My friend, Steve Munatones, who is one of the most knowledgable guys in ows and shares his knowledge of the sport with people via several websites and organizations, has posted the WOWSA Awards (the second best acronym, next to LOST Swimming!)… and you can vote on the winners!
There are pros and cons to the format, but the long and short of it is, it is pretty much a popularity contest… and who can get the largest number of their buddies to vote for them. But, it is what it is… and there are lots of great swimmers and incredible accomplishments that make it hard to choose… here is who I will be voting for… not that I’m trying to influence anyone 😉 …
1) Woman of the Year… Penny Palfrey… most deserving because she set the record for the longest open water swim in history when she swam between the Cayman Islands! (do a little search in the archives on the right hand side of this page, in June… and you can find out more about it). She’s also a friend that i got to know in Dover and is a really nice person!
2) Man of the Year… Bruckner Chase… he is an amazing swimmer, he’s swum unique swims all over the world… all in the name of “Ocean Advocacy and Awareness”. He’s also a great guy and someone that I got to know well in Dover back in 2006 too!
3) Performance of the Year… Rebekah Boscariol… hey, any 17 year old who can swim the traditional route of Lake O in 15 hrs and 33 minutes has my vote! Bekah swims against my daughter Maisey and I’ve met her at a few meets… she’s a great kid and has a lot of great ows years ahead of her! I’m always for promoting Lake O swimming too and she’s a great ambassador for our Lake!
PS. Honorable mention goes to Melanie Price who had the most valiant swim I’ve ever seen… she would have had my vote!
Cheers,
Rob
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
We are pleased to announce the 2011 WOWSA Award Nominees. To find out details about each nominee, click the name. If you’d like to proceed directly to voting click HERE between November 1st and December 31st.
These awards are not necessarily for the best athletes, but are meant to honor the men and women who (1) best embodies the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possesses the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) has most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2011.