CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - 2014 Barra Award

evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
edited March 2015 in Admin Communications
MSF is pleased to announce the Third Annual Global Marathon Swimming Awards, the only peer-nominated, peer-voted awards for the sport of marathon swimming.

Please submit your nominations for the Barra Award, by commenting on this thread. To submit a private nomination, send a PM to the Admins ( @evmo and/or @loneswimmer) and we will submit it on your behalf.

This award is intended to honor the marathon swimmer (one male, one female) with the most impressive body of work in 2014, considered as a whole. In your nominations, please list the swimmer's marathon swimming-related achievements in 2014. Not limited to solo marathon swims - could include relays, stage swims, organized races, community-building, leadership, "ambassadorship," etc.

Finalists will be selected on the basis of community support, as measured by "Likes." So, if you agree with a nomination and want to "second" it, click the "Like" button on that nomination.

Nominations will remain open for approximately three weeks.

Previous years' finalists for the Barra Award are (winners indicated in blue font):

2012
- David Barra
- Darren Miller
- Anna-Carin Nordin
- Stephen Redmond
- Grace van der Byl

2013 - female
- Anna Wardley
- Anna-Carin Nordin
- Kimberley Chambers
- Sarah Thomas

2013 - male
- Darren Miller
- John Walker
- Mo Siegel

Last year's Call for Nominations thread is here:
- 2013: female & male
Tagged:

Comments

  • ZoeSadlerZoeSadler Charter Member
    I would like to nominate Rohan More from India for an amazing year of marathon swimming.

    Rohan flew over to the UK and turned up at Dover harbour in June 2014 for one of Freda’s Saturday training sessions. Rohan’s usual training grounds are a lot warmer than Dover harbour and he was in the UK in advance of his EC solo to acclimatise. Freda suggested that he do two hours for his first session. After swimming and smiling his way around the harbour for two hours, he decided he was enjoying himself so much that he stayed in for another hour. He ended up staying in for six hours and outdoing most of us! We were all very impressed. He then repeated this on the Sunday. Rohan stayed in Dover for the next month and swam in the harbour during the week and then did everything that Freda told him to do at the weekend training sessions, always smiling and with enthusiasm.

    Rohan’s swims in 2014 (that I know of):
    - English Channel solo 26th July 2014 13 hours 13 minutes
    - Catalina Channel solo 29 September 2014: 10 hours 17 minutes
    - Molokai Channel solo 26th October 2014: 17 hours 28 minutes

    I think that Rohan is a great candidate for this award as he appeared to come from nowhere in 2014. He surprised us all in Dover with his enthusiastic first swim and his commitment, he is always smiling, and he had three major Channel crossing successes over a three month period. I am sure that someone else can fill in the gaps, but I believe that Rohan’s achievements in 2014 really stand out.
    evmodavid_barraHappyHelenHelbeswimthegoodfightcsamuels25JBirrrddpm50phodgeszohomelshanerDevonDStuartJohnsonMandaiMarillynBell2bridgettehobart
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    I’d like to nominate 16 year Charlotte Samuels who swam the Triple Crown over a (shorter than Barra) 2 1/2 month window.
    evmogregocJustSwimemkhowleyssthomasMike_GemelliHappyHelenswimthegoodfightSyllecsamuels25StevenSamuelsJBirrrdSydneDsmithsunshine2RogAndy[Deleted User]j9swimTracy_Clark

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • DanSimonelliDanSimonelli San Diego CASenior Member
    I nominate Anthony McCarley.

    Anthony has had a busy and impressive year.

    2014 was a full year with Anthony completing five significant marathon swims.
    Anthony became the 93rd person to complete the Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming and the 8th person to complete it in less than twelve months (11 months 5 days). The five marathon swims in 2014 included a variety of formats and locations:

    · A Pioneering Swim in the Atlantic Ocean – First swim ever between the islands of St John and St Thomas and it was the first swim under newly published MSF Rules;
    St John/ St Thomas Triple (January, 7 miles)

    · A Circumnavigation Swim – Around Manhattan; (MIMS, June, 28.5 miles)

    · A Pacific Ocean Channel Swim – Catalina Channel; (July, 20.2 miles)

    · An Experimental River Swim – One of three swimmers to participate in an upstream and downstream swim consisting of 10k in each of the three rivers of Pittsburgh; 3RMS (aka Three River Marathon Swim, September, 30k)

    · A Second Pacific Ocean Channel Swim – Anacapa Island to Mainland (October, 12.4 miles).

    Anthony is also a stalwart advocate for our sport, and he has begun speaking to assist with swim related fund raising activities.

    Anthony is a very knowledgeable yet humble representative of our sport, and he is certainly deserving of this nomination.
    evmogregocloneswimmerHappyHelenswimthegoodfightcsamuels25JBirrrdScottZornigLynnkubTomHeckerVwoodsafficalypso[Deleted User]RanietlilliosKTpumphrey
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    62 year old Mo Siegal continues to blow my mind.
    About 126 miles total in OW Swims for 2014:

    Alcatraz / Golden Gate Bridge Swims
    April 11-12, 2014 4.0 Miles
    Arizona S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge:
    - Saguaro Lake - 9 miles - 5:07:56
    - Canyon Lake - 9.5 miles - 5:06:59
    - Apache Lake - 17 miles - 11:01:43
    Total 35.5 miles - 21:16:38
    8 Bridges Hudson River Swim:
    - Stage 3 - Beacon / Newburgh to Mid-Hudson Bridge - 13.2 miles - 4:24:37
    - Stage 4 - Mid-Hudson to Bear Mtn Bridge - 15.2 miles - 5:57:34
    Total - 28.4 miles - 10:22:11
    Manhattan island Marathon Swim
    Two Person Relay with Eileen Burke - July 12, 2014 28.5 Miles Total - 12 Miles estimated - 9:41:29
    Boston Light Swim
    July 26,2014 8 Miles - 4:34:38
    Swim Across The Sound
    August 2, 2014 Race called at 2 hours 5 minutes Approximately 4 miles
    Skaneateles Lake (Finger lakes)
    August 23, 2014 16 Miles - 9:21:03
    Lake Willoughby VT
    September 5, 2014 5 Miles - 3:30
    Manhattan Island Marathon Relays
    September 13, 2014 4 Person Traditional Relay - "Charlie's Angels" 7.6 Miles - 8:44:50
    Coney Island Triple Dip (CIBBOWS)
    September 27, 2014 10k - 5.6 Miles - 4:08:50
    ZoeSadlersuziedodsgregocGvanderbylJustSwimmotivate99emkhowleyssthomascourtneypaulkHappyHelenAquaRobdaveyswimsHelbeswimthegoodfightSyllecsamuels25IronMikeFilRogj9swim

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • Full disclosure - I turned 63 in September...Mo
    david_barraGvanderbyl
  • DanSimonelliDanSimonelli San Diego CASenior Member
    Wtf Mo!
    HappyHelen
  • GvanderbylGvanderbyl Member
    edited November 2014
    62 year old Mo Siegal continues to blow my mind.
    About 126 miles total in OW Swims for 2014:


    Mo is one of the most passionate and hardest working guys in OWS!
    NeilEugene
  • dc_in_sfdc_in_sf San FranciscoCharter Member
    I would like to nominate @malinaka who this year has:

    Swum all stages of the 8 Bridges including the very epic stage 5 where he was the only finisher swimming against the tide for 2 hours

    Went above and beyond the call of duty as an observer on @emkhowley 's Lake Pend Oreille swim

    Written what has to be my favourite piece on marathon swimming.

    And probably a bunch of other things that I don't know about
    david_barraevmogregocemkhowleywendyv34ssthomasdaveyswimsMike_GemelliHappyHelencsamuels25JBirrrdj9swim

    http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer

  • emkhowleyemkhowley Boston, MACharter Member
    edited November 2014
    So many worthy candidates this year! Well done, all!

    Stop me if you've heard this one...
    A grasshopper walks into a bar...
    https://elainekhowley.com/

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    I nominate Elaine Howley (a.k.a. @emkhowley) for the 2014 Barra Award. Elaine has been consistently prolific in her swimming as well as event-organizing, volunteer work, and thought leadership.

    On the swimming front, Elaine completed the first solo lengthwise crossing of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho - a 32.3 mile, 20+ hour swim that was painstakingly documented by observer Andrew Malinak. I was personally inspired by how effectively Elaine and Andrew engaged both the marathon swimming community and the local Idahoans in following her swim. It was a monumental feat of swimming that somehow managed to be tastefully promoted.

    Here is the epic Forum thread that followed Elaine's swim.

    Meanwhile, Elaine continues to represent our sport to the general public through her elegant writing as Associate Editor of U.S. Masters Swimming's SWIMMER Magazine, and contributing writer to H2Open Magazine and espnW.

    On the volunteer front, Elaine is co-race director of the Boston Light Swim, co-founder and VP of the Massachusetts Open Water Swimming Association; this year she observed Courtney Paulk's Cape Cod Bay swim and crewed on Bill Shipp's English Channel swim.

    Finally, Elaine co-authored the MSF Rules of Marathon Swimming, first published in January. I can tell you first-hand, she was an incredibly valuable, smart collaborator, and her expertise in journalism was essential to the effort.

    Cheers to you, Elaine. Congrats on a heckuva year.
    gregocdc_in_sfcourtneypaulkmalinakassthomasloneswimmerHappyHelenHelbecsamuels25JBirrrdemkhowleyFilj9swim
  • emkhowleyemkhowley Boston, MACharter Member
    Wow! Thank you, @evmo, for the thoughtful and detailed nomination! What an honor it is to be recognized here. And it's funny-- when you see everything spelled out in black and white like that... no wonder I want to go take a nap. But seriously, what a thrill and an honor to be listed among this massively impressive group. And what a treat that I get to do this stuff. Marathon swimming rules, ya know?

    On a side note, I wanted to also mention that my PO swim wouldn't have been successful if not for the above-and-beyond efforts of @malinaka. When the boat died in the middle of the night, he ensured that I was able to keep going, first by swimming alongside me, then by piloting the zodiac for what seemed like endless hours in just a speedo in the cool nighttime air. I think he spent more time in that little zodiac than he did the main house boat, and that sort of dedication to the swim meant I was able to keep going when everything else said I needed to stop. He was more than just an observer-- he became a vital member of the crew. So thank you, Andrew, for making that swim happen in such a concrete way. The documentation is just fabulous, and the memories even more so. I'm looking forward to returning the favor sometime soon. #hippocompadres
    malinakaevmossthomasdavid_barraHappyHelenKellie

    Stop me if you've heard this one...
    A grasshopper walks into a bar...
    https://elainekhowley.com/

  • When do the awards close, e.g. Midnight EST, December 31, 2014?
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    edited November 2014
    When do the awards close, e.g. Midnight EST, December 31, 2014?

    Nominations will remain open probably through the first week of December, depending on whether additional ones seem forthcoming.

    Finalists will be selected (usually three per category) according to community support for each nominee, as measured by "Likes."

    Then there will be a vote, via online secret ballot, open only to Forum members registered prior to Nov 16, one vote per member. Voting will close at 11:59pm GMT, December 31, 2014.
  • HelbeHelbe Senior Member
    edited December 2014
    I'd like to nominate Emma France for the Barra Award. Emma first swam the English Channel in September 2009. Then followed a few difficult years with some serious medical issues which largely kept her out of the water but still turning up to help the Dover beach crew whenever she could.

    In 2014 Emma was back swimming with a vengeance. She completed her second English Channel crossing in 12hrs 58 on 8 July. Just 7 days later she completed a round Jersey swim in 11hrs 46mins. A 3-person channel relay followed as the Castaways swam on 16 September in tough conditions. Emma then attempted yet another solo English Channel swim on 27 September, surviving about 10 hours with significant pain in her left shoulder and wrist before being pulled out of the water by the pilot. This girl would not have voluntarily left the water.
    In addition Emma manages all the bookings for one of the CS&PF boats, is a regular part of the Dover beach crew on weekends throughout the summer, crews and observes swims, is one of the go-to people for freely offered advice and encouragement and is an enormous support to any prospective Channel swimmer.
    loneswimmerevmoZoeSadlerswansswimmerKatieBunphodgeszohonikbarnesbgruddemma2franceadrianrotchellSwimGirl65
  • We are awe-struck by the numerous successes related to the Oceans’ Seven channel swims and more in 2014. In addition, there are more marathon swim events than ever and individual open water swimmers are creating their own epic swims, e.g. Elaine Howley and her Lake Pend Orielle crossing. Among swimmers wearing race director ‘hats,’ we have Greg O’Connor with the Boston Light Swim, David Barra with 8 Bridges, Karah Nazor with Swim the Suck, Kathleen Wilson with Swim around Charleston, Ron Collins with the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, Kent Nicholas With the S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge, Phil White and his numerous Kingdom Swims, and Sandy Neilson-Bell and Keith Bell with their ASA open water events in Texas. There are more events than ever for any swimmer among us to qualify for the Barra Award.

    We know just such a swimmer and we would be remiss to fail to nominate Patty Hermann of Houston, TX. We must qualify Patty often swims in a wetsuit and this 2014 list includes both ‘suits’ and ‘skins’ event. Nevertheless this seems an appropriate forum to present Patty’s 2014 resume. We contacted Patty about nominating her and received a three letter response… ‘LOL.’ So forgive us Patty for embarrassing you. We simply would like to recognize you among your peers. Patty’s 2014 swim successes include each of the four stage swims of the S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge, Arizona. Her summer events included the USMS 10-Mile Open Water National Championship in Lake Minnetonka, MN, and the 36-mile END WET down-river marathon swim in the Red River, Grand Forks, ND. Patty wrapped her Fall season with the 10-mile Swim the Suck in Chattanooga, TN, and the5-Mile Coral Reef Swim in St. Croix, USVI.

    Cheers to you Patty and great job. Sincerely, William Dailey
    csamuels25
  • ForeverSwimForeverSwim Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaCharter Member
    edited November 2014
    More than excited to submit my nomination for two AMAZING individuals - both of which are humble beyond measure.

    I nominate Kimberley Chambers, and her successful completion of the 'Oceans Seven' with the North Channel this past September 2014. It was an honor to be included on her crew in Northern Ireland, and was apart of doing everything we could to successfully get her to her goal in Scotland. Seeing her power through the incredible challenges she faced that day was the most inpiring journey. If you understand what it takes to cross the North Channel, you know how defeating the constant cold can be, and what the Lion's Mane sting can deliver to the body - physically and mentally. She is one of the toughest swimmers I know, and honored to be her friend.



    Cheers to a beautiful life. Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
    Darren Miller

    Cheers and love,
    Darren Miller
    dc_in_sfTracy_ClarkJBirrrdIronMike

    www.darren-miller.com
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania U.S.A.

  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    Admin note: I split @ForeverSwim's comment as it contained two names for nomination;
    I also nominate Jim Clifford, and his successful crossing of the Catalina Channel this past September 2014. Setting a new record at 62 (just a week or so shy of 63) is just amazing - especially a sub-10-hour crossing! Like Kim, it was an honor to be included on his crew along with his son, Jake. I don't think there is anything better than watching a son, support his father, on this kind of a journey. What a wonderful role model! Jim is an open water warrior, and a wonderful friend to all those who know him. Cannot wait to see him go after the Triple Crown in 2015...

    Cheers to a beautiful life. Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
    Darren Miller

    Cheers and love,
    Darren Miller
    evmocsamuels25JBirrrd

    loneswimmer.com

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    Last call for nominations...
  • I would like to nominate Tracy Clark and Roger Finch for their amazing support given to two consecutive English Channel swims on the 6th - 7th September 2014. They seconded my solo Channel swim and Charlotte Steven's solo swim without a break. Both these swims were recorded as World Record swims and I feel the contributions by these two nominees were instrumental in making them successful.

    OTTO THANING, South Africa.
    rottoswmrJustSwimAlisonLetley
This discussion has been closed.