Greg Shea had to make a tough call at the end of this August.
The Director of Programs of Space Structures at Alliance Spacesystems serves as the race director of the Naples Island Swim, an open water event in Long Beach, California that dates back to 1903.
Because of an unprecedented tropical storm in Southern California on the days leading up to the original date (August 27th), Shea had to pull the plug on the event due to the impracticality (i.e., impossibility) of hosting the event in such conditions. Together with the local authorities, he reset the event to October 8th, a delay of 42 days. He says, “The storm and the rescheduling of the event caused a lot of unplanned impacts.”
But rescheduling was only one small part of his role and responsibilities.
Master Motivator
Shea had to remain relentlessly positive, a trait that seemingly comes quite easy to a natural team leader like him. He first had to break the news that the annual summer tradition is postponed, disappointing many swimmers and their family and friends with his call. But then he had to keep everyone – from the swimmers to the volunteers – motivated to not cancel their registration and focus on participation in the 1-mile and 3-mile races that would be ultimately postponed for 42 days.
Master Organizer
Organizing an event for the end of the summer season – that had been a local tradition for nearly 120 years – is one thing: volunteer sign-ups and training, course design, safety plans, website information and updates, race registration, refunds, government permit applications and approvals, pre-race package pick-up, swimmer numbering, transponder chips and electronic timing, results, DNF’s, PR, awards, safety personnel and boats, buoy placement, finish arch construction, tables, chairs, tents, memorabilia and gear sales, real-time race announcing system, photography and videography, post-race food, media, and an endless array of logistical problems and organizational race-day troubleshooting.
Rescheduling everything from food caterers to volunteer responsibilities for a fall date when the water and weather would undoubtedly be much cooler was another thing.
But Shea kept all the parties interested and motivated to do the event with constant flow of communications and online updates.
Master Leadership
Shea makes everyone seem important and essential to the mission of continuing and improving upon the legacy of a great traditional summer event.
He is a great listener who clearly shows empathy to all placeholders, from the fastest record holders to the slowest including blind and disabled swimmers, from the most veteran lifeguards to the newbie volunteers.
He communicates well – in written form and verbally – while meeting everyone’s expectations without overpromising or underdelivering.
Master Change Agent
He recruited a number of advisor board members. He rewrote the website. He created Open Water Swim Clinics with experienced swimmers and donation opportunities. He continuously reviews and improves the overall safety plan. He expanded the qualification procedures and rethinks the wave distribution and seeded heats by past times to improve 30:1 swimmer – lifeguard ratio. He expanded information on the history of the event and added historical articles to the website content.
Photos courtesy of Alex Kostich, a multi-time winner.
© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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