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Adventurer Ben Fogle  with Coach Pedro Ordenes and Kayak Pilot Jake Glodowski of Water World Swim.  Ben swam from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco as part of his Year of Adventures Series on BBC. Check out the video!

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photograhy by Davide Paperini

The 1st Annual Alcatraz Classic September 18, 2011 was won by Cesar Diaz in 29 minutes 44 seconds. Congratulations to all the participants who braved the chilly waters and currents of the bay on one of the most beautiful days of the year!

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors and product partners, volunteers, coaches, kayakers, support vessels and emergency medical team for making this one of the best events ever! We would also like to give special thanks to the SFPD Marine Unit, National Park Service and the U.S. Coast Guard. See you again next year: September 8 2012, for the fastest swimmers in the world!

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Cesar Diaz and Coach Pedro - Alcatraz Swim With the Centurions photo by Alisa Brozinsky

Cesar Diaz, 17, is an athlete and student at Las Lomas High school. He swims year round for the Walnut Creek Aquabears. His first open water water swim was Tiburon Mile, where he finished second place for for his age group at the age of 12.  He has done multiple open water swim events such as Escape from Alcatraz, Around Alcatraz, Treasure Island twice, and The Governor’s Island swim in New York. He has been a coaching assistant for the Aquabear Swim team every summer since he was 12 years old and is looking for colleges this year. Cesar Diaz is the up-and-coming athlete to watch out for.

How long have you been swimming with Water World Swim?

Since 2006

How did you get interested in swimming?

My 2 older sisters are great swimmers and they had inspired me. I always want to become as good as them. Swimming is a team sport but at the same time is an individual sport. Swimming had taught me discipline and time management. Open water swimming is more challenging than swimming pool. In open water, you never know what you are going to encounter, and when you are out there in the open water you got to be more alert of your surroundings, and never panic if something unexpected happens.

Are you involved in a swim team or any other sports?

I have done baseball, karate, and water polo. I’m currently year round swimmer for Walnut Creek Aquabears Swim team in Walnut Creek, and I swim for Las Lomas High School during the season. Every summer for the past five years I have been assisting my coaches  at the Walnut Creek Aquabears with the younger kids in swimming. Every day is a challenge when you teach young kids.

What are your future plans for school and for swimming goals?

I’m a senior in High school, and my goal is to be part of college swim team. I’m applying for out of state colleges in the east. I want to continue my open water swim to prepare myself and my sisters to complete the English Channel in the near future.

When did you do your first Open Water swim?

My first open water swim was Tiburon Mile when I was 12 years old and I got second place for 12 under.  Since then open water has been my passion. I’ve done Treasure Island open water events, Lake Berryessa, Governor’s Island In NY, Around Alcatraz, and Centurions.

You did so well on the Alcatraz Swim With the Centurions, getting 2nd place in the Men’s Skin Division with a time of 28:09. What was your biggest challenge?

To compete with many strong and fast swimmers. Also I had set and prepared my mind for some time to be one of the first ones to finish this race.

How did you feel after?

I felt good and satisfied to accomplish my goal. It made me realize that hard work is well paid back and is a very good feeling!

What helps you get through the race and motivates you?

To get me through, I have to eat and sleep well. I have to visualize and analyze my race before hand. Number one is to have confidence in yourself, believe in yourself, and know that you can do it! What motivates me the most is that open water swimming is always challenging, it takes me beyond. It’s like therapy for my body, brain and soul.

Cesar’s next challenge will be competing in the 1st Annual Alcatraz Classic, for the fastest swimmers in the world. Everyone here at Water World Swim will be cheering him on!

UPDATE: Cesar Diaz won the 1st Annual Alcatraz Classic in 29:44. We told you to watch out for him!

Young swimmers, starting small to become the

Water World Swim Mavericks!

Every year we coaches at Water World Swim are proud to coach and train a number of New Waves, who are 18yrs old and under. These swimmers are the future promises of open water swimming and are stars in the Bay of San Francisco. We would like you to meet these young swimmers as they work hard this season. Water World Swim coaches are proud to see these super stars thriving in every single of our training sessions.

Welcome to our New Waves Junior Coach, Faith Hale! Faith joins us from Laguna Beach, CA where she is an open water swimmer and beach lifeguard! Faith will be working with other New Waves swimmers as a peer support! We are happy to have her with us and have no doubt that her energy, passion for open water, and positive attitude will not only be of great support to her peers, but will help strengthen the open water swimming community as well! Welcome Faith!

 

 

JAMES (Little Jimmy) 11 years old, Tiburon, CA. This is Jimmy’s third season training with Water World Swim and the New Waves Program. He has already placed in the world renown Tiburon Mile, has swam Alcatraz and is getting ready for our Golden Gate Bridge Swim on October 15th. Jimmy presently swims and qualifies and places in swims in the NON-Wetsuit division!

 

 

 

Meet Jillian -”When my dad and I first decided to drive to the San Fransisco Bay for a Sunday Water World Swim training session with Coach Pedro, I was extremely nervous; but when I met the the coaches and swimmers I would be sharing this new experience with, relief swept over me and I dove into the freezing water of the bay and felt a rush of cold and then freedom. I’ve been coming back ever since and just successfully completed my first Alcatraz Crossing with Water World Swim on August 20!”

 

Meet Carmen, 12 years old. In her own words: “I am Carmen. I have been in Water World Swim for five weeks. Before I participated in Water World Swim, I had never swam in the bay. The first day was a bit frightening but Coaches Edna and Pedro gave me lots of tips on how to stroke, how to pay attention to the currents, how to breathe while swimming and so on and so forth. Even though these tips might sound meaningless, they really made my swimming a lot better. Now I can swim for almost a mile. These weeks have given me new insight on how hard and rewarding swimming can be; but most importantly they have been fun!”

Congratulations to our New Waves swimmer Josh Pitkofsky, who received 2nd place in his age group and 20th overall at the Tri-California Alcatraz Challenge with a finishing time of 33:35!

 

 

 

Meet Cade, 12 years old. He has already swam two Envirosports “Sharkfest” events, including one in June along with his brother Brayden. He has been swimming for a year. Not only he was quickly acclimate to the bay but he is also becoming one of the fastest New Wave swimmers!

Find out more about our New Waves Program

Subscribe to the Water World Swim Newsletter for the latest news and events!

“Believe in yourself. Nothing is impossible.”

Anders Olsson with Water World Swim Text and Photo: Antoinette McIntyre-Andersson

These are the words Anders Olsson, a Swedish Paralympics and World champion, lives by. Anders has always been an athlete—beginning as a promising ice hockey player and swimmer in his youth, but a series of medical accidents between 1996 and 1997 left him paralyzed from the waist down and bedridden. It was only after an old friend challenged him to swim in a 3-kilometer open water race in 2002 that Anders found the will to get out of bed. The race was the turning point that would change his life.

Now a decade later, Anders—known in Sweden as “Järnmannen” (“The Iron Man”)—is a household name. He has earned Paralympics, European and World Championship swimming titles. He has set 59 world records. He was voted Best Athlete with a Physical Disability in Sweden three times. “Det finns ingen gräns—there is no limit,” is Anders’ motto.

Besides his notable accomplishments in sports, Anders is also an inspirational speaker. He travels and speaks at 30-40 engagements a year, telling his story to students, sports organizations and businesses, hoping to motivate others with his positive philosophy.

He continues to seek out adventures to test his limits, traveling the world to embark on new challenges. His next adventure takes him to San Francisco, California, where he will compete in the “Swimming with the Centurions” race. More than two hundred participants will swim from Alcatraz, a former prison located on an island 1.5 miles off the California coast, to San Francisco. “I have never been to the States, but I look forward to a rewarding experience. Of course, the highlight of the trip is the race,” said Anders with a smile.

Olsson’s list of several accomplishments include the following:

Competitions
Paralympics Games – 2004, 2008
World Championships with a physical disability – 2006, 2009, 2010
European Championships with a physical disability – 2009, 2011

Other Competitions
Wasaloppet (Ski competition)– 2005, 2009.
Vansbrosimning (3 km open water swim race) – 2002-2010
Ironman (Kalmar) – 2009

Awards and honors
Best Athlete with a Physical Disability in Sweden – 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Follow Anders and his trip on facebook.

Contact: Antoinette McIntyre-Andersson