthcare service company. He brought up the subject of Ms. Nyad because he knew I swam, had heard about the Ms. Nyad controversy and wanted my opinion. This gentleman in no way was a swimmer, but he wanted to know all about the technical rules of the sport. I don’t believe these kinds of conversations would happen if it weren’t for the work Evan did this year for the sport.
I believe any list of nominees in this category should include Ned Denison. If I started in on his service to this sport, I probably wouldn't have time to get my recycling in today before they close. I will say that he was right there at the earliest planning stages of Kingdom Swim in 2008, patiently guiding an ignorant idiot who was determined to put some swimmers in the waters of Lake Memphremagog. He's been a constant consult ever since, as I know he has been to many, many others. Just the words Sandycove, Distance Swim Camp, Global Conference, should be 'nuff said" to warrant this nomination
Now if we could only get her back in the water!