Since 1982, we have been helping organize, plan and volunteer for open water swimming events around the world. From the Waikiki Roughwater Swim in Hawaii and the King and Queen of the Sea event in Brazil to the USA National Championships and the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, from FINA pro marathons to charity events, our volunteerism has spanned the South Pacific to the Caribbean, from Canada to Japan and dozens of countries and channels between.
The goodness of heart and the camaraderie of the community have always been impressive. People giving of their time and talents make the open water swimming world a wonderful place to be.
Committees, meetings and planning sessions consume us year-round. Issues of buoys, permits, marketing and budgets are constant topics of discussion. Safety, timing, results and awards are what occupy our days and nights.
But for the first time in 30 years, today we participated in the planning of an open water swimming event where women were the only gender represented. While men will eventually get involved with the Swim Across America Long Beach event, the initial planning meetings were entirely comprised of professional, thoughtful, fully engaged women from MemorialCare Foundation, the Todd Cancer Institute and Swim Across America.
Under the leadership of Janel Jorgensen McArdle and Blake Chanowski, the Swim Across America Long Beach event for 2013 is starting to take shape.
Working these women up close has been a privilege and honor. In particular, working with McArdle, the charismatic Stanford-educated Olympian, has been a study in professionalism and compassion. The drive that she possesses to create wonderful open water swimming event to benefit cancer research is tremendous. With over US$42 million raised to date, her drive is certainly generating a lot of good.
McArdle is a nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year. This is a description of this leader:
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 Jorsensen McArdle is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
Photos above of Janel Jorsensen McArdle and Cathy Kopy at the Swim Across America Long Beach event by Howard Jordan.
Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source