2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nominees
Courtesy of World Open Water Swimming Association, Huntington Beach, California.
WOWSA Awards
World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year
1. Antarctica 2020 International Swim by Ger Kennedy (Ireland)
2. Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Australia)
3. Galilee Marathon Swimming Association (Israel)
4. It’s Not About The Swim Webinars By Nuala Moore (Ireland)
5. Kosatka DV by Oleg Duchuchaev (Russia)
6. Mallorca Open Swim by Boris Nowalski
7. Marathon Swim Stories by Shannon House Keegan (USA)
8. New York Open Water by David Barra, Rondi Davies, Alex Arévelo (USA)
9. OceanFit by Andre Slade
10. RIO by Lucas Rivet starring Anthony McCarley (Argentina/Brazil/USA)
11. THE PONDS, Still Waters Run Deep by Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith (UK)
12. Wave Warrior by Matt Wild (UK)
13. Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui (USA)
14. TBD
15. TBD
1. Antarctica 2020 International Swim by Ger Kennedy (Ireland)
The Southern Ocean is at the bottom of the world surrounding the continent of Antarctica. Inhospitable to humans, but remarkably, Ger Kennedy organized a series of ice swims accessible around the ice-covered tundra to some of the most hardened ice swimmers on the planet. Antarctica 2020 International Swim was held inside the Antarctic Circle to celebrate Lynne Cox’s pioneering Antarctica swim in 2002 and enable people to swim short distances or Polar Ice Miles. From Argentina, the Polar Swimming Quest set off by ship and stopped in the Bellingshausen Sea and the Weddell Sea over a few weeks. 12 swimmers entered the cold waters of Antarctica with bioprene only with three major swims safely recorded. Paul Eugen Dorin Georgescu set a world record in Hanusse Bay in 0.0°C water with 22 minute 44 second Zero Ice Mile. Two days later, Ger Kennedy swam another Zero Ice Mile in Paradise Bay in 0.53°C water and -1.10°C air in 34 minutes 2 seconds, and Cath Pendleton followed up 10 days later in Hanusse Bay with a 32:54 Zero Ice Mile in 0.03°C water and -3.2°C air. For safely organizing and overseeing swimmers and swims of various distances in several locations in Antarctica, for encouraging marine conservation awareness while encountering challenging conditions, and for enabling the extension of the known physical boundaries for everyone involved, the Antarctica 2020 International Swim by Ger Kennedy is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
2. Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Australia)
Australia’s relationship with freestyle dates to the 19th century. Since the front crawl was first popularized Down Under, many of the greatest and most influential marathon swimmers in history have been trained in Australia and then ventured internationally to establish their legacies around the world. Christopher Guesdon and the Panel of Five worked diligently to establish the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame this year. The Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to marathon swimmers and contributors released 37 names in August and a further 24 names in December in its inaugural Class of 2020/2021, an effort that collectively required thousands of hours of research and discussion by its nomination selection committees. For calling attention to the greatest Australian swimmers of all time, for promoting the accomplishments and achievements of Australian swimmers, coaches, organizations and handlers who through their career achievements have made a significant contribution to marathon swimming and for researching the history of the sport dating back generations, the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
3. Galilee Marathon Swimming Association (Israel)
The Galilee Marathon Swimming Association was on a roll. Co-founders Guy Cohen and Eyal Schachner researched and compiled several decades of historical data about widthwise and lengthwise crossings of the Sea of Galilee since 1944. They planned, prepared and promoted the longest and most difficult solo swimming course in Israel in order to meet a growing domestic and international interest. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything came grinding to a hall. But the Association got busy again after lockdowns and travel restrictions were lifted and were able to safely organize and officially ratify the marathon swims and relays for 34 swimmers. For their energy, wisdom, seriousness that Guy Cohen and Eyal Schachner bring to the sport of marathon swimming, for their meticulous planning and organization of swims in a safe manner during a pandemic in the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea, for their data-filled website and authoritative resources that they make available to the international community, the Galilee Marathon Swimming Association is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
4. It’s Not About The Swim Webinars By Nuala Moore (Ireland)
The COVID-19 pandemic led to all kinds of unexpected and unprecedented changes in the swimming world. Lockdowns, quarantines, and stay-at-home orders became common. Pools were closed, teams stopped practices, competitions were cancelled. These mandates served as a catalyst to an exodus to the shorelines, many swimmers going in cold water for the first time. As a result, the Irish Coast Guard, and the Rescue services in Ireland responded to multiple weekly near-drowning incidents. Nuala Moore saw a gap between the experience and the foundational knowledge needed for swimming in sub-10°C water. She helps swimmers to safely swim within their limits in cold water and developed 2-hour online webinars on cold water injuries, focusing on the complex cocktail of cold water temperatures and distance swimming. For educating the influx of swimmers transitioning to the cold and comprehensively explaining the how-to’s, do’s and don’ts of safely venturing past the shorelines, for helping develop a passion and respect for the sea among less experienced swimmers, and for addressing safety issues for swimmers in cold open water, the “It’s Not About The Swim” Webinars by Nuala Moore is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
5. Kosatka DV by Oleg Duchuchaev (Russia)
Vladivostok is site of Kosatka DV, a winter swimming club with hundreds of passionate swimmers and year-round competitions led by coach Oleg Dokuchaev. But the club’s reach and renowned reputation goes far beyond the port city in eastern Russia. The club organizes and trains people for extreme swims, eco-marathon swimming relays, and other open water swimming adventures with a goal of marine conservationism and environmentalism in Far East Russia. Based on his experience organizing the 86 km Bering Strait Swim, dubbed The Most Dangerous Crossing In The World, Duchuchaev organizes four other extreme swimming adventures while balancing the highest safety protocols with difficult challenges. For organizing the 75 km Amur River Swim for an 8-swimmer relay ending in Khabarovsk and the 160 km Peter the Great Gulf Swim for a 16-swimmer relay around the Empress Eugénie Archipelago in the sea around Vladivostok, for staging the 50 km Lake Baikal Crossing for a 5-swimmer relay across the famous Lake Baikal and the 75 km Russky Round Swim around the Russky Island by 14 swimmers south of Vladivostok, and for training, leading and motivating cold water swimmers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to challenge themselves in distant extreme eco-swimming relays in unspoilt waterways, the Kosatka DV by Oleg Duchuchaev is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
6. Mallorca Open Swim by Boris Nowalski (Spain)
The waters around Mallorca vary in shades of sea greens and blues, from azure and baby blue to turquoise and royal blue. The beautiful coastline are the sites of Mallorca Open Swim sessions organized by Boris Nowalski. Mallorca is the largest island in the Balearic Islands archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea and popular holiday destination. Nowalski knows where the best coastal spots are to explore on any given day based on the local weather and climate conditions. For finding the optimal location for all swimmers can visit and enjoy swims along dozens of 42 different coastal courses on the island, for taking care of everything for their guests from safety protocols and improving stroke technique, and for providing memorable adventures and unique experiences in new destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mallorca Open Swim by Boris Nowalski is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
7. Marathon Swim Stories by Shannon House Keegan (USA)
When COVID-19 hit and pools and shorelines closed as a result, open water swimming coach and mentor Shannon House Keegan took to the Internet. Keegan found a niche and touched many hearts with her new Marathon Swim Stories program. Marathon Swim Stories is a weekly podcast that captures the lives, lifestyles, challenges, training habits, and accomplishments of marathon swimmers and ice swimmers around the world. For establishing a friendly, educational and inspirational corner of the Internet entirely and specifically dedicated to open water swimming in various forms, for serving as an motivational ambassador and experienced coach for a growing number of people from all walks of life, and for providing thousands of enjoyable downloads for open water swimmers to listen, Marathon Swim Stories is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
8. New York Open Water by David Barra, Rondi Davies, Alex Arévelo (USA)
9. OceanFit by Andre Slade (Australia)
When the COVID-19 pandemic slowed things down on dryland and with open water swimming events, Andre Slade of OceanFit sped up, big-time. When pools were closed, swimmers flocked to the open water and sought information and camaraderie among like-minded aquatic enthusiasts. OceanFit filled that vacuum and helped make open water swimming accessible to an entirely new slew of open water swimmers throughout Australia. Training programs were offered for free, up-to-date information on events and virtual swims were shared with over 13,000 swimmers. For launching the ONSHORE podcast featuring 39 interviews from Victoria to Queensland that share stories from Australia’s east coast and Swim Buddies to enable people to register a profile (like Facebook) and contact with others to meet up for swims, for growing a Social Swimming Group directory to generate a more enlightened and educated swimming community, for launching domestic swimming holiday programs including Swim The Whitsundays, Swim Keppel Island and Swim Magnetic Island, and for taking a leadership role in exponentially growing the Australian open water swimming community with innovative programs and at unprecedented rates, OceanFit by Andre Slade is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
10. RIO by Lucas Rivet starring Anthony McCarley (Argentina/Brazil/USA)
Watching a 60-year-old man swim non-stop for hours on end has never been more dramatic or profound. Lucas Rivet produced a sensational hit with his 33-minute documentary film Rio. Cameras above, below and on escort boats capture Anthony McCarley at his strongest and at his most vulnerable during the 36 km Travessia do Leme ao Pontal and the 39.7 km crossing attempt of Río de la Plata between Argentina and Uruguay. With music and sound effects that pulsate throughout the film, McCarley shares his philosophical well-earned wisdom in a touching one-on-one relationship with the viewer. As the film fluctuates rhythmically between success and failure, teamwork and solitude, joy and fear, sunrise and sunset, McCarley constantly dispenses valuable life advice based on his own experiences and uncommon adventures in the oceans and rivers of the world. For its inspirational message that comes from the heart of a modern-day hero, for its camerawork that fills the screen with immensely powerful images, and for showcasing the strength of a humble adventurer, RIO the movie is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
11. THE PONDS, Still Waters Run Deep by Christopher Hird, Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith (UK)
Producers Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith captured the heart and soul of the swimmers of Hampstead Health, a well-established gathering place in London. The documentary film, created by Laser Guided Productions with original music by Dai Watts and executive producer Christopher Hird, tells the swimmers who regularly enjoy the waters of Hampstead Heath. The swimmers of all ages and from all walks of life are the subject of their documentary film THE PONDS, Still Waters Run Deep. For over 200 years, the beauty and tranquility of the segregated Men’s, Ladies’ and Mixed Ponds has drawn swimmers to relax, revive and recover from the stress of their dryland existence. For showcasing the confidence and joy of swimmers emerging from the Ponds, for presenting dramatically inspirational cases of resilience and recreation by men and women, and for presenting relatable human stories in the backdrop of a historic pond, THE PONDS, Still Waters Run Deep by producers Christopher Hird, Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
12. Wave Warrior by Matt Wild (UK)
From Captain Matthew Webb in the English Channel to Marilyn Bell on Lake Ontario, memorials and landmarks dot shorelines here and there around the globe commemorating a small handful of the greatest channel and marathon swimmers in history. Jonathan Ratcliff figuratively entered the Parthenon of great swimmers with his year-end achievement of the Oceans Seven in 2019. With five children, ages between 10 and 25, each of them crewed individually alongside his wife on his seven challenging crossings, making the Oceans Seven truly a family affair. Matt Wild of BrewBabu celebrated Ratcliffe’s achievement with a specialty pale ale called Wave Warrior, an appropriately named for the British financier’s distance swims in waterways that were often cold and turbulent. For creating a specialty brew to celebrate one of the 21 people in history to achieve the Oceans Seven, for coming up with a great name to commemorate Ratcliffe’s Oceans Seven, and for helping promote the Oceans Seven and share Ratcliffe’s goal for his challenge charity efforts, Wave Warrior by Matt Wild of BrewBabu is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
13. Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui
Why is the most asked question in the open water swimming world. Why did you cross the channel? Why do you swim in 0C water? Why did you swim the marathon? Why do you train so much? Why is also arguably the most difficult question to answer. But Bonnie Tsui pens the most eloquent response in her highly acclaimed book, Why We Swim. She explains the seduction of the water in its various forms – from the frigid cold to the tropical warmth – from myriad perspectives in San Francisco Bay, Japan, and Baghdad. For elevating the joy of swimming and the raison d’être in the water to millions of swimmers and non-swimmers alike, for becoming an Amazon best seller and Time Magazine Must-Read Book of 2020, for sharing her thoughts on how to answer the question ‘why?’, Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
14. TBD
15. TBD
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