11 Years With Melodee Nugent Across Lake Geneva

Courtesy of Melodee Nugent, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Melodee Nugent recalled her experiences on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin.

“2009 was the first year of my swim across Lake Geneva. Eight of us met at Big Foot Beach Park and swam to Fontana on the other side of the lake. At the time, this would be my longest swim at 13.2 km. It was not an organized event and we had a couple support kayakers with us, but it was the start of something that would become better, more organized and more heavily attended each year afterwards.

Now in 2019, the 11th year after this first swim, the swim is now a much bigger event put on by Steele Whowell and his family. The swim now is part of fundraiser named Swim 4 Freedom. Since its inception, this event has raised over US$300,000 for Special Operations Warrior Foundation. This foundation supports America’s Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps Special Operations personnel and their families by providing full college scholarships to surviving children of special operations personnel killed in combat or training and by providing immediate financial assistance to special operations personnel severely wounded in combat.”

Each year this event has steadily grown with more swimmer participation and fundraising results.  For 11 years, more swimmers and more sponsors have gathered together in Wisconsin for a great cause.  Members from the Foundation and young adults who have benefitted from this event attend this gathering each year to show how this swim has benefited them and its importance.

Nugent said, “We have had the privilege to meet these families and members of the foundation. They are inspiring with what they have been through and their gratitude to Special Operations Warrior Foundation.”

As Nugent has grown with her local swim, she has also accomplished several other marathon swims around the U.S.  “With this in mind, I have thought about doing a double crossing of Lake Geneva for about three years. I have done other marathon swims in different states and different distances. However, I had my hip replaced due to hip dysplasia in 2017. I recovered from this surgery and continued to swim.

Then last November, I had to have a second surgery on the same hip. I am very thankful that swimming has been my chosen sport because the water will always be there for me. I decided this was the year to do the double crossing of Lake Geneva. We have many lakes in Wisconsin and I thought I should take advantage of this beautiful lake so close to home.”

Nugent has swum Swim 4 Freedom for 11 consecutive years and she now has set her sights on a 26.4 km two-way crossing.   “I can continue to support the Special Operations Warrior Foundation very inspiring cause with a challenging swim. I am proud and humbled to participate in this event since its inception.”

For more information on the event on August 4th, visit swim4freedom.org.

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