Telegraph article on Channel swimming

[broomhillsaved]

There is meant to be an article on Channel swimming in this Saturday's Telegraph (22/09/07)

[Dover Swimmer]

*prepares pinch of salt* ;-)

[broomhillsaved]

Let me know when you've read it!

[happySwimmer]

So we will soon know who are Daily Telegraph readers and who are not.

[KatieBun]

So we will soon know who are Daily Telegraph readers and who are not.

There was also one a few weeks ago. I sent the link to Flying Bean. I'll see if it's still on the Telgraph website.

[Dunc]

So we will soon know who are Daily Telegraph readers and who are not.

Daily Telegraph. Reader.

Is this an oxymoron?

[happySwimmer]

Daily Telegraph. Reader.

Is this an oxymoron?

No tautology!

[broomhillsaved]

Well folks, it's Saturday morning and the article on Channel Swimming is on pages 46-53 of the Magazine.

[Yog-Sothoth]

Thanks for the reminder - i'm more of a Grauniad/Observer reader, but i'll give the Torygraph a whirl today.

:read:

[broomhillsaved]

Link for article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/arts/2007/09/22/sm_channelswimmers.xml

[Wildswimmer]

Couple of serious gaffes in the article though. "Bone numbing cold"? And "the water rarely rises above 15C"?

If I remember correctly Leppy, Flying Bean et al were swimming in water around 19C, which would have been 20-21C had the summer been anything like half decent. Hardly "bone numbing cold".

For the record, in my estimation "bone numbing" is super-cold water; 0 - 10C

Wildswimmer Pete

[FlyingBean]

Couple of serious gaffes in the article though. "Bone numbing cold"? And "the water rarely rises above 15C"?

If I remember correctly Leppy, Flying Bean et al were swimming in water around 19C, which would have been 20-21C had the summer been anything like half decent. Hardly "bone numbing cold".

For the record, in my estimation "bone numbing" is super-cold water; 0 - 10C

Wildswimmer Pete

You're right a couple of errors - probably poetic licence. But a good piece none the less. We don't get much publicility, so such a large detailed article is fab. Even better due to the fact that I've met the swimmer concerned and her father - both are absolutely fantastic people.

I wish I had swum in 19C, solo attempt was 17C, relay 18C. I think Leppie's first swim was a brisk 15C.

Hopefully we'll have a good summer next time and I'll bask in 20+!!

[broomhillsaved]

Do write in:

dtletters@telegraph.co.uk giving postal address and phone number

put ref to article and date in "Subject" of e-mail

[Leprechaun]

whoa steady on wildie. i think 18 19 is tops.also the prolonged effect at these temps still causes cooling. it was one of the best articles i have seen. the japanese lady went the day before me so there by the grace of god you havent got my life story in print. sadly the article fails to avoid the clash of the two administrations. anyway two hours indoors beckons now.

[Dover Swimmer]

Yes 19*C tops, it was 18.7*C when I was out observing a couple of weeks ago when air temp was highest. Even Jersey was 18.5*C

I think they must only have taken into account CSA numbers, as the 900 or so swims quoted isn't correct. I know for a fact I was the 1000+ successful solo swim, and that was some years ago.

Still, poetic license and a mistake with the numbers aside, not a bad article for a sport which is usually ignored, misrepresented or plagued by hyperbole!

[broomhillsaved]

Tom de Castella takes time to research things carefully and is also a very keen lido supporter: he was one of the journalists that helped towards saving Droitwich Lido by writing a piece in the Guardian in 2005.

[FlyingBean]

Tom de Castella takes time to research things carefully and is also a very keen lido supporter: he was one of the journalists that helped towards saving Droitwich Lido by writing a piece in the Guardian in 2005.

I'm sure he does do his research, and it is very difficult to get absolutely everything right when there is so much to learn to write up just one swim. Add to that language barriers with Japanese swimmers, and on this occassion, he made a couple of mistakes. No problem, doesn't detract from the article, still a very good piece.

[adamlelean]

I think they must only have taken into account CSA numbers, as the 900 or so swims quoted isn't correct. I know for a fact I was the 1000+ successful solo swim, and that was some years ago.


Could they be quoting individuals while you are counting swims. I don't know if enough people have swum the channel more than once for this to make a difference, but it would certainly be reasonable for them to quote swimmers rather than swims.

[broomhillsaved]

Mike Read has swum the Channel 33 times and someone else has swum it 34 times, I think, so that could make quite a difference.

[Leprechaun]

Mike Read has swum the Channel 33 times and someone else has swum it 34 times, I think, so that could make quite a difference.

What is it that stops people simply saying Mike Read has done it 33 times and Kevin Murphy - current "King of the Channel" - has done it 34 times. Both are fantastic achievements, way beyond anything us mere mortals could aspire to, but no-one seems to be able to present the complete view, its always always with some little petty dig somewhere. Its not even just one side either, which saddens me too.

I am not going to open up the entire debate on this issue, mainly as I am not fully aware of the history and so on, but to dismiss Kevin Murphy as "somebody else" is a bit disrespectful if you ask me. In fact its a disgrace. And dont ask me "Kevin who?" either, thank you.

Broomhill - are you some sort of conduit for the CSA? If so please find some other medium for your points scoring.

[broomhillsaved]

How have you achieved this Leppie? You've taken two words "someone else" and written a dramatic scenario around them: innocent victim (Kev Murphy), the villains of the piece (csa conduits) etc etc

Definitely a winning entry for "something"!

[xml]

... and a few people have swum it in a wetsuit. Apparently that doesn't count either.

[Dover Swimmer]

No it doesn't LOL!

[Leprechaun]

How have you achieved this Leppie? You've taken two words "someone else" and written a dramatic scenario around them: innocent victim (Kev Murphy), the villains of the piece (csa conduits) etc etc

Definitely a winning entry for "something"!

Oh come come Broomhill, has the algae got into your thinking bits?

If you're a friend of Mike Read, as mentioned on a number of your previous posts over the last year, then I'm sure he told you at some point who the "somebody else" was? Maybe not then, I take it all back.....

I've met Mike, and even spoken to him on a couple of occasions at open water races. He and Kevin are known world-wide in the open water community. Their achievements are, as I said before, legendary and well beyond all of us mere mortals, but even surpassed by Alison Streeter (43 crossings).

Looking back on the posts I'm not the only one to have corrected your frequent oversights on what is a fairly well known statistic. Sorry if it sounds like a crusade - it isnt, I just have a dislike of twisted facts.....

[broomhillsaved]

I actually started this thread! - so that the channel swimming enthusiasts on the open water forum would have a chance to get a copy of the Telegraph if they wanted to;

but my "community" is the lido and campaigning one and a lot of my online time goes into lobbying Councils, MP's etc for better funding for public swimming pools etc; and in that group different names are high on the list: Oliver Merrington's for example and Janet Smith (author of Liquid Assets)

I've just looked back at all previous posts for this thread and YOU are the only one to have mentioned the feud!!

So maybe it's perceptions rather than facts that have got in the way here. Tne next step is obviously jellyfish at dawn at six paces to settle this once and for all, or perhaps I should spend less time in cyberspace and more time at the gym.