Open Water Source - The Global Home of Open Water Swimming
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A FREE Gift to the Open Water Community!
Still Swimming Strong at 83!
OWS Premium Members:
Click HERE to see this exclusive video in its entirety inside our membership website.
Click HERE to see this exclusive video in its entirety inside our membership website.
See A Living Legend!
Watch Ted Erikson of English Channel, Lake Michigan and Farallones Island fame on Open Water Wednesday!
Like Captain Matthew Webb after his first attempt in the English Channel in 1875, history tends to repeat itself in the open water: Success follows initial failure.
Joined by Vito Bialla, co-founder of the Farallon Islands Swimming Federation, the two men will discuss Ted's dangerous swim through very cold, very rough waters across strong tidal flows, heavily populated by Great White Sharks, in 1967 and swims in the future.
Watch Ted Erikson of English Channel, Lake Michigan and Farallones Island fame on Open Water Wednesday!
Like Captain Matthew Webb after his first attempt in the English Channel in 1875, history tends to repeat itself in the open water: Success follows initial failure.
Joined by Vito Bialla, co-founder of the Farallon Islands Swimming Federation, the two men will discuss Ted's dangerous swim through very cold, very rough waters across strong tidal flows, heavily populated by Great White Sharks, in 1967 and swims in the future.
Fierce Rivals Reunited
Ted Erikson and Greta Andersen, both 83 years old, were fierce marathon swimming rivals in the early 1960s.
They both set English Channel records and they both set records in the Pacific Ocean: Greta did the first double-crossing of the Catalina Channel in 1958 and Ted did swam the Farallones Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Greta made a courageous attempt at crossing the Molokai Channel; Ted was declared dead after being pulled from his first attempt at the Farallones.
Greta faced aggressive sharks in Hawaii as did Ted in California.
They also competed in some of the longest and toughest professional marathon races in the world: a 36.7-mile swim in Lake Michigan 1961, a 50-mile race in Lake Michigan in 1962 and a final 60-mile race in Lake Michigan in 1963 where they went back-and-forth in beating one another.
They both set English Channel records and they both set records in the Pacific Ocean: Greta did the first double-crossing of the Catalina Channel in 1958 and Ted did swam the Farallones Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Greta made a courageous attempt at crossing the Molokai Channel; Ted was declared dead after being pulled from his first attempt at the Farallones.
Greta faced aggressive sharks in Hawaii as did Ted in California.
They also competed in some of the longest and toughest professional marathon races in the world: a 36.7-mile swim in Lake Michigan 1961, a 50-mile race in Lake Michigan in 1962 and a final 60-mile race in Lake Michigan in 1963 where they went back-and-forth in beating one another.
Nearly 50 years after their first encounters from Lake Michigan to the English Channel, Ted Erikson and Greta Andersen meet again in Southern California.
OWS Premium Members:
Click HERE to see this historic interview in its entirety.
OWS Premium Members:
Click HERE to see this historic interview in its entirety.
Their Common Rival
They shared laughs and old stories. They shared an intensity and love for life and all its challenges. Their respect for one another as competitive rivals and old friends was clearly evident.
50 years had gone by and, yet when these two interacted, it was as if time had stood still since 1961.
Open water swimmers understand why.
The two marathon warriors share a common rival – the unpredictable elements of the open water. They faced off against each other, but they also faced off against the elements. Bone-chilling cold. Brutally strong currents. Pitch-black nights.
Long hours of pain and discomfort. Ted explains on Open Water Wednesday how he was able to withstand the cold, the bleak and the painful in the 1960s.
50 years had gone by and, yet when these two interacted, it was as if time had stood still since 1961.
Open water swimmers understand why.
The two marathon warriors share a common rival – the unpredictable elements of the open water. They faced off against each other, but they also faced off against the elements. Bone-chilling cold. Brutally strong currents. Pitch-black nights.
Long hours of pain and discomfort. Ted explains on Open Water Wednesday how he was able to withstand the cold, the bleak and the painful in the 1960s.
Greta understands exactly what he faced – because she was right there fighting against those very same elements.
OWS Premium Members:
Click HERE to see this historic interview in its entirety.
OWS Premium Members:
Click HERE to see this historic interview in its entirety.
Back to the Future...
Fast Forward 50 Years to the Present!
Dial forward five decades and a new generation of swimmers takes to the open water.
Men like Vito Bialla, not born a swimmer, but born an adventurer.
Open water swimmers around the world will carry on the legacy of Greta Anderson and Ted Erikson - a legacy based on tremendous will power and a unquenchable strength of character.
In their own words, Open Water Wednesday presents some of the best of the marathon swimming world.
Copyright © 2010 by Open Water Source
Fast Forward 50 Years to the Present!
Dial forward five decades and a new generation of swimmers takes to the open water.
Men like Vito Bialla, not born a swimmer, but born an adventurer.
Open water swimmers around the world will carry on the legacy of Greta Anderson and Ted Erikson - a legacy based on tremendous will power and a unquenchable strength of character.
In their own words, Open Water Wednesday presents some of the best of the marathon swimming world.
Copyright © 2010 by Open Water Source
Although Ted was first - and last - man to swim from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge, Vito Bialla wants to enable others – empower others – to replicate Ted's unprecedented feat.
OWS Premium Members:
Click HERE to see this historic interview in its entirety.
OWS Premium Members:
Click HERE to see this historic interview in its entirety.
The 1967 Farallon Island Swim
The only 31.5 mile marathon swim (by Ted Erikson) through frigid, tidal, and shark infested waters between the Farallon Islands and the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco.
Notice when they are greasing him down before he gets in the water that Ted Erikson looks like he is chiseled from stone after all the many miles he trained. He used to over-train. Can you imagine that, over-training for 30-60 mile swims!
He used to kick for 10 miles, pull for 15 and swim for 20 in his preparations for his major swims.
Notice when they are greasing him down before he gets in the water that Ted Erikson looks like he is chiseled from stone after all the many miles he trained. He used to over-train. Can you imagine that, over-training for 30-60 mile swims!
He used to kick for 10 miles, pull for 15 and swim for 20 in his preparations for his major swims.
OWS Member ApplicationIf you would like to see Open Water Source from the inside, then the next step is to submit the member application. Watch the video on the left to learn how you can join Open Water Source for free. We show you how easy it is to claim your membership in the Open Water Source community. You will be pleased to know that we offer a variety of membership levels, including free membership. Click HERE to access the membership application, and we will see you on the inside of this exciting community. |
Open Water WednesdayOpen Water Wednesday is a regularly scheduled, entertaining one-hour online TV show that focuses exclusively on open water swimming, its superstars (both past and current), its personalities, trends, growth, equipment , rules, traditions and events. Open Water Wednesday showcases swimmers, coaches, escort pilots, sponsors, administrators, officials and race directors who will describe their exploits, lifestyles and perspectives on air. Click HERE to sign-up today! |
Are You A Fan of Open Water Swimming?
Join our International Online
Open Water Source Community!
The global open water swimming community is estimated to be 16 million individuals of every age, ability and background located in nearly every country, region and continent in the world.
Share your stories.
Learn what other swimmers do or imagine.
Rank yourself among the global open water swimming community by gender, by age and by time via our exclusive databases.
Join our International Online
Open Water Source Community!
The global open water swimming community is estimated to be 16 million individuals of every age, ability and background located in nearly every country, region and continent in the world.
Share your stories.
Learn what other swimmers do or imagine.
Rank yourself among the global open water swimming community by gender, by age and by time via our exclusive databases.
PREMIUM MEMBER BENEFITS:
Open Water Source weekly newsletter summarizing the events of the open water world in a convenient, easy-to-read format, delivered via email.
• Full, unlimited access to Open Water Wednesday, a weekly online talk-show for open water swimming, for one year.
• Full, unlimited access to World Swimming Majors, a global ranking database of marathon swimmers. Input an unlimited number of marathon swims.
• Full, unlimited access to World Open Water Swimming Rankings, a global ranking database of open water swimmers. Input an unlimited number of open water swims.
• Special discounts from Open Water Source Partners and Vendors including FINIS, Swim Phone, The Athlete Village, Tri-Slide and others.
• At least one featured story and photo in The Daily News of Open Water Swimming.
• One hyperlink and logo posted on The Daily News of Open Water Swimming for at least one month.
• One hyperlink and logo on Open Water Source for one year.
• 25% discount on the annual Global Open Water Swimming Conference fees (up to a US$75 value) where you can attend the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner and the World Open Water Swimming Awards ceremony and dinner.
Open Water Source weekly newsletter summarizing the events of the open water world in a convenient, easy-to-read format, delivered via email.
• Full, unlimited access to Open Water Wednesday, a weekly online talk-show for open water swimming, for one year.
• Full, unlimited access to World Swimming Majors, a global ranking database of marathon swimmers. Input an unlimited number of marathon swims.
• Full, unlimited access to World Open Water Swimming Rankings, a global ranking database of open water swimmers. Input an unlimited number of open water swims.
• Special discounts from Open Water Source Partners and Vendors including FINIS, Swim Phone, The Athlete Village, Tri-Slide and others.
• At least one featured story and photo in The Daily News of Open Water Swimming.
• One hyperlink and logo posted on The Daily News of Open Water Swimming for at least one month.
• One hyperlink and logo on Open Water Source for one year.
• 25% discount on the annual Global Open Water Swimming Conference fees (up to a US$75 value) where you can attend the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner and the World Open Water Swimming Awards ceremony and dinner.
Dr. Jim Miller
An Open Water Medical Specialist
Click HERE to listen to an exclusive Open Water Source podcast with Jim Miller in its entirety!
Prepare to be educated by his explanations of hypothermia, hyperthermia, feeding, the need for sleep and training methodologies of the elite athletes. Exclusive presentations are provided in the members area.
Prepare to be educated by his explanations of hypothermia, hyperthermia, feeding, the need for sleep and training methodologies of the elite athletes. Exclusive presentations are provided in the members area.
The Open Water Source partners with collaborators, enthusiasts, correspondents, coaches, athletes, service providers and race directors on each continent who similarly share a deep passion and thirst for knowledge of the sport. OWS creates and reports on research, information, products and services aimed at athletes, coaches, officials and administrators of local open water swims, ocean races, solo marathon swims, relays, charity events, stage swims, circumnavigations, record attempts of all kinds, professional races, international competitions, FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix circuit, FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit and the Olympics. The Open Water Source also offers exclusive information to its members.
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© 2010 Pan Pacific Partners, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
www.openwatersource.com is a web property of Pan Pacific Partners.
© 2010 Pan Pacific Partners, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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