The Waikiki Roughwater Swim has a motto that has served as its mission statement since it was first established in 1970: Lifetime Vigorous Swimming for Fun, Sport and Health
What a great mission statement for an open water swim. So what other mottos are out there in the open water world?
There is not an experienced open water swimmer out there who has not completely understood the motto, ‘Expect the Unexpected.’
‘Nothing great is easy‘ is another motto shared by marathon swimmers around the world and is engraved on the memorial to Captain Matthew Webb who was the first person to successfully swim across the English Channel.
‘Ferries are for wimps. Let’s swim‘ is the motto for SwimTrek, the leading swimming holiday operator with tours, camps and training events around the world.
Open Water Planet, an event website, operates under the motto, ‘Open Mind, Open Water, Open Planet.’
‘Every Child A Swimmer‘ is another great motto from the non-profit organization called appropriately enough Every Child A Swimmer.
Similarly, in trying to share the benefits and joy of swimming, Diversity in Aquatics has a motto ‘Each One, Reach One, Teach One.’
Along that same vein, Fran Scharr embodied the motto ‘We are here for the kids‘ during her life. Upon her passing, the Metropolitan Swimming organization in New York has celebrated her life and motto with its Huntington Bay Swim, now known as the Fran Schnarr 5K Metropolitan Swimming Open Water Championship.
2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Randy Nutt who helps promote several exotic open water swims such as the Swim Around Key West, the Bonaire Eco-Swim and the Bermuda Round The Sound Swim through his Aquamoon Adventures lives by his motto, ‘Life is precious and so it should be interesting.’
The incredibly inspirational and always positive Natalie du Toit, the South African Olympic 10K swimmer, has a motto that she certainly lives by day after day, ‘Be everything you want to be.’
The Lone Bridge Swim in Sandpoint, Idaho has a motto ‘Take The Challenge, Take The Plunge!’
The Alcatraz Challenge‘s motto is ‘Swim or DIE‘ that is both tongue-in-cheek and seriously oriented motto directed at individuals who challenge the always cold waters of San Francisco Bay with its tricky tidal flows – balanced by a strong sense of community and stringent adherence to safety by the always interesting community in San Francisco Bay.
Martin Strel of Slovenia who has set numerous staged swim records from Europe to the Amazon River has a motto for all his celebrated swims, ‘Swim for peace, friendship and clean waters.’
The motto of the Daily News of Open Water Swimming is ‘No lanes, no lines, no walls, no mercy.’
The motto of James Pittar, the blind honor swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, is ‘You don’t have to see it to believe it.’
The motto of the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series is ‘Go On Take The Plunge.’
And, finally, FINA’s motto ‘Water Is Our World is especially appropriate for the open water swimming community.
But we are sure there are hundreds of other interesting mottos in the open water swimming world.
Copyright © 2010 by World Open Water Swimming Association