Matty Mitchell and Hank Wise, two charismatic crooners who were former world-class swimmers, created a three-part set of lyrics, chants, songs and team cheers for pool and open water swimmers.

The dynamic duo from Long Beach, California spend more time in their board shorts and swimsuits than any other form of attire as they have swum, paddled, surfed,and kayaked around the world in search of swells, channels, races and open water events of all sorts.

Top-level swimmers since they were first learning cursive writing as kids, Mitchell and Wise were both members of the record-setting Long Beach Swim Focus relay across the Catalina Channel that set the bar for a single-crossing in 6 hours 53 minutes.

One of their hit tunes among swimmers in the Southern California area, based loosely on the pool swimming community and the 1960’s American hit television comedy Hogan’s Heroes, includes Lactic Acid

Lactic acid, creatine
We are fine tuned athletes like German machines
We party all night
We spend lots of euros
And swim the next day like Hogan’s Heroes
Cardio max on the pri-inc
We laugh at pain just like Colonel Klink
Bratwurst, Schnitzel, saucer kraut
Who is the team that works like on out…

Photo of Matty Mitchell with a young child by Justin Rudd.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source