{"id":452,"date":"2016-02-18T07:11:41","date_gmt":"2016-02-18T05:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.e-spectations.com\/swimming\/?p=452"},"modified":"2016-02-18T07:11:41","modified_gmt":"2016-02-18T05:11:41","slug":"golden-mile-swimming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-spectations.com\/swimming\/2016\/02\/18\/golden-mile-swimming\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden mile swimming – the company we keep"},"content":{"rendered":"

Golden Mile Swimming: \u00a0Company we keep<\/h2>\n
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Golden mile swimming Master swimmer Mr. Champion with Monica at the training pool<\/p><\/div>\n

In Swimming, the company we keep serves at the best of times as an inspiration. \u00a0Swimming is just one of those sports people take part in from young to old. \u00a0When older, the swimmers are known as Master swimmers.<\/p>\n

Meet Mr. Vince Champion, master swimmer and Golden mile (Midmar) winner. \u00a0Mr. Champion is religious about his daily training. \u00a0We see him daily at the gym where we train and we became friends with Mr. Champion as we all have swimming in common.<\/p>\n

Mr. Champion is also an avid Monica supporter and really admires Monica’s ability to train on her own. \u00a0I guess he also finds inspiration from this young swimmer on a daily basis. \u00a0Mr. Champion started speaking to Dad Coach in 2014\u00a0when we first started to train at the gym. \u00a0This master swimmer takes an active interest in Monica’s progress and always want to know how she is doing a the swim meet.<\/p>\n

The Midmar mile open water swimming<\/h3>\n

The Midmar mile<\/a> <\/span>is an annual open water swim held at the Midmar Dam North of Pietermaritzburg. \u00a0Famous swimmers such as Ryk Neethling swam and won the event. \u00a0In 2009, a record number of 13,755 entries were received \u00a0which was recognized by the Guinness book or world records as the biggest open water swimming event.<\/p>\n

Golden mile swimming:<\/h4>\n

The Golden mile open water swim takes place during the annual Midmar mile held in Kwazulu Natal South Africa. \u00a0 Gold collector’s item medals are awarded to all competitors who finish within 60 minutes. Trophies are also awarded to the winners of each category and to the oldest female and male swimmer.<\/p>\n

Winner of the Golden mile trophy:<\/h4>\n
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Inscription on the Golden mile swimming trophy – “You have overcome adversity”<\/p><\/div>\n

Mr. Champion told us that he was in a vehicle accident and had to swim as part of his physiotherapy and recovery process. \u00a0He trained for a period of 6 years and then swam the Golden mile, which he 60 minutes 25 seconds which earned him the Golden mile trophy.<\/p>\n

Mr. Champion was so proud of his achievement and he wanted to share his story with us that he bought his trophy to the gym to show it off. \u00a0It is an honor to know people like this and it serves as an inspiration for Monica to know that swimming is not just a sport for young children, but also when you are older.<\/p>\n

Mica and the masters:<\/h6>\n

Monica has a history with Masters swimmers. \u00a0In December 2014, our family joined in the Masters swimming fun during the last swim meet where Monica swam in a couple of events including the fun Christmas relay. \u00a0Being part of these unique events teaches humility, respect and swimming fun regardless of age.<\/p>\n