Charleston Symphony's Harpist to Swim New Zealand's Cook Strait - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

Charleston Symphony's Harpist to Swim New Zealand's Cook Strait

Information contained on this page is provided by companies via press release distributed through PR Newswire, an independent third-party content provider. PR Newswire, WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

SOURCE 21st Century Swimming Lessons

49-year-old musician, City Council member, and world class marathon swimmer will brave tough currents to complete the fifth trek of her "Ocean's 7" swims

CHARLESTON, S.C., Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Charleston, South Carolina's City Council member and symphony harpist, Kathleen Wilson and her U.S. crew of two will fly to New Zealand February 27 with high hopes to receive the go-ahead to swim the Cook Strait. The only "if "is weather conditions.

Wilson, 49, has become a marathon swimming luminary by completing many of the world's most prestigious and difficult swims, including four of the seven swims labeled, the "Ocean's 7." She has bested the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Europe from Africa, the Catalina Channel off the coast of California, and the Molokai Channel in Hawaii. Cook Strait will be number five. Remaining are the Irish Channel and the Tsugaru Strait in Japan.

Cook Strait has been completed in the range from 4.5 to 20 hours. Referring to her training, Wilson says, "The engine is there. The biggest variable is ever-changing weather patterns which can jeopardize a swim. Animals in the water? I get my head in gear to deal with their neighborhood." She trains in Charleston Harbor, which is 53 degrees. "I don't like cold, but it's good preparation."

With an email address like "aquaharp" one could surmise her two loves. But, in Wilson's case, there are three. The third is teaching swimming to adults who are afraid in water: Miracle Swimming. Her love for open water swimming propels her swims, but her equivalent goal is attracting the attention of the non-swimming public to say, "With Miracle Swimming, yes, you can learn to swim." According to a 1998 Gallup Poll, 46% of American adults are afraid in deep water, meaning that they cannot swim. Wilson, licensed in Miracle Swimming's innovative system, gets as much joy teaching afraid adults to swim as completing an open water marathon. "If I can bring one more adult into swimming with my swimming, it's worth it."

21st Century Swimming Lessons/Miracle Swimming is Wilson's sponsor for the Cook Strait swim. Frequent flyer miles donations are being accepted for her crew for her next challenge, to be decided.

For additional information, contact:
M. Ellen Dash, 21st Century Swimming Lessons
941-921-6420
Sarasota, Florida
melon@conquerfear.com
www.conquerfear.com

This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.

  • Most Popular StoriesMost Popular Stories

  • Tuesday, May 21 2013 3:46 PM EDT2013-05-21 19:46:46 GMT
    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The father of an 8-year-old Oklahoma boy says a teacher saved his son's life as a tornado tore into their school yesterday.
    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The father of an 8-year-old Oklahoma boy says a teacher saved his son's life as a tornado tore into their school yesterday.

  • Tuesday, May 21 2013 1:43 PM EDT2013-05-21 17:43:51 GMT
    BREAKING NEWS - The Medical Examiner's Office has revised the death toll in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado from 91 people to at least 24 people.
    UPDATE: Originally the death toll was reported to be 91 people and counting, however, the Medical examiner's office revised the death toll from the Oklahoma tornado to at least 24 people. A spokeswoman said Tuesday morning that she believes some victims were counted twice in the early chaos of the storm.

  • Tuesday, May 21 2013 3:31 PM EDT2013-05-21 19:31:19 GMT
    WASHINGTON (AP) - Wind, humidity and rainfall combined precisely to create the massive killer tornado in Moore, Okla.
    WASHINGTON (AP) - Wind, humidity and rainfall combined precisely to create the massive killer tornado in Moore, Okla. And when they did, the awesome amount of energy released over that city dwarfed the power of the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima. Meteorologists contacted by The Associated Press used real time measurements to calculate the energy released during the storm's life span of almost an hour.