Ever since he first made a splash in the English Channel world as an 16-year-old, the youngest to ever complete a 2-way crossing of the hallowed waterway, Nick Adams was destined for greatness.
Now moving into his third decade in the channel swimming community, his lifetime of work in the water, on land and in the virtual world has been recognized by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. Adams was selected as an Honour Swimmer in the Class of 2013.
The 36-year-old marathon swimmer and teacher resides in London and is the very active President of the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation. He also founded and manages the very influential Channel Swimmers online group.
A visionary with the tools and intellectual to execute across borders and cultures, Adams has effectively promoted the sport of channel swimming and its participants through the virtual world. He and his colleagues volunteer their time to provide a global forum for the channel swimming community that offers a plethora of useful resources for both neophytes and veterans.
Adams has been involved in English Channel swimming since the age of fifteen, successfully completing the English Channel a total of 8 times including a two-way crossing in 27 hours 28 minutes which qualified him for the 24-hour club. He has done 3 of the Oceans Seven (English Channel + Catalina Channel + Strait of Gibraltar) and has attempted a three-way crossing of the English Channel.
“When contemporary swimmers think of the English Channel, Nick Adams comes immediately to mind. He not only swims across the hallowed waterway with frequency, but he is always a voice of reason and a thoughtful leader through his actions and statements, only made at the most appropriate times,” explained Steven Munatones, Vice President of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. “As an athlete, he is one of the most prolific channel swimmers in the world today – and he still has plenty of additional swims left in him. His contributions to the marathon swimming community have been outstanding and it is a well-deserved recognition for his accomplishments and work that he is now inducted in the Hall of Fame.”
Adam’s fellow inductees in the Class of 2013 include the following luminaries of the sport:
Honour Swimmers include Australia’s Melissa Cunningham and Great Britain’s Lewis Pugh.
Honour Administrator in the Class of 2012, Ned Denison received the Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award given by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Honour Administrators include Fiji’s Dennis Miller and American coach Don Watson.
Honour Organisations include the Midmar Mile from South Africa and the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation from Great Britain.
A Certificate of Merit was issued to the Open Water Swimming Committee of the Indonesian Swimming Federation.
A Pioneer Swimmer recognized by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame was Rose Pitonof.
ISHOF Finalists included David Yudovin, Mercedes Gleitze, and Dale Petranech.
The names of the honourees, along with 250 other great achievers and outstanding contributors in sport of marathon swimming, will be inscribed on the SEA GODDESS, the official trophy on permanent display at the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Their formal induction will take place during the annual International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame ceremonies. In 2011, the ceremonies were held in the United Nations Building in New York City. In 2012, the ceremonies were held on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
Copyright © 2012 by World Open Water Swimming Association