Hi all,
So the voting for the WOWSA awards (World Open Water Swimming Awards) has opened… and we’ve nominated a LOSTie… Annaleise Carr is up for the Woman of the Year award!
There are 4 awards to vote on:
- Man of the Year
- Woman of the Year
- Performance of the Year
- Offering of the Year
Rob, Annaleise and Madhu… the three 2012 Lake O Crossing successes!
Of course there are lots of worthy swims and swimmers around the world, but there are a few that stand out for one reason or another. And Annaleise’s swim across Lake O is one of them! Although Madhu and I had long hard swims across Lake O this year too, I have to give the nod to Annaleise for her swim… for being a mere 14 years old (youngest ever), for swimming 52 km in almost 27 hours (youngest member of the 24 hour club) and raising over $200,000 for a kids cancer camp. Well done, Annaleise… you’ve made us LOSTies proud and helped put us on the map!
So if you agree and would like to see a LOSTie recognized globally, give her your vote!
PS. The vote isn’t necessarily about the “best” swim, as that would be too hard to define anyway, so it is left as the “most popular” swim… which means the most votes… so let’s get out the vote!
Cheers,
Rob
The 2012 World Open Water Swimming Association voting is now open. As a nominee for the 2012 Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year, please feel free to tell your family, friends and fans they can vote for you here:
- http://www.worldopenwaterswimmingassociation.com/2012-wowsa-woman-of-the-year-nominees/
- http://www.worldopenwaterswimmingassociation.com/vote-here/
You and your followers can make comments on your nomination on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. It is important for the global community to know about all the nominees and your accomplishments during 2012. Other related links include:
1. Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil), World Pro Marathon Champion
2. Anna-Carin Nordin (Sweden), Oceans Seven Swimmer
3. Annaleise Carr (Canada), The Young Lady of the Lake
4. Catherine Vogt (USA), Dual Olympic Coach
5. Diana Nyad (USA), Xtreme Dreamer
6. Esther Nuñez Morera (Spain), Pro Marathon Champion
7. Grace van der Byl (USA), Marathon Record Breaker
8. Janel Jorgensen McArdle (USA), Swim Across America President
9. Julia Washbourne (Hong Kong), Eco-swimming Aquapreneur
10. Karen Gaffney (USA), Swimming Philanthropist
11. Keri-Anne Payne (Great Britain), British Open Water Icon
12. Pat Gallant-Charette (USA), Channel Swimming Late Bloomer
13. Risztov Éva (Hungary), Olympic Champion
14. Shelley Taylor-Smith (Australia), Pioneer Administrator
15. Tina Neill (USA), San Clemente Channel Swimmer
1. Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil), World Marathon Swimming Champion
Ana Marcela Cunha was consistently competitive throughout the year in all corners of the world. She is tenaciously tough in myriad conditions, warm and cold, rough and calm, fresh and salt. She is always spectacularly speedy down the finish against the world’s fastest swimmers. And the reigning 25K world champion does it with a broad smile on her face and a deep appreciation in her heart. With a pride to represent her native country well, the Brazilian Olympian does local races, domestic series, and won her second FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup series title by swimming 8 pro marathons around the world from January to October. She garnered 4 victories in Israel, Mexico, Hong Kong and China as well as a second, two thirds and a sixth in Argentina, Brazil and Canada. Air miles, jet lag, time zone differences: none played a role in slowing the juggernaut down. For her boundless joy in traveling the world to race all-comers, for her victories against the world’s best, for her constant smile before and after races, Ana Marcela Cunha is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
2. Anna-Carin Nordin (Sweden), Oceans Seven Swimmer
Quietly, diligently, and by herself, Anna-Carin Nordin travels the world in pursuit of the Oceans Seven. Neither the fastest nor the first, Nordin nevertheless pushes forward on her quest to cross the 7 major channels of the world. Without demands or an entourage, Nordin bounds from one channel to another, from one continent to another with a courage encased in a veneer of genuine sweetness. With the Catalina Channel and Tsugaru Channel completed this year, the Swedish heroine has 2 more swims to achieve her goal of the Oceans Seven. For her unpretentious road to the highest echelon of channel swimming, for her introverted, methodical approach to achieve her goals, for her heartfelt appreciation of everything and everyone involved in the sport, Anna-Carin Nordin is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
3. Annaleise Carr (Canada), The Young Lady of the Lake
Swimming for others takes on a whole new meaning when the swimmer is only 14 years old and the conditions are borderline wild. Annaleise Carr is the epitome of selflessness as she selected Camp Trillium to support on her marathon swim attempt across Lake Ontario. Through her courageous 26 hour 41 minute crossing of the lake, the Lake Ontario Swim Team member touched the hearts of people throughout Canada, motivating them to donate over $230,000 for the Trillium Childhood Cancer Support Centre. Through the night, over wind-generated waves come from all directions, and despite plunging water temperatures, the youngest 24-hour Club member never wavered and drew motivation every time her crew told her that more donations were pouring in. For maturity beyond her years; for her deeply felt commitment to raise money to support children with cancer, for her commitment to tackle a tough 26-hour swim, the new young Lady of the Lake Annaleise Carr is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
4. Catherine Vogt (USA), Dual Olympic Coach
Day in and day out, early in the morning and late at night, University of Southern California coach Catherine Vogt cares for her athletes with the maternal instincts of a tigress. Beneath her perennial stunning smile lies a fiercely competitive nature. Her gorgeous blue eyes miss nothing and express much. The only coach at the 2012 London Olympics to personally coach both a male and female marathon swimming finalist, she went 2-for-2 in the Olympic 10K. Coach Vogt prepares her athletes strategically and tactically in practice so they can execute in the field of play. She exudes confidence that is implicitly understood and utilized by her athletes. With the Serpentine as her chess board, she advised the right moves at the right times for Haley Anderson (silver) and Oussama Mellouli (gold). For her dedicated work on a daily basis, for her calm but intense demeanor on a feeding pontoon, on deck or onshore, for her success at the Olympics, Coach Catherine Vogt is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
5. Diana Nyad (USA), Xtreme Dreamer
Charismatic and colorful. Engaging and eloquent. Persistent and popular. There are many adjectives to describe the well-known swimmer who has been attempting to swim from Cuba to Florida since 1978, but her love of the challenge and a deeply felt commitment to living her dream are in her DNA. While her attempts are reported widely in the press, it is her long hours of training that form the basis of her athleticism. Her inner drive to swim 5, 10, 15, and 20+ non-stop hours – repeatedly – as a 63-year-old enables her to keep her dream alive. Outside the swimming community, she is able to explain open water swimming and all its challenge in an educational and entertaining manner to the public. The popular motivation speaker wows non-swimming audiences with the allure of her Cuba Swim, the esoteric world of open water swimming, and its relationship to their own life goals. For her uncanny ability to connect with millions of non-swimmers, for her ability to live large, step on the accelerator and continue to seek her dreams at an age where most are slowing down, Diana Nyad is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimmer of the Year.
6. Esther Nuñez Morera (Spain), Pro Marathon Champion
Esther Nuñez Morera competed in 7 out of 9 marathon swims during 2012 to capture her second FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix championship (her first was in 2007). She completed the 15 km Maratón Acuática Internactional Ciudad de Rosario, 57 km Maratón Acuática Internacional Santa Fe – Coronda, 15 km Maratón Cancún, 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli, 32 km Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean, 34 km Traversée Internationale du lac Memphrémagog and 33 km Ohrid Lake Swim Marathon. Traveling on the pro circuit together with her husband Damián Blaum, Nuñez raced in different continents in rivers, lakes and seas battling the world’s fastest marathon swimmers, never complaining, always smiling and appreciative of her lifestyle and the support she receives from volunteers and crew. For her athleticism, for her competitive spirit, for her calm, cool and composed nature throughout 222 km of racing in both warm- and cold-water conditions, Esther Nuñez Morera is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
7. Grace van der Byl (USA), Marathon Record Breaker
Graceful, powerful, relentless is how Grace van der Byl is seen as she demonstrated her world-class speed from coast to coast while setting 8 different records in America throughout 2012. She was one of two individuals to finish all 7 stage swims of the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, the longest competitive open water swim in the world where she set a record in each stage of the 193 km 8-day race. She followed up her victory in the Hudson River with several stints as an observer for other channel swimmers, and ended her summer season with a record crossing the Catalina Channel in 7 hours 27 minutes. A swimmer since the age of 2, her love of the sport has endured endless hours of tough love and tough training in both the pool and ocean. For her speed that never seems to falter, for her willingness to readily volunteer for other channel swimmers, for her passionate love of the sport that never wavers despite cold and currents, Grace van der Byl is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
8. Janel Jorgensen McArdle (USA), Swim Across America President
Janel Jorgensen McArdle is the manifestation of success. Intelligent, well-spoken and passionate, the former Olympic butterflyer and record holder has been a champion all her life – and now she is championing the issue of funding research to find a cure for cancer. Through Swim Across America events, her abundant energies and charisma are channeled to support cancer research that can make a difference. Behind the scenes on a daily basis, outside the spotlight of the media, McArdle exudes hard work and dedication in helping organize swims. She is smooth and professional in front of an audience; she is educational and inspirational in front of volunteers; she is unselfish and unpretentious while doing mundane logistic work late at night and early in the morning in the process of organizing 17 open water swims. As the President of Swim Across America, she heads a national organization build upon the backs of thousands of volunteers and donors who have raised over US$42 million for cancer research, prevention and treatment. In a down economy, through her charismatic personality, depth of character and unstinting devotion, she leads an organization that continues to grow and do good year in and year out. For her generosity of spirit, for her talent in bringing people together, for her creativity in generating more donations for a just cause, Janel Jorgensen McArdle is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
8. Julia Washbourne (Hong Kong), Eco-Swimming Aquapreneur
Julia Washbourne thinks green in practical ways for the sporting world. With plastic bottles as much a staple at most open water swims as turn buoys, the aquapreneur from Hong Kong has developed a convenient and clever biodegradable line of houseware products that can effectively eliminate plastic bottles from sporting events. Fashionably designed, the Bamboa line of cups can be imprinted with sponsor ads and enable race directors and swimmers to be pro-active in reducing the growing degree of plasticity in the world’s oceans. Even without putting on a swimsuit, Washbourne has created a unique opportunity for open water swims to be responsible stewards of the ocean. For her revolutionary solution to help kick-start race directors to go green, for her practical efforts to help reduce plastic usage at swimming events, for her stylish manufacturing of lifestyle products made of bamboo that can help turn the tide against plasticity in the oceans, Julia Washbourne is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
10. Karen Gaffney (USA), Swimming Philanthropist
Karen Gaffney is a champion in every sense of the word: a humble heroine, a remarkable role model, a spectacular speaker. The English Channel relay swimmer has dedicated herself and the tools at her disposal to champion a journey to full inclusion in families, schools, communities and the workplace for people with Down syndrome or other developmental disabilities. With dramatic open water swims to emphasize one’s potential, as well as her speeches, video tapes and resource materials, she constantly installs hope for others with Down syndrome. Her lifestyle proves a full productive and inclusive life is in store for parents and families of a child born with Down syndrome or other learning disabilities. For her swims across Lake Champlain, Lake Tahoe, in Hawaii and in San Francisco Bay, for her ability to heighten awareness and raise expectations of students, counselors, educators and those in the medical profession of the capabilities of children with Down syndrome to learn, grow and contribute in an inclusive setting, Karen Gaffey is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
11. Keri-Anne Payne (Great Britain), British Open Water Swimming Icon
Keri-Anne Payne was the face and standard-bearer of Olympic marathon swimming in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympic Games. The odds-on gold medal favorite always carried herself with grace and elegance throughout the massive media blitz as if she were born into the role. Kind with fans, patient with the media, accommodating to sponsors, she was the epitome of an ambassador of the sport. Attractive, talented and well-spoken, the pressure and expectations to win was beyond anything anyone has ever faced in the open water world. To the disappointment of over 30,000 fans in Hyde Park including the Prime Minister, she did not live up to the gold medal expectations that engulfed her in suffocating fashion. Yet she never publicly lost her graceful veneer, humble attributes and role model charm. Despite leaving London without a medal, she was able to hold her head high and leave a true champion. For her strength of character, for her ability to rebound from finishing fourth at the Olympics, for her continued role as an ambassador of the sport, Keri-Anne Payne is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
12. Pat Gallant-Charette (USA), Channel Swimming Late Bloomer
Imagine a sport where at the age of 61, you can be considered to be one of the best in the athletic world. Pat Gallant-Charette, a full-time nurse from Maine, is one such individual. But the road to greatness is never easy and the world’s waterways have always put the hard-working grandmother to the test. Despite the tremendous physiological stress she faces and the long hours she endures as she traverses channels around the world, her smile is as brilliant at the finish as it is in the beginning. Always cheerful and deeply appreciative to her crew and supportive family, Gallant-Charette makes every swim a joy to witness from her marathon swims to local charity swims like Swim For Your Heart. She is currently tied for seventh in the global Oceans Seven rankings after she notched another difficult channel under her cap with a 19 hour 36 minute crossing of the treacherous Tsugaru Channel in Japan. She failed on her first attempt, but insisted on a second try in the foreign land. For her success across one of the most difficult channels in the world, for the obvious joy she brings to the sport and the community around her, for her promotion of Swim For Your Heart and her surge up the Oceans Seven rankings, Pat Gallant-Charette is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
13. Risztov Éva (Hungary), Olympic Champion
Risztov Éva’s versatility as an individual medley swimmer proved valuable as she shifted gears from being a world-class pool swimmer to an Olympic champion. In pulling off arguably the greatest upset of the 2012 London Olympic Games, Risztov gambled on a high-risk strategy that she executed to perfection and earned her long sought after gold by the slimmest of margins. Fourth at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 400m individual medley, Risztov retired in 2005, feeling unfulfilled. But her hunger for an Olympic medal never waned and she returned as an open water swimmer in 2009. She didn’t immediately rocket to stardom. Rather, she paid her dues and learned along the way: getting bumped, beaten and red-carded. With a steely resolve and abundant confidence in London, she mimicked the favorite’s winning strategy by going out fast, avoiding the physicality in the front, and facing down her rivals. For her long-held belief in her gold medal potential, for her humble willingness to shift disciplines, and for her risk-taking plan that turned the tables on the fast marathon swimming field in history, Risztov’s Éva is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
14. Shelley Taylor-Smith (Australia), Pioneer Administrator
Annette Kellerman. Mercedes Gleitze. Gertrude Ederle. Carol Zaleski. Sandy Neilson-Bell. Penny Lee Dean. Shelley Taylor-Smith follows along the trail-blazing path of these powerfully influential women who worked tirelessly to promote and support opportunities for swimming by both genders. Sitting as the lone woman in various FINA committees and boards dominated by powerful men, Taylor-Smith has succeeded behind the scenes in steering the course in a practical, reasonable and objective manner. Always staying true to the needs and desires of the athletes, the former 7-time world professional marathon swimming champion focuses on improving and professionalizing the sport even though her influence is not always visible to the fans or known to the media. It is not acclamation, self-fame or fortune that she seeks; her goal is the ultimate betterment of the sport. For her tireless, unseen and often under-appreciated efforts to improve the procedures, protocols and policies of open water swimming, for her unceasingly and refreshing unselfish attitude to help athletes of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, for her pioneering role as the first female referee in the Olympic marathon swim at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Shelley Taylor-Smith is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
15. Tina Neill (USA), San Clemente Channel Swimmer
Look at Tina Neill and nothing hints at records. Talk to Tina Neill and nothing she says hints of greatness. But the introverted, humble explorer of the raw potential of the human spirit has been making waves in the open water throughout her career. In her own quiet way, Neill loudly proved once again how uniquely special she is. She hit the lumpy water at night, battled the elements far from shore, and finished the next night, completing an unprecedented 28 hour 41 minute crossing of the 52-mile (83.6 km) San Clemente Channel. Like her record-setting backstroke swims in the England and Catalina Channels, she efficiently funneled her talents and enthralled her crew with her strength, stamina and speed. For her quiet nature despite swims that scream volumes, for always remaining under the radar despite record-setting exploits, for the pure genius of her aquatic talents in completing 4 marathon swims during 2012, Tina Neill is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.