Greta Andersen Looks Back On Her Career

Greta Andersen was interviewed by Open Water Source today where she gave a lengthy, insightful recollection of her incredible career and life. She spoke of her incredible experiences both in and out of the water and her legacy that includes winning the Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle and being the first person to swim a two-way crossing of a major channel.

"I started in a shark cage, but it was getting me sick. So I told my crew that I will swim outside the cage. Anyway, sharks are MANeaters," laughed Greta of her early attempt of the Molokai Channel. "I was only one mile from the finish of my swim between Molokai and Oahu. I was circled by the sharks. I didn't want to get out, but everyone was worried about me. I never wanted to get out."

She rarely faced failure as she always prepared herself for success through a combination of self-confidence and hard work. "I used to train 10 miles every day in Long Beach [California] in the ocean. Without goggles. That is what we did. But it sure helped when they made goggles," again with an infectious laugh and wide smile.

"I remember another time when Ted Erikson wanted to test my blood. He was a physicist and a fellow swimmer. He wanted to know why I swam so fast." Watching old videos of Greta swim, it was clear that her powerful, high-paced stroke tempo, propelled by a constant six-beat kick and streamlined body position, was one huge reason for her success.

"I remember one time up in lac St-Jean when there was some problem with my entry. They were not going to allow me to swim. But all the men [swimmers] said they would not swim if I was not allowed to swim." An incredible boycott threat since Greta beat all the best men of her era at one point or another. "We swam in South America in rivers, in Capri-Napoli [Italy], in the Salton Sea [California], Canada and I swam throughout Europe. It was a great life. I have had a great life."

Without a doubt, she most certainly has.



Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source

White Shores + Cold Water = Winter Open Water Swimming

With temperatures below 3ºC (37.4ºF) from Eastern Europe to western Canada, open water swimmers continue to enjoy their sport.

Boston.com presented several inspirational photos of winter water activities here.

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source

Bea All You Can Bea

Bea Hartigan, a race organizer, volunteer, coach, water safety instructor and open water swimming promoter extraordinaire in the Huntington, New York area received a well-deserved write-up here.

It is humble, hard-working, selfless individuals like Bea who are the understated - but essential - backbone of the sport.

Bea has being helping and volunteering for local event, Paralympic events, Special Olympics events and USA Swimming events since 1960. Bea - and the multitudes of others like her around the world - truly make the sport of open water swimming what it is - a healthful, enjoyable, communal opportunity for athletes of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to challenge themselves against Mother Nature and their fellow competitors.

Photo courtesy of the Huntington Patch.

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source

This Is Great For Open Water Swimming

This is big. This is huge news. This is great stuff for open water swimming.

The British Gas Great Salford Swim will be broadcast live, together with the Bupa Great Manchester Run on BBC television on May 15th - showcasing over 40,000 participants all together in the water and on the streets of Manchester.

270 total minutes or 4½ hours of live television coverage with feature some of the world's greatest athletes on land and in the water. The exposure is quite a step up from the first British Gas Great Salford Swim that was staged last year when 2,000 people swam in a unique course in the spectacular Salford Quays – a creative course layout from the always innovative Nova International Group.

Colin Hill,the cool, calm, collected event organizer of the Great Swims and an English Channel swimmer, was excited about exposure, "As you know getting open water swimming on TV is a challenge, but to have live BBC coverage is a wonderful opportunity for the sport. Both the elite men’s and women’s races will have full coverage as well as some of the mass participation event in the iconic Salford Quays."

The elite race will feature two of the sport's greatest stars - Olympic medalists Keri-Anne Payne on the women's side and Thomas Lurz on the men's side. While these two superstars are at the highest end of the aquatic and aerobic scale, the event and broadcast will also feature thousands of swimmers of all shapes, sizes and abilities.

Colin explained, "The inaugural swim in Salford proved an enormous hit with swimmers last year, partly because of the unique nature of the course, which took in two different docks as well as the canal that links them. The atmosphere around Manchester and Salford will be amazing. It's also going to be incredible to see our Olympic hopefuls swimming on live television alongside world-class running events."

The dual combination of swimming and running events is part of a global trend in the sport where open water swims are being marketed and staged with other events, from biathlons, triathlons and events from surfing contests to craft fairs.

The 2011 British Gas Great Swim Series includes the British Gas Great East Swim on June 11th, the British Gas Great North Swim on June 17th - 19th, the British Gas Great London Swim on July 2nd and the British Gas Great Scottish Swim whose date will be announced soon.

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source