All the Swims For Terri around the world are listed alphabetically by country below.
The Swims For Terri in the UK are listed underneath the UK map
|
Argentina,
Buenos Aires
|
St George's College, Quilmes
|
01Dec03
|
The target is that everyone of our nearly 700 3-18 year old students will Swim For
Terri and other children suffering from burns during the 1st week of December. Good
luck to all involved.
__________________________________________
Post swim: St. George's College was extremely proud to be representing Argentina
and helping Terri in this global show of solidarity. Our swim days were directly
after the examination period for us and even though we were threatened by tropical
thunderstorms over 500 students and teachers swam over 250km in total. We wish Terri
and other children suffering from similar injuries the best of luck in the future
and want them to know that they have touched our lives.
James Batten, Headmaster, St George's, Quilmes, Buenos Aires
|
100++
|
|
Ascension Island,
Tavellers Hill (South Atlantic)
|
Royal Air Force, Ascension Island and Friends
|
06Dec03
|
Hello to everyone from ASI! The weather here is hot but it's fantastic for swimming.
You'd probably guess that for an island in the middle of the tropics! We will have
a very decent turnout of 50-60 swimmers. As well as islanders involved in the Swim
For Terri, the RAF are flying in six students from the UK to participate. The students,
all connected with university Air Squadrons, and on exercise, will be fundraising
within the universities at Oxford, Cambridge and Norwich before they come here.
Our Swim For Terri will therefore be a real mother England-ASI team effort.
|
50-60
|
|
Australia,
Adelaide
|
Tess Fisher, Trish Hayes and Friends
|
07Dec03
|
There's nothing like an early morning dip during the South Australian summer - so
we're taking over the local pool from 8am to swim a few (!) kms. We'll have a barbie
at the end...
__________________________________________
Post swim: We had a lovely morning swim at our local pool in perfect weather. A
small but dedicated group of 13 swimmers swam individual distances ranging from
a few laps to 4km. We had a very welcome BBQ brunch afterwards and though a little
stiff the next day everyone pulled up well! The local paper came and took some photos
and I'll forward those soon...
|
TBA
|
|
Australia,
Darwin
|
Heytesbury Beef Pty
|
07Dec03
|
Put a dot on the world map for the northern-most city in Australia, Darwin! We're
doing a Swim For Terri too. What a terrific cause.
Although Darwin is on the ocean we are not able to swim in the sea due to the bluebottle
stingers, crocodiles and sharks, so we are planning to host our Swim For Terri in
the 50m salt water Parap pool (700 laps). That's a '50 meter' pool. I know you don't
have many of those in the UK so it might be too big a pool for you to imagine but
they do exist.
Our plan is to do a 35 km swim on Sunday 7th Dec followed by a BBQ and a few stubbies
of beer and the odd wine. We are in the build up to the wet season, with temperatures
of 35-40 oC and humidity varying from 55-95% RH. The pool temperature is 30oC, so
the beer and wine is essential to cool down.
PS: What a fantastic game of rugby between England and Australia. The Wallabies
will be back with a vengeance in France in 2007.
__________________________________________
Post swim: The Darwin swimmers attacked the 700 lap (35 km) challenge with determination,
clocking up 2,640 laps, 132 km or 3.8 English Channel swims! One hundred and thirteen
swimmers from the Darwin Swimming Club, Katherine Swimming Club, Darwin Triathlon
Club, Darwin Masters Swimmers and general public participated in the swim, with
Steve Godwin doing 160 laps (8 km) non stop.
A good old Aussi BBQ was organised for the swimmers and helpers at the Parap Pool
with the Heytesbury Beef steak, meat patties and sausages being enjoyed by all.
Many swimmers received donated prizes including cinema tickets, a digital camera,
and various vouchers for participating in the event. The swim turned out to be a
fun, feel good event.
Local sponsors included Heytesbury Beef, Telstra, Westfarmers, Australian Fuel Distributors,
Hampton Transport, John Holland Construction, Ganamarr Consultants, Darwin City
Council, Gaymark, Holiday Inn, Territory Wildlife Park, BCC Cinemas, Toyworld, McDonalds,
Beach Bums, Darwin Mini Golf and Planet Bowling.
Thanks to all of the sponsors, clubs and swimmers who assisted with this fund raising
event. Also a special thanks to Heytesbury Beef for organising and running the program
and the Parap Pool for hosting the event.
We had a great time and we hope the funds raised can help Terri in some way.
Steve Petty, R&D Manager, Heytesbury Beef Pty Ltd
Newspaper Article - Katherine Times
|
30-50
|
|
Australia,
Melbourne
|
Susannah Hawke, Friends and Colleagues
|
06Dec03
|
Put a dot on the map for us here in Melbourne! It's summertime so we are very happy
to go swimming and help a terrific cause.
We have two parts to our Swim For Terri - a few lonesome souls putting in the laps
in the tranquil surroundings of their own pools (maybe the horses scared them off...read
on) as well as a group of us gathering at a nearby pool with supporters, party hats
etc. Party hats will almost certainly get wet as might some of the farm's horses
which may come swimming too! That'll make lane etiquette challenging...
__________________________________________
Post swim: Following a few dramas, Zoe, David and Susannah were the Swim For Terri
team here in Melbourne. We did manage to get some laps done. Zoe (same age as Terri)
swam 5 laps, 3 unassisted and two assisted! David swam 22 laps and I swam 40, my
proud kilometre! We had great fun and will send photos. We are (when our little
farm team is re-unified) planning a follow-up swim in January. More to follow...
|
20
|
|
Australia,
Perth
|
Chris M's Water Polo Allstars
|
06Dec03
|
The tranquil waters off the west coast of Australia will stage our Swim For Terri.
We will be swimming in the 1.6km Rottnest Swim Thru which is a warm up for our 19.2km
open water swim from Perth to Rottnest Island in February. As this is the height
of our summer, the place to be will be in the water. After the swim we will be replacing
lost fluids at the pub.
|
6-22
|
|
Australia,
Sydney
|
James Pittar and Friends
|
06Dec03
|
Well, our Swim for Terri in Sydney is going to be an ocean swim going backwards.
Sunday 7th Dec is the annual Bondi to Bronte 2km swim that starts at 10.30am. We
are going to start at 8am and swim the other way round: from Bronte to Bondi. We
plan to finish before 1,500 swimmers head towards us going in the other direction.
That'll keep the mind focused. The 17 1/2 of us will be led by James Pittar who
is blind and has actually swum the English Channel for real. Also participating
will be Chris Cole (who runs, with his brother Walter, the annual Sydney-based 2km
Cole Classic ocean swim that has been going for 20 some years), Paul Ellercamp (who
has swum just about every ocean swim man invented and probably a few more), Clare
Payne (who recently did an 8 hour swim round Manhattan Island) and Suzi Owens who
is a very handy ocean swimmer. Each of us will be wearing an AUS 'Swim for Terri'
logo'd swim cap. We are going to video the group who will be sending an electronic
'Hello' to Terri. Oh, and 8am on 7th Dec in Sydney is still 6th Dec in the UK so
we figure that still counts! Glad to be a part of this!
[Editorial comment: I'd like to know who the '1/2' is in the number of swimmers.
Perhaps someone is going to swim half way and get picked up by boat...]
Links: www.coleclassic.com;
www.oceanswims.com
View the specially designed swim cap the swimmers will be wearing.
__________________________________________
Post swim: At 8am on Sunday 7th Dec (Sydney time) 17 Sydney ocean swimmers, led
by the blind English channel swimmer, James Pittar, walked into a challenging 2-3
metre swell at Bronte to swim around the coastline to Bondi - their combined efforts
equalling the distancce of the Channel swim.
On the Bronte sands, before hitting the water, swimmer Chad Schneider remarked on
the big seas and reminded the swimmers about the challenges in life. "Not just ours
today, this swim has a deeper meaning, for Terri and the challenges in her life."
Around 35 minutes later, when they emerged from the water, under Bondi's unseasonal,
cloudy skies, a group of 500 people clapped and cheered their safe arrival on the
sands.
The swimmers were: Chis Cole, James Pittar, Chad Schneider, Clare Payne, Josh Scott,
Paul Ellercamp, Deke Zimmerman, Ed Egan, Michael Bransby, Alice Evans and the 'Whale
Beach people'.
A 5 min video of the swim [Ed-the swell is frightening!] will appear here soon.
Photos courtesy of HOT SHOTS Randy Wieman, randy@hotshots.net.au
|
17 1/2
|
|
Australia,
Sydney
|
Walter's 'BtoB' Crew
|
07Dec03
|
We are all linked with the Cole Classic Roughwater Swim and as we are fortunate
to have warm weather in December - the height of our Summer down here...we are going
to be in the ocean! A group of friends will be taking part in the 2km Bondi to Bronte
swim. We will be wearing 'Cole Classic/Swim For Terri' T-shirts.
Link: www.coleclassic.com
|
10-20
|
|
Australia,
Sydney
|
Walter's 'Cole Classic' Draftees
|
06Dec03
|
We will be holding a Cole Classic training swim on Saturday December 6th with each
swimmer being given a 'Cole Classic/Swim for Terri' T-Shirt. We are going to video
the group who will be sending an electronic 'Hello' to Terri.
There are more swimmers taking part in the Bondi to Bronte 2km swim the next day
(7th Dec) and they will be swimming for Terri too.
Link: www.coleclassic.com
|
Quite a few
|
|
Bahrain,
Adliya
|
The British School of Bahrain
|
04Dec03
|
The British Club have kindly agreed to let us take over 2 lanes of their pool for
the event. Year 11 will co-ordinate the swim, 3 of whom said they would swim it
between them if necessary.
|
30 - 40
|
|
Bolivia,
La Paz
|
American Cooperative School
|
06Dec03
|
We are delighted to be able to participate in the Swim For Terri and will be doing
so as the highest city in the world at 3,510m (11,516 feet). La Paz sits in the
middle of the Andes, the mountain range that runs down the western side of Latin
America. La Paz is near the beautiful mountain lake, Lake Titicaca. We have ten
of our elementary school children, under 11's, who will be participating in the
swim. We might not complete the full 35km but we will do our level (and very high
up) best! Buenos días from La Paz!
|
10
|
|
Brazil,
São Paulo
|
St. Pauls School
|
06Dec03
|
We are very excited about participating in this event, and we will be able to inaugurate
our recently refurbished outdoor pool. At the beginning of December the weather
should be good (here in the Southern Hemisphere!) and we hope to involve pupils,
teachers and parents.
__________________________________________
Post swim: On Saturday December 6th 2003, just before the end of term, a number
of St. Paul's pupils and staff took part in a sponsored swim for Terri.
We began at 9 a.m. and finished at midday. In total there were 15 children and 5
teachers who swam. The children had received the sponsor forms earlier in the week
and had to complete a number of laps in order to receive their sponsorship money.
The majority of the children completed between 10 and 15 laps of the 25-metre pool.
Mr. Lowe wanted to push the staff a little harder, and Mrs. Hewett and Mr. Green
each completed 40 laps of the pool. Mr. Lowe was very moved by the video and by
the courage of little Terri and decided to complete 200 laps of the pool.
It was a very relaxed and fun morning, swimming in the Brazilian sun while at the
same time raising money for Terri on the other side of the world.
On behalf of St. Paul's and all those involved in the sponsored swim we wish Terri
and her father all the very best for the future; they are both amazing examples
of what courage and love can achieve.
Mr. J. Lowe, Head of Physical Education
Links: www.stpauls.br
|
50
|
|
Brunei,
Bandar Seri Begawan
|
Jerudong International School
|
06Dec03
|
We are incorporating a 'House' theme to the swim, with each of our four school Houses
entering a team of 30+ students and staff to support one another in swimming between
7.00am and noon on the 6th. We are hoping to swim over 1000 lengths of our 50m pool
in that time.
__________________________________________
Post swim: Jerudong International School held its Swim for Terri amidst a 'Thinking
of Others Week'. Various events through the week raised money for our three sponsored
charities, one of which was Terri's Trust.
The week concluded with our 'Swim for Terri' bright and early on Saturday 6th of
December, with over 50 students and staff members taking part in swimming laps of
our olympic sized pool. We even held a satellite swim for some residents of our
boarding house who live at home in Kuala Belait over the weekend! All in all, we
swam 2,012 lengths for Terri, in just over 2 hours. 100.6kms - not bad!
With a third of the money raised over the week going to Terri's trust, we hope that
her future is brighter thanks to the efforts of our JIS Swimmers and everyone around
the world who took part in the 'Swim for Terri'. We are thrilled to have been invited
to take part in this international event.
Nicki Singleton, Staff member, JIS
Links: www.jis.edu.bn
|
100+
|
|
Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario (well Catania, Italy actually...)
|
Canadian Forces Masters Swim Team
|
06Dec03
|
Our Swim Team will be competing in the 3rd Military World Games in Catania, Italy.
On the 6th, our team plans to have an open water swim in the Mediterranean and have
a combined team effort to cover the 35km distance.
__________________________________________
Post swim: The Canadian Forces Swim Team was in Catania, Italy competing in the
Military World Games during Swim For Terri. Although the original intention was
to have an open water swim in the Mediterranean, weather and the Game's events programme
made a separate open water Swim For Terri difficult...so our Swim For Terri effectively
took place across 36 events! I am not sure how far we swam collectively but it's
comfortably 35km! Team photo attached so there's a maple leaf on the website. Best
wishes from all of us.
Lt (N) Tony Zezza, Coach, Canadian Navy Masters Swim Team
Links: www.navymasters.com
|
16
|
|
Canada,
Prince Edward Island
|
Swim PEI
|
06Dec03
|
We plan to swim in three different pools in Montague, Summerside and Charlottetown,
probably after eating too much and having arisen too early.
|
30-40
|
|
Canada,
Regina, Saskatchewan
|
Sue Schmidt
|
05Dec03
|
Regina Masters Swim Club is the club I swim with but due to my work schedule with
teaching, and coaching a youth speed swimming squad, I train alone - I do have friends
though, honest! I will be swimming on Friday 5 December in honour of Terri at the
Lawson Aquatic Centre in Regina. Any Regina swimmers reading this will be welcome
to join me... Good luck! yours, Sue Schmidt, President of Masters Swimming Canada
Inc.
|
1
|
|
Canada,
Toronto
|
Simon Lester, Mrs Lester and others we will rope in...
|
06Dec03
|
My wife and I will be swimming for Terri in Toronto and we better round up a few
friends otherwise with my 1 km and my wife's 0.5 km (OK she has an excuse of sorts
being pregnant) we will be left a mere 33.5 kms short...
Toronto's average temperature in December is about 0 degrees C and there is usually
a foot of snow on the ground, so I can only read with envy where the folks in Fiji
and Tonga will be swimming. But undaunted we will don goggles, hats...and flippers
and gloves if necessary, and jolly well G-push through the 1.5km mark...
|
2+?
|
|
Canada,
Toronto, Ontario
|
Aurora Master Ducks Swim Club
|
07Dec03
|
Our annual Christmas party is on Friday night so when it ends, Saturday will be
used exclusively for recovery! On Sun 7th Dec we will set up a 2 km continuous Swim
For Terri. We will have at least 17 swimmers - so that's the English Channel covered!
With everyone swimming at the same time in various lanes we should cross the Channel
in 35-40 minutes - that's hovercraft speed! We'll certainly have a breakfast together
afterwards maybe with a prize for the fastest individual 2km perhaps based on some
sort of handicapping i.e. time divided by arm length or foot size, times neck size...
__________________________________________
Post swim: 42 of us from Aurora Ducks took to the water to Swim For Terri and had
a great time and raised a heap of money. Full report attached through the link below.
Best wishes from the Ducks.
Bill Jenkins, www.masterducks.ca
Links: Local online newspaper article or Click Here for a pdf version.
|
15-20
|
|
Canada,
Victoria, BC
|
Navy Masters Swim Team
|
05Dec03
|
Our morning swim practice will be dedicated to Terri. We plan to have a 35x100m
swim workout and have a combined team effort to cover the 35km distance.
|
10-15
|
|
Canary Islands,
Lanzarote
|
RAF Swimming, Diving & Water Polo
|
06Dec03
|
All the RAF swimmers on tour in Lanzarote will, together, swim the Channel for Terri
for the second time in a week, the first time being at RAF Cranwell on 22 Nov. We
will be at Club La Santa and in-between the aerobics, tennis, wind-surfing and other
activities available at this fantastic sports resort complete our return leg from
Calais to Dover!
|
20+
|
|
Cayman Islands,
Georgetown
|
Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association
|
24Nov03
|
Young and old are involved in our Swim For Terri! The pool has been opened for the
children all afternoon on Saturday the 6th and Cayman's Masters will be involved
with a special one of their nightly swims at a date prior to the children's event.
We have our own Olympic gold medalist on Cayman, Mike Barrowman, and although he
will will tell you he is not quite as fast as in 1992, he still only takes about
6 strokes to cover the length of the pool...so some of the Masters swimmers may
just tie a rope to his toe and get pulled along. One of our swimmer's parents, Tracy,
is from Dover so we feel suitably connected with the Channel for our Swim For Terri!
Download a flyer
__________________________________________
Post swim: Swim for Terri is an official success with the masters in the Cayman
Islands! I'm thrilled - our masters did better than expected, and it truly warmed
my heart to see these people come out specially for this swim.
We had 25 people turn out and several more have donated funds to this most worthy
cause. Our combined total for the workout that night was the exact distance of the
English Channel; congratulations! It really was tremendous to see all of us rise
up, especially right after a big race over here, and combine with 70 some other
nations around the world to bring a spark of happiness and relief to this very special
young person.
|
25
|
|
China,
Shanghai
|
British International School, Shanghai
|
17Dec03
|
Shanghai sits near the mouth of the Yangtze River, the third longest river in the
world at 6,378 kms in length (who knows the two longest?) so we have lots of water
very near us. A lot of ships know that too unfortunately so we will be in a pool.
On 15th December we will be having a full school swimming day - from serious laps
to splashing about in the toddler pool, so a multi-faceted Swim For Terri.
There is a core group of strong swimmers at the school who will anchor our Swim
For Terri but we expect a good turnout from the children, as well as a sprinkling
of intrepid parents and teachers. Even the Principal may be persuaded to swim. The
highlight of the day however will definitely be seeing Mr. Kimura-Davies in his
swimming shorts!
We are very proud to be the Swim For Terri in China!
__________________________________________
Post swim: We had our swim yesterday, 17Dec, and it went very well indeed. Nearly
200 (!) children went in the pool and collectively swam 42 km (we counted every
width and length. A more expansive report to follow plus pictures...
Val Thomas-Peter, Principal
Links: www.bisshanghai.com
|
200
|
|
Colombia,
Bogotá
|
The English School, Bogotá
|
06Dec03
|
We are not sure if we'll get all the way across the English Channel with our swim,
so thank goodness we are not doing the real thing, but every little counts.
Twenty or so keen and intrepid swimmers will be taking part, and even the Headmaster
is threatening to dangle a toe in the water, although he is nervously claiming that
his swimming trunks were last seen a number of years ago.
We are grateful to the Bogotá Sporting Club who are donating use of the pool.
We rather hoped we would be the highest swim at 3,000m, but we have just been made
aware of the Swims For Terri in Kathmandu and La Paz. Maybe we're third highest
then...and that's not bad out of 150 swims around the world.
Best wishes to all who are swimming and taking part.
__________________________________________
Post swim: All went very well with our swim as you will read in the report in the
attachment. It was written by our Head of PE and is in Spanish. I have not translated
it into English as I thought it might add to the worldwide flavour of Swim For Terri.
A good number of the swimmers managed 2kms each, a terrific effort. We are going
to produce little certificates for those who participated.
Many thanks for giving us the opportunity to participate – and to the long links
that now girdle the earth and can link so many people in a good cause if there is
someone prepared to put in the time and effort to set the ball rolling and give
us a push.
Nick Martin, Headmaster, The English School, Bogotá.
Links: www.englishschool.edu.co
Attachment:
click here
|
20
|
|
Croatia,
Split
|
Veljko Rogosic and Friends
|
06Dec03
|
Add a red dot for Croatia! Swim For Terri is not going to happen without some Croats
joining in!
We have the beautiful Adriatic to swim in, 1,200 islands dotted along the coast
to swim round and we have a perfect Mediterranean climate. And we certainly have
the people to do it. And there will be plenty of us.
Veljko Rogosic, who was named International Long Distance Swimming Federation World
Champion four times between 1971 and 1974, has organised two teams in Split to Swim
For Terri.
The first team has over a hundred children who will collectively try to swim the
Channel. The second team will be made up of 20+ master swimmers (including Veljko)
who will swim the full distance.
Of course, our master swimmers are completely capable of swimming the 35km, probably
each of them individually. However, we will keep tabs on them because some may suddenly
decide they have had enough, or they would like some coffee, or want to watch the
girls pass by. Split, first inhabited by the Roman emperor Diocletian in 293 AD
[Ed: Like it. Nothing like a good bit of history...] often produces people like
that - just recall Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic. [Ed: I hope that's not libellous...]
We are hopeful there will be another Swim For Terri team in the Croatian capital
Zagreb. We'll keep you posted...
|
120+
|
|
Cyprus,
Akrotiri
|
RAF Akrotiri
|
05Dec03
|
When we heard about Swim For Terri and that Cyprus had no representation, there
was no way we could not be involved! What a cause, what a lot of red dots!
A week later our swim is set for Friday 5th December in the RAF Akrotiri pool from
1030-1700hrs. We have a handful of volunteers so far but the numbers are rising
as publicity grows. We fully expect that the promise of some PTIs [Physical Training
Instructors] in swimming trunks will lead to the swim being ridiculously oversubscribed...
__________________________________________
Post swim: Just a quick note to let you know that Cyprus completed their Swim For
Terri at 1700hrs (1500hrs GMT). Over 50 volunteers swam just under 46km, a great
effort. We were a little bit worried yesterday when the pool was closed due to thunderstorms,
but the sun shone down on us today! Good luck tomorrow.
|
50
|
|
Czech Republic,
Prague
|
Riverside School
|
06Dec03
|
We are grabbing anyone who can swim (with or without armbands) so we can clock up
the kms in a local school pool that we have kindly been allowed to use. Some of
our more competitive parents are already in training...!
|
100+
|
|
Ecuador,
Quito
|
Colegio Internacional SEK Ecuador
|
22Nov03
|
We have joined ranks with the Special Olympics athletes, parents, teachers, students,
our university's students, and will be swimming both for Terri and the Burns Unit
of the Children's Hospital (Baca Ortiz) in Quito. This has given the drive an international
and a local flavour.
__________________________________________
Post swim: Great news. On Saturday we had some 200 swimmers participate, and we'd
swum the 35 km in two hours, so people just carried on, and we reached 90 km before
we ran out of people!
Hundreds of people attended, and I'll be sending photographs as soon as they come
through the mail. I (the headmaster) got in my 100 m, which at an altitude close
to 8,000 ft is a fairly decent feat for a plains boy. Nothing next to the Special
Olympics athletes and our children however, who swam over 1 km apiece.
About 40 kindergarten kids swam their length, with floaters stuck in their swim
trunks. The Ecuadorean and Pan-American Games triathlon champion, Nelson Vazquez,
alos joined us towards the end, with a friend, and they put in 10 km each. The doctors
came too.
The overall feeling we have come away with is of a sense of joy at people's genuinely
interested commitment, both as sponsors and swimmers. We have realised that we can
function as a community, and so I feel we have received far more from the experience
than perhaps will actually be given. Thanks for the opportunity to be involved.
What are we doing next year?
Link: www.sekquito.com
Our promotional
poster for the Swim For Terri
|
200
|
|
Egypt,
Cairo
|
New Cairo British International School
|
01Apr04
|
Now, we may be the last Swim For Terri but please count us in!
Our swimmming pool closes down until April - yes April - so we'll be organising
our swim then. I am sure we will be creative about how we will do the swim as we
will have several months to plan and therefore no excuses. I expect we will have
significant participation from the children because we have some good swimmers and
in our climate being in a pool is pretty nice!
We will have involvement from teachers and parents i am sure and we will work on
the Headmaster and persuade him to swim a few lengths too.
To all those swimming a few months before us, best of luck!
|
50+
|
|
Falkland Islands,
Stanley & Mount Pleasant
|
Stanley Leisure Centre/MPA Gym
|
06Dec03
|
We have TWO Swims For Terri on our little group of islands a stone's throw from
Antarctica: one in the capital Stanley with the civilian population and one at the
military complex at Mount Pleasant with the military community.
|
50+
|
|
Fiji,
Suva
|
Fiji Swimming Association
|
06Dec03
|
The Fiji Swim for Terri will be held as part of the Fiji Swimming Association's
final Swim Meet for 2003 on 5th & 6th December at Fiji's Aquatic Centre in Suva,
built for the South Pacific Games held earlier this year.
35 has-been & wanna-be swimmers will each swim a km prior to the morning session
of the Swim Meet on the 6th. Some of the has-beens are hoping the wanna-be's do
more so they can do less.
At 6am Fiji Time on 6th, we should be the first in the world to complete our Swim
for Terri.....
[Editorial comment: The Kiwis think they will be first so i'll leave you to sort
that out with them. See the entry for Gisborne...]
__________________________________________
Mid-swim: Fiji calling. Eight of us set the ball rolling at 5.30 [Ed: Yikes!] this
morning at the National Aquatic Centre in Suva with 19km between us. Others will
be jumping in throughout the day with dedicated swims during the Swim Championships.
We are also running a parallel fundraiser here for the local Cancer Kids Charity,
Camp Quality. There is already talk of 'next year'. More and pictures later.
|
30-50
|
|
France,
Paris
|
The British School Of Paris
|
06Dec03
|
Our Swim For Terri is actually a Competition For Terri. A little different in that
it doesn't involve any swimming.
We had a problem with our swimming pool being available, or nor being swimmable-in
or something like (although rumour has it that some of the staff were so nervous
about the idea of pulling on their swimming costumes and being forced to swim up
and down looking at blue tiles that they became very creative with other ways of
supporting this...and rumour also has it that not enough Perrier water could be
found to fill the pool which was a requirement for the Headmaster to swim) and this
meant a 'swim', as such, became a problem.
So our 'Competition for Terri', from which all the proceeds will go to Terri's Trust,
involves a very large number of our 900 students paying 5 euros to enter a 'Who
are the World's Top 10 Best Known Sportsmen - Of All Time' competition. We have
polled the school for their submissions and all will be collated, riffled, filtered
and added to come up with the Top 10. Immense honour will go to the person who is
closest to the average of everyone's submissions.
I would give away my age if I told you who I thought should be in the Top 10 so
I am not going to. Suffice to say, if Bobby Moore is not in the list I am going
to ask for a recount.
We expect to raise a substantial sum and will be delighted for this to be our support
for this exceptional cause. The children have seen the programme about Terri and
although we will have lots of fun with the competition, it has been an important
learning experience for the children to know what this is for and what they are
part of. As for the geography department's use of the world map with dots, you should
be getting a copyright fee.
Best wishes from all of us in Paris.
|
Er...0
|
|
Germany,
Berlin
|
Berlin British School
|
06Dec03
|
I have learned over the years that it is always silly to pre-judge the outcome
of a decision put to the whole school community. So, when the idea of an international
Swim For Terri reached me I resisted the temptation of calling you immediately and
confirming we would participate and instead asked the school if they would like
to be involved. (The proposition did of course have the wholehearted support of
the headmaster who intended to swim whether the school followed him or not and,
for what it is worth, my colleagues and the pupils were aware of this fact.) I am
now very pleased to report that this headmaster will not be swimming alone! We may
have as many as 50 children taking part, from 6 to 17 years of age, and some teachers,
parents and friends of the school too. So our Swim For Terri, to be held at out
local pool, will be a real community effort. I wish everyone well with their swims.
__________________________________________
Post swim:
On Sat 6th December swimmers from the Belin British School gathered at the Kombibad
Spandau Sued swimming pool on Gatower Strasse, in an effort to raise money for Terri.
With students ranging from Year 1 to Year 13, members of staff and friends from
other organisations like Arendt, Bebo, Paulinen hospital, Spandau 04 Wasserfreunde,
Berliner Schwimmmasters. All participants were swimming distances from 50 metres
to 6 km. Overall we managed to swim with 92 swimmers a total of 183,850 km, over
5 times the English Channel. Of course in the middle of this was our amazing Headmaster
who managed to swim 104 lengths which is over 5 km!
We even had members of our school swimming for Terri on their holiday and phoning
in their results.
We must not forget all those members unable to swim but supporting Terri in many
different ways. Cafe Wasserman was selling refreshments and part of that income
went to Terri, our uniform firm donated T-shirts with Terri's Logo to be sold and
all those people who helped to organise this event and made sure that our swimmers
did not leave the pool too soon!!!
We are also planning a silent auction in February, for items received from parents
and other agencies, who have donated them for Terri.
The swim has been a terrific challenge for our school and students have commented
how good it feels to have been able to help someone who is in need. We would like
to say hello to everyone all over the world who has shared with us the same experience
and wish them a Merry Christmas and happy New Year.
|
35-50+
|
|
Gibraltar,
|
Combined Services and Gibraltar Swimming Club
|
06Dec03
|
Our Swim For Terri will take place at the Gibraltar Amateur Swimming Association's
pool (indoor and nice and warm!) with our swim starting at 10am. The swim will be
run as a WHOPPING relay with the Armed forces and the local swimmers, swimming alternately...until
35km is completed. We expect a lot of swimmers so 20-30 might be a bit of an underestimate...particularly
given we have utilised the media: posters have gone up across Gibraltar, the local
paper is doing a feature, we have done a radio interview which will be broadcast
three times a day on Gibraltar radio, and we are getting together with the people
in the Falkland islands (thousands of miles away!) to do a piece for television
on our Swims For Terri. Yes, may be more than 20-30 swimmers...Oh and we contacted
the local school.
|
20-30+
|
|
Greenland,
Nuuk
|
Nuuk Swimming Club
|
06Dec03
|
We only have one 25m swimming pool in Greenland, only opened in August of this year,
and more than 95% of the population cannot swim. But we too will be hosting a Swim
For Terri and we intend to cover the whole 35km distance. Of the 55,000 population
here, few people can swim as we are surrounded by icy cold waters in which survival
time would be a few minutes at the most.
We are using two lanes of the Malik* pool here in Nuussuaq, Nuuk, and we think we
can cover the English Channel's 35km in a little under 6 hours between us all. Our
original team was just 8 swimmers: a Dane, a Swede, a Norwegian, a South African,
and five Greenlanders. But word has spread and we now have children and others from
the town involved, some of whom will be swimming a few lengths, while others will
be swimming as much as 500 or 5,000 metres.
There is great excitement here in being part of the Swim For Terri - we have a new
swimming pool, a new skill for the children and adults to learn, and we will enjoy
the experience of being part of a universal happening to help little Terri and her
folks.
*malik means 'waves' in Inuit, the language spoken by the Greenlanders.
[Editorial comment: Courtesy of Air Greenland, who have been exceptionally warm-hearted,
we are flying in four students from two universities in the UK to join the Nuuk
Swim For Terri. The four will be raising money within their universities telling
people they are 'Flying to Greenland to swim The English Channel for a little girl
called Terri.' ]
__________________________________________
Post swim: In the middle of a snowstorm, Greenland Swim for Terri managed 72kms!
We had a great time! There were 30 swimmers in total and one of the pictures below
shows them all enjoying the experience of swimming for Terri. The gang from the
UK were outstanding. I swam 5km and now need a rest..!
We also had a mum and dad plus baby (4-6 months old) swimming for Terri in a heated
pool, the length being 4 meters. They did a train like swim doing the
'chu chu' stroke apparently up and down the pool. We also had some parents ask about
doing a 'baby swimming for Terri' as we have some Baby swimming classes...so there
were 'babies swimming for Terri' too! Therefore all ages involved!
Stephen Hakesberg, organiser of the Swim For Terri in Nuuk
Other reports:
From SA: It's so great to be able to do something you really enjoy, like swimming,
and be able to help someone out at the same time. It was also fantastic that so
many people got involved. I remember receiving the first email about the swim and
the next thing I knew I was in a pool in Greenland! So many people helped to make
that happen and I just wish I could thank them all. We had such a nice time in Greenland
with Stephen and Ivaak, our local guide. The people there were really amazing and
it was an experience to remember. I know we will have raised a lot of money.
From AC: Kelly and I received widespread fame as there were articles about the swim
in both student newspapers, Cherwell and the Oxford Student. My College also wanted
to write a piece for their website, so generally the message of why we were doing
this crazy swim reached lots of people and contributed to fundraising. The swim
itself was extremely successful. I played a very small part in the group effort
which managed a staggering 72km or so. The new pool in Nuuk was fantastic, the surroundings
surreal and the cause definitely worthwhile. Glad to have been part of it!
KT's post-swim commentary
Links: www.greenland.com
; www.airgreenland.gl
; www.hhe.gl ; www.visitnuuk.com ;
www.hilton.dk
|
20+
|
|
Hong Kong,
|
Hoi Tin Athletic Association
|
06Dec03
|
We have not yet decided how to swim the 35km, but will definitely make it a fun
and meaningful event.
|
30+
|
|
Indonesia,
Jakarta
|
The British International School
|
05Dec03
|
The Swim For Terri at the British International School will take place as a sponsored
swim with each person swimming as many widths of the pool as possible in one hour.
All the distances will be added together to see how far we have swum. A special
search and rescue team will be on hand in case Mr Starkie disappears beneath the
waves... It should be fun. Following the swim will be a BBQ and a sponsored wake-a-thon
organised by the students. If you would like to take part, call or email us for
details. Tel: +62 21 7451670 x 225 email: Paul_Starkie@bis.or.id
|
50+
|
|
Italy,
Rome
|
The New School, Rome
|
05Dec03
|
Our school consists of only 90 students but fully HALF have volunterred to swim!
We have every level of fitness but that doesn't matter - if you are a swimmer you
are a swimmer! Many non-swimmers are drumming up support for the swim and publicity
has even been incorporated into some subject lessons. Our Swim For Terri will take
place in a small local pool here in Rome as we decided it would be too ambitious
to try and flood the Colosseum as they used to in Roman times!
__________________________________________
Post swim: Just thought I would send you an email to say that the Swim For Terri
was fantastic! We had 37 swimmers in a pool for only 2 hours and we managed to swim
59km! Even I am flabbergasted at such gutsy swimming. They absolutely loved it!
We have some photos and we will send them shortly. Good luck to all who are swimming
tomorrow!
|
35-45
|
|
Japan,
Tokyo
|
The British School, Tokyo
|
06Dec03
|
Families are a central theme in our Swim For Terri. We have many children and parents
involved and, in many cases, entire families swimming. There is a tremendous spirit
surrounding the swim: doing something together to help someone else. We will swim
in blocks of 20 or 50 minutes each as in Japan we have to clear the pool for inspection
every hour. We have 2 lanes for 4 hours so let’s see how far across the Channel
we get! The event is being run by the BST Lions Sports Club, a parent led sporting
group within the school. We will be swimming on Dec 6th 2003 along with the rest
of the world. Happy swimming everyone.
|
70-80
|
|
Jordan,
Amman
|
International Community School
|
06Dec03
|
Our newly opened indoor pool will host our Swim For Terri. However, we hope the
day is sunny not snowy as we may get more sponsor support! Yes it does snow in Amman!
[Original message received from the headmaster on first contact some weeks ago:
'Yes of course we will do a Swim For Terri, and if I have to, I will swim the distance
myself...albeit if I start on Dec 6th i probably wouldn't finish until March 6th.']
|
25 to 50
|
|
Korea (South),
Seoul
|
Seoul Foreign British School
|
17Jan04
|
Seoul Foreign British School is coordinating the Swim for Terri. Seoul is a city
with a long history and is blessed with natural beauty including the Hangan River
or Han River, rugged mountains and a rich cultural heritage. Children in swim clubs
and swim teams from all our four divisions (British, Elementary, Middle and High
School), faculty and parents will get together to swim the 35km. It promises to
be a fun and worthwhile event. If England loses the Rugby World Cup final, our Head
of School has promised to swim on a team.
__________________________________________
Post swim: Date: Saturday 17th January 2004, Time: 10-12pm , Location: Aquatics
Centre
We had approximately 50 students from the British School and 20 students from the
Elementary, Middle and High School divisions Swim for Terri.
The British School clocked up 50km, the Elementary, Middle and High School manged
a combined 52km...and the teachers managed a creditable 4km! So we exceeded the
target distance of 35 km and swam 106 kms in total. We are feeling rather proud
of ourselves!
One child raised 580,000 Korean won. Another child emptied her piggy bank and donated
her entire savings. Many parents came to support and helped with lap counting. Thanks
to everyone for your help and support. A great day!
Aaron Jefferd, Aquatics Director, Seoul Foreign School
Links: www.sfs.or.kr
|
50-70
|
|
Kuwait,
Hawalli
|
New English School
|
04Dec03
|
Our school will have many students and teachers involved in the Swim For Terri.
There will be various levels of fitness, but not to worry, we will all play out
part! We will swim at the Dasman Model School, who have very kindly let us use their
pool. We are getting ready for the big dip on Thursday 4th December 2003.
|
50+
|
|
Kuwait,
Kuwait City
|
Gulf English School
|
06Dec03
|
Our Swim For Terri will take place at our school pool and will be open to students
from Y5 and up. The pool is 20m in length so we are aiming to swim 1,750 lengths
= 35km. It's a CHALLENGE we are looking forward to. We are inflating the water wings
in preparation!
|
30-40
|
|
Malaysia,
Penang
|
The International School of Penang (Uplands)
|
06Dec03
|
Our swim started with six volunteers approaching the headmaster and saying 'we would
like to do a Swim for Terri'. That was fine for our tiny swimming pool (which we
prefer to call a 'swimming corridor') but now that involvement has grown and we
are thirty-plus swimmers, we have been trying to find a larger pool outside the
school. We'll sort that out soon.
Links:www.uplands.org
|
35-40
|
|
Malta,
Birkirkara
|
Birkirkara St Joseph Sports Club
|
06Dec03
|
A couple of lanes at the indoor pool of the complex owned by the Malta Football
Association will be at the disposal of our Club's swimmers and other members, who
are all gearing up to take the big plunge on Saturday 6th.
|
30-40
|
|
Mauritius,
Floreal
|
Alexandra House School
|
06Feb04
|
The timing of our Christams break means the best time for us to participate in the
Swim For Terri is at the start of January. There are about forty children who will
be participating along with teachers and parents. We are still trying to organize
the use of a swimming pool but some of us hope that might not be available... and
then we'll have to swim in our wonderful ocean!
__________________________________________
Post swim: We finally managed to organise our ‘Swim for Teri’ on Friday 6 February
and a great day was enjoyed by all!
Our swim was held at a municipal swimming pool, with a total of 47 children, aged
7-11, 3 teachers and 2 parents actually in the pool, and 6 teachers and several
parents organising and monitoring the event and cheering everyone on.
Since the pool measured 25 metres, we never thought that we’d actually complete
the 1400 lengths necessary to reach the goal of 35km, but the children’s enthusiasm
was boundless and the adults were infatigable, so altogether they managed to swim
42.5km!
Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to join you in this fundraising.
It was marvellous to see how the children rose to the occasion and put in even more
effort than would normally do in a competitive event. It has really helped them
to learn that putting real effort into an activity to help someone else can be so
much more rewarding than doing it for selfish reasons.
Bridget Langlois, Headmistress
Links: www.alexandrahouseschool.com
|
50+
|
|
Mexico,
Mexico City
|
The Edron Academy (El Colegio Británico)
|
06Dec03
|
There will be a Swim For Terri at The Edron Academy in Mexcio City. Things moving
quickly with our organisation of the swim and we will let you know what combination
of students, teachers, parents, administartive staff, headmaster (headmaster?!)
will be swimming when all becomes clear.
|
20-30
|
|
Mexico,
Monterrey
|
American Institute of Monterrey
|
06Dec03
|
Our General Director got excited with the idea of Swimming for Terri right away.
She called me and said "Prepare the students, we're having a fundraisng event and
we're swimming 35km."
"Great" I said "but we don't own a pool and we're surrounded by mountains."
But following the spirit that keeps Terri laughing, we went for it and organised
a local club to lend us a pool. Now, forty students from upper elementary and junior
high, so from 8 to 16 years of age, have a beautiful pool in which to Swim for Terri.
They will be joined by some of the teachers and senior staff. In fact, people keep
coming forward to join in.
After agreeing to Swim For Terri - just from hearing the story - the children have
now seen the 'Being Terri' video and were immensely moved. You can imagine the galvanising
effect it has had. There is a great deal of excitement now surrounding the swim
- excitement about HELPING. We have even had the television cameras in to see us
today and the local and national newspapers are to follow. We are proud to put Mexico
on the map for a wonderful, wonderful cause.
¡Buena suerte a todos!
[Update received] The local television station came to the school today to interview
our students and General Director. The nearly 4 minute report was aired in a local
newscast. The subject of the story was of course Terri and how the school's students
wanted to help her. Minutes after the report was aired, a man who had suffered 68%
burns in his body in an explosion called us. He will be at the event and will sponsor
3.2km. This has awoken a great philanthropic spirit in many many people. It is marvellous
to see.
|
30-40
|
|
Nepal,
Kathmandu
|
The British School, Kathmandu
|
06Dec03
|
We will be holding our Swim For Terri at Le Meridien Golf Resort and Spa (www.gokarna.com) here in Kathmandu, who have very
kindly let us use their indoor pool - the ONLY one of its kind in Nepal. Most pools
are outside...and it is very cold here in December!! We should have quite a few
children and staff from our school taking part. Our school's website is www.tbs.edu.np Do visit us on the web - or given
we are at the top of the world here, 'at the top of the web' as we like to say.
__________________________________________
Post swim: Our swim went very well with around 40 children and staff from The British
School taking part in the swimming pool at Le-Meridien Spa at Gokarna in Kathmandu.
The distance of 35 km was covered with half an hour to go, to the pleasure of all
taking part.
Richard Hester, Head of PE, The British School, Kathmandu
|
30+
|
|
Netherlands,
Amsterdam
|
British School of Amsterdam
|
04Dec03
|
Message received on 06Oct03:
I am the Head of Juniors at the British School in Amsterdam. I have been passed
an email regarding the Swim for Terri. We would like to be involved.
Our involvement might be a little different but i hope you will accept us!
The 6th Dec is a National Holiday weekend here in Holland, called Sinterklaas, and
what with one thing and another, logistics for a swim etc present one or two difficulties.
But we don't want that to stop us participating and the children gaining much from
being involved.
We are going to raise the profile of Terri to our children in Years 4, 5 and 6 (ages
8 - 11) through our PSHE lessons. At this time of year the school traditionally
collects for a nominated charity and we would like to make our collection for Terri.
In this way the children will have had an appreciation of WHO and WHY they are raising
money. Although on this occassion it does not fit with the "swim" theme, we hope
that you will accept our participation and contribution in this way!
[Ed: Instantly accepted.]
__________________________________________
Post swim: As you know we were unable to support the swim theme but we wanted to
be involved so we organised our own versions of 'For Terri'.
The "Being Terri" video was used as part of PHSE lessons last term in Years 4, 5
and 6. At Christmas the children in Year 4 did a production of "Little Red Riding
Hood" and children in Years 5 and 6 performed the humourous tale of "Cinderella
Jones". Both productions were very entertaining and enjoyed by cast and audience
alike. The children made a collection at the end of the performances and would like
to donate the money to Terri's fund.
Parents were inspired by the children's efforts and were motivated to organise a
charity coffee morning. Our Indian families prepared Indian snacks and food which
they sold to staff and parents to raise money.
So the British School of Amsterdam are pleased to have been part of the 'Swim For
Terri' in the best way we could.
Tom Handisyde, Head of Junior School
Links: www.britams.nl
|
Umm...
|
|
New Zealand,
Gisborne
|
A bunch of motivated teenage girls! (Kendall Bramwell, Domi Wisniewski...)
|
06Dec03
|
A few girls, who grew up together as friends in this small town through the early
1990's, are now getting together and, with the help of a few other local mates,
will be setting out at 7am on the 6th Dec to complete as many laps as possible of
the local swimming pool. That should make us first to start the swim - Gisborne
is the first city to see the light of the new day! The 35km will almost certainly
be beyond our means but we'll put in just as many laps as the girls' stamina will
allow!! So this is a 'Reunion' Swim For Terri!
[Editorial comment: First to swim? Hmmmm. What about Fiji? That could be a very
close run thing. And Tonga? Anyone want to check where that International Date Line
goes again...?]
[Editorial comment2: It has now been pointed out to me that, and i quote "Fiji and
Tonga don't have cities". Straws, at, clutching - rearrange...i think.]
__________________________________________
Post swim:
We started our swim in the Gisborne Olympic pool at 7 am on Saturday the 6th of
December – our goal was to be first in the water by virtue of Gisborne’s reputation
for being the first city to witness the new day.
Our team was made up of 6 girls, all in the 11-13 years bracket, 2 having traveled
down from Auckland (around 500km), the previous day, and the other 4 Gisborne locals.
For some of the girls, and their dads, the event was also an opportunity to get
together having been apart for several years. Our reunion went on for most of Friday
night and a good part of Saturday morning, so the girls were looking rather weary
as they hit the rather cold 50m pool at the designated hour on Saturday.
The girls swam as many laps as they were each able to manage given the lack of sleep,
the cold water, the fact that some of them hadn’t swum for a rather long time….in
all, they managed to stay in the water for around 45 minutes, and completed on average
20 laps each – or a total of around 6km.
As each of the girls climbed out, they were presented with Certificates (designed
and printed by Revolution Advertising) that acknowledged their contribution – a
copy of these is attached.
The Gisborne Herald covered the Swim For Terri story. The article deals mostly with
the girls doing the swimming, but this story is not about the girls who swam – it’s
about Terri, her life challenge, and her incredible personality – that’s what motivated
these girls to find sponsors, arrange a pool and travel 500kms to join friends in
the swim.
|
5-10
|
|
New Zealand,
Lower Hutt
|
Huia Master Swimmers
|
06Dec03
|
We will be swimming for one hour and be sponsored for the number of lengths swum
(25m) in that time.
|
5
|
|
New Zealand,
Queenstown
|
GB Triathlon Team
|
06Dec03
|
A group of us are competing at the Triathlon World Championships on Dec 6th and
24 of us are going to be sponsored for Terri. 24 x the 1.5km swim we will be doing
as part of the triathlon is the distance of the Channel so a real team effort. As
this is part of the World Championships swim I can pretty much guarantee that all
will finish the distance. Whether or not we will be allowed to have 'We are Swimming
For Terri' painted across our backsides remains to be seen.
|
24
|
|
Norway,
Stavanger
|
The British International School of Stavanger
|
06Dec03
|
I have hired a swimming pool and tried to get a few other local schools to join
us. My children are enthusiastic and even the five year olds want to do a length.
I guess all six lanes will be working!! Good swimming everyone.
|
60-80
|
|
Peru,
Lima
|
Markham College
|
06Dec03
|
We have involvement from across the school community in our Swim For Terri. As well
as senior students, several of whom are on the Peru National Swimming Team, we have
administrative staff, teaching staff, other national team swimmers and the national
coach herself Guiliana Belaunde taking part. All will be required to help blow up
the arm bands of this particular swimmer and i may insist on having a rope tied
to me in case i get into trouble in our school pool.
|
50+
|
|
Philippines,
Manila
|
International School Manila
|
06Dec03
|
We are at the height of our swim season here in Manila so good timing for the swim
team to spend a Saturday swimming the equivalent of the English Channel! In addition
to the school swim team, i'm sure we will be able to persuade another team of children,
teachers and parents to join us and we will make sure the athletic director and
the head of school join us too.
|
30+
|
|
Poland,
Warsaw
|
The British School
|
07Dec03
|
From brilliant swimmers, to cocky ones, to bellyfloppers. Even the Head may venture
into the water for a few lengths at the risk of either drowning or emptying the
pool...
|
30-40
|
|
Qatar,
Doha
|
Doha College
|
06Dec03
|
Swim For Terri has created quite a stir here: we have a LOT of people who want to
be involved, even the normally non-swimmers! Some of the other Swims for Terri have
described their locations e.g. beautiful lake (La Paz), snow (Boston), reefs (Tonga),
and ice (Greenland), so i thought i'd do the same for Qatar. Sand.
Beautiful sand mind. If you have ever seen pictures of enormous sand dunes, you
will know what I mean. Qatar (pronounced 'cutter') sits on a beautiful thumb of
land that sticks out into the Gulf and although our country is 90% covered by sand,
not many countries can boast sand-skiing (yes, really) as well as having azure blue
waters, a great climate...and lots of keen swimmers.
So for our SFT we have 120 children in Year 7 (11-12 year olds) and another 50-100
from the swimming club who will be organising themselves into teams. Teachers and
parents will be in involved too. The numbers involved mean we will be using all
six lanes of our 25 m pool from Dec 1st to Dec 6th.
|
150-200+
|
|
Qatar,
Doha
|
Park House English School
|
18Dec03
|
Park House English School are organising a Swim for Terri on Thursday 18th December.
We will have 50+ children from the ages of 10 - 14 swimming as well as some members
of staff. Those children who are not so confident in the pool are volunteering to
count lengths for their classmates that are swimming. The children were very moved
by Terri's story and are extremely eager to help in any way they can.
|
50+
|
|
Saudi Arabia,
Al Khobar
|
The British International School of Al Khobar
|
06Dec03
|
We were all very moved by Terri's circumstances and the international spirit behind
the idea for Swim For Terri.
As luck would have it, we already had a swimathon planned, to raise money for the
WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature. We decided we would consider our swim to be
for both causes and a proportion of the money the swimathon raised has gone to Terri's
Trust - with our sincere best wishes.
Our school, located in Al Khobar on the eastern seaboard of Saudi Arabia and opposite
Bahrain, has 470 students from some 28 countries so our swim was truly international
too. The spirit of the swim and the fundraising was in keeping with one of the strong
ethics we have at the school, that of global awareness, tolerance and understanding.
Very best wishes to everyone swimming for Terri.
|
50
|
|
Saudi Arabia,
Jeddah
|
The British International School, Jeddah
|
24Nov04
|
Here at the British International School (known as the Continental School) in Jeddah,
we thought it would be great to support not only Terri but also local burns sufferers,
and we have made contact with a reliable and recognised charity here, through whom
we can channel funds to those enduring the pain of such injuries.
We plan to join in with the swimming theme (after all, we do have a superb programme
and a brilliant swim team, and we live on the coast of the Red Sea), by "Swimming
the Red Sea!"
Near Jeddah, the Red Sea is 177km from coast to coast. The students from the four
houses (North, South, East and West) of our Middle School, augmented by our Continental
School Stingrays Swim Team, believe that they can swim this distance in one week
during lessons and training…
Sums raised will be divided between Terri’s fund and our local one: The National
Foundation of Home Health Care.
More news later – when Ramadan and the Eid are over, we shall be ready to take up
this challenge!
Russ Law, Director
__________________________________________
Post swim:
Conti Middle School and the Continental School 'Stingrays' Swim team swim the Red
Sea for Terri and burns victims in Jeddah!
The 437 students of the Middle School section of The British International School
of Jeddah (also known as the Continental School), and their fellow students in the
school's 'Stingrays' swim team, began their sponsored attempt to swim a distance
equivalent to the 177km width of the Red Sea opposite Jeddah during the week beginning
Saturday, 4th December, 2004.
The students eagerly swam widths of the school's swimming pool during their normal
swimming lessons, and by the end of the week had achieved a magnificent distance
of more than 236km, considerably further than the original target distance.
Altogether a sum of 24,000 Saudi riyals was raised with half of the amount going
to the 'Swim for Terri' Appeal, and the other half going to help local burns victims
here in Jeddah via the National Home Health Foundation - Western Province.
The students really wanted to do their best for this event, and their awareness
of the need to help other people was heightened by their participation.
Mark Willingham, Headteacher, Middle School
|
400+
|
|
Saudi Arabia,
Riyadh
|
British International School
|
06Dec03
|
Our Swim For Terri will be incorpoarted into our 2004 'FUNd Day', which includes
swimming and water sports and combines good old healthy sports activity with fun
AND fundraising. At least 25% of the money we raise will go to the Swim for Terri
appeal.
|
30-40
|
|
Slovakia,
Bratislava
|
British International School
|
07Dec03
|
We've hired a pool and we're ready to go!
|
30-40
|
|
South Africa,
Bloemfontein
|
Superseals Masters Swimming Club
|
06Dec03
|
We are not as lucky as our other South African Masters groups and we don't have
acres of ocean on our doorstep. We will therefore be swimming in our humble pool
where each one of our intrepid band will be expected, if not forced, to swim 3.5
km each. Having said that, if we are successful in rounding up a few more swimmers
we will each swim a little less. We are combining our Swim For Terri with our Christmas
party [Editrial comment: so does that mean 10 will be swimming and the rest will
be looking on eating mince pies? Seems a little unfair...] so we should be having
a lot of fun!
|
10
|
|
South Africa,
Cape Town
|
South African Masters Swimming
|
06Dec03
|
We have two Swims For Terri on sat 6th Dec. Swim 1 is at Mykonos in Langebaan -
a lagoon swim of varing distances 1.5km, 5km or 10km (groups of 24, 7 or 4 swimmers
= 35km for each. Phew!). Swim 2 is at Newland's 50m outdoor pool... in other words,
for those of you who are a bit wary of the big open water join the Dolphins and
Cape Town Masters under Table Mountain for an early morning training swim – of either
1, 2 or 3 kms!
|
30-40
|
|
South Africa,
Durban
|
KZN (KwaZulu Natal) Masters
|
06Dec03
|
Our Swim For Terri will be a surf swim over a 2km course. The surf is warm and the
sun is bright here in Durban. We've even put through a request that all sharks,
jellyfish and bluebottles leave the area for the day.
|
50+
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|
South Africa,
East London
|
Amakhosi Masters
|
06Dec03
|
Greetings from East London in South Africa! Did you know East London is famous for
the discovery of the coelacanth? No, well now you do!
We are probably better known for our beautiful beaches and surfing spots - Nahoon
Reef is one of the world’s finest – and given December is the middle of the summer
here, the perfect time for a big swim.
One of our swimmers is Joe Hillstrom the ONLY swimmer EVER to have swum 35km across
crocodile infested Lake Kariba. Given the crocodile population, it is unlikely that
anyone will ever undertake this swim again!
So Lake Kariba is out, and instead we will be holding our Swim For Terri at The
Jason Murray Swimming Pool from 9am on the 6th. It is an indoor heated 25m pool
and is just across the road from a water polo tournament on the same day. We are
hoping that some polo players and spectators will be persuaded to swim along with
the 33 members of the Amakhosi Masters team! ‘Amakhosi’ means ‘Champion of Champions’
by the way.
So, what with masters swimmers, some water polo players and others rounded up through
extensive local publicity we expect to swim the Channel more than once. We’ll let
you know how we get on…
|
33
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|
South Africa,
Johannesburg
|
Old Eds Masters Swimming
|
06Dec03
|
Tle club pool has been donated and we will bribe, coerce, trick and do whatever
is necessary to get the water polo boys, parents of junior members, school teachers
of associated schools to join the regular bunch of water "oldies" to swim units
of 35km. We will swim from 100m to 5km each to make up the distance. We hope to
make at least 2 crossings of the English Channel between us and you never know there
may be the staying power for 3 crossings. And yes, we have been saying to people
'we are swimming the English Channel in Jo'burg'.
|
100+
|
|
Spain,
Lliber
|
The Lady Elizabeth School
|
06Dec03
|
Even though we had a few enthusiastic volunteers willing to brace themselves for
the chilly,choppy waters of the sea (accompanied by numerous layers of grease of
course!), the majority of the swimmers opted for the warmer option: an indoor swimming
pool. The ever increasing number of swimmers volunteering shows our complete support
and enthusiasm for this worthy cause. ¡Feliz natación!
|
30-40
|
|
Spain,
Marbella
|
The English International College
|
06Dec03
|
Information to follow...
Links: www.eic.edu
|
25
|
|
Spain,
Palma de Mallorca
|
Baleares International School
|
09Dec03
|
Our island off the coast of Spain is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, which
in December is a bit too cold for a swim so we will be swimming in a local pool.
We will have relays going in four lanes and there will be 18 nationalities participating!
The 6th and 8th are Spanish holidays so our Swim For Terri will be on 9th Dec.
|
30-40
|
|
Svalbard,
Longyearbyen
|
Svalbard Turn Swim group
|
06Dec03
|
We arrange our annual Christmas swimming competition on Terri's Day. We have mostly
small swimmers, but i hope we can contribute something.
|
30-40
|
|
Swaziland,
Simunye
|
Swaziland National Swimming Association - Dolphins swim club
|
06Dec03
|
Landlocked, in the middle of a drought, in a village that is so small it does not
even make the Swaziland map, never mind the world map, we are delighted to be participating
in the "Swim for Terri". We are swimming in a pool - our rivers and dams are inundated
with crocodiles - and will complete the swim on the 6th December at a national gala
we are hosting. This gala is called the "Christmas Package Gala" and we will set
a lane aside for the swim, all in the spirit of Christmas!! Wishing all of you a
wonderful swim, a speedy recovery and a festive Christmas season!!
|
30-40
|
|
Switzerland,
Clarens/Montreux
|
St. George's School in Switzerland
|
28Nov03
|
23 members of our swim team will be using their training session to swim the 35km
for Terri.
__________________________________________
Post swim: Excitement was running high on Friday, the 28th of November, when the
23 members of the St. George's swim team dedicated their training session to Terri.
After a full week of end of term exams, everyone arrived at the pool looking a bit
tired, but determined. Miss Byng, our coach, reminded the team to think about Terri
and to remember that they were swimming for her.
It was a real struggle for some of the swimmers to complete their 60 lengths, but
even when the combined total reached 35 km, they wouldn't stop!
They kept swimming until they reached a grand total of 57 km and 400m which would
have put them in the middle of the English Channel on their return journey. Before
leaving the pool, the swimmers put their arms around each other and stood in a big
circle and shouted "Swim for Terri" to commemorate the occasion! By the time the
swimmers left the building, it was cold and dark, but they all had a warm, inner
glow from working together for Terri.
Good luck to everyone who is Swimming for Terri on the 6th of December!
|
23
|
|
Switzerland,
Zurich
|
Swimmers of the AMT Masters Team
|
06Dec03
|
Swim the Channel for Terri? We are delighted to. From Friday 5th Dec through Monday
8th Dec between 11.45am and 1.15 pm, swimmers in lane 1 at City Indoor Pool, Zurich
will Swim For Terri and try to fill to the brim a pot ready for free donations.
Happy swimming!
|
20-40
|
|
Thailand,
Ban Chang, Rayong
|
Garden International School
|
10Dec03
|
This is going to be a community day with as many of our 204 pupils and their families
involved as possible. We have 6 teams using 6 lanes and when we have covered the
35km we will be enjoying a well earned beer or 4 and some BBQ food.
|
60-100?
|
|
Thailand,
Bangkok
|
Harrow International School - Harrow Lions Swim Team
|
10Dec03
|
This weekend is the King of Thailand's Birthday so we will Swim for Terri during
our team training nights. Students and teachers of all ages will be in the pool
swimming for this great cause.
|
30-40
|
|
Tonga,
Nukualofa
|
Tonga Triathlon Club
|
06Dec03
|
We have an option, either to swim from an island to Nuku'alofa, a 2.5k swim, or
to swim the same distance along the Nuku'alofa waterfront. The Nuku'alofa waterfront
swim will attract more people, because they can stop on the reef and have a rest
if they want to. Whichever swim we will do, our total distance should be about 35K.
That's our Swim For Terri!
|
5-12
|
|
Ukraine,
Kyiv
|
The British International School
|
06Dec03
|
Our Swim For Terri in the Ukraine will either be before or after the Christmas break.
Yes, I know. I can hear you saying 'obviously it will'. You will be the first to
hear when we have confirmed the best time to organise the pool. Our swimming teacher
is on the case as we speak. Count us in please and under no circumstances leave
off the dot for the Ukraine!
|
TBA
|
|
United Arab Emirates,
Dubai
|
Staff and members of the British Business Group
|
12Dec03
|
Greetings from Dubai. As Saturday is a working day for most in Dubai and the Dubai
Rugby 7's are taking place on the three days preceding the 'World Swim for Terri'
we decided to hold our swim on 12 December at the Dubai Country Club. They have
kindly allowed us two lanes for the morning to complete our swim.
Given the cast of swimmers, we decided that 'Calais was beyond us' so to speak,
so our Swim For Terri will be all the 12's: we will swim 12 miles between us on
the 12th day of the 12th month.
Download a poster
__________________________________________
Post swim: Our swim went ahead as planned on the 12th December. We exceeded our
12 mile swim so were really pleased about that and even had one lady swimming in
Jordan, as she had to go there on business and was unable to take part in our planned
swim here. Attached please find confirmation of our swim, highlighted in the Dubai
press and a photograph of the team.
Best wishes from Trish, Maria, Maria, Allison, Andre, Zelna and Julie.
|
20
|
|
Uruguay,
Montevideo
|
The British School, Montevideo
|
06Dec03
|
We have actually programmed our swimming gala for Saturday 6th and we will then
follow it with a sponsored event involving students, staff, and parents. So at least
a hundred swimmers that day.
__________________________________________
Post swim: Despite a rather cool day, we had 105 students swimming and three adults
(one was me! [The Headmaster]). The rest said the water was too cold! We had children
who completed 2 lengths of the 25m pool, and one who managed 42 lengths! So a terrific
effort alll round. The three adults managed a km each in 30 minutes, so respectable.
We calculated that in total we swam about 10,250 metres. 'About', because unfortunately
the "number-of-lengths" calculator started chatting half way through and forgot
her job!
A great idea, and lots of fun!
|
108
|
|
USA,
Boston
|
Harvard Business School
|
06Dec03
|
It's pretty cold here in Boston in December, snow on the ground and all that, so
swimming in the Charles River is out, but the local Blodgett indoor pool should
look after us. Once we know numbers and lanes, we'll come up with a plan for our
Swim For Terri and I'm sure we'll be able to knock off the distance of the English
Channel as there are some pretty good swimmers floating about. We're happy to be
part of this for a terrific cause.
|
6+...
|
|
USA,
Maui, Hawaii
|
Maui Masters Swim Club/Valley Isle Masters
|
07Dec03
|
As we are fortunate enough to have warm ocean waters year-round, our Swim For Terri
will be a relay format in the ocean. Our kids have a swim meet on December 6th,
so we'll be participating a day later in order to include them. Aloha! from Hawaii.
|
20-40
|
|
USA,
New York
|
Metropolitan LMSC
|
06Dec03
|
We will all be competing in our area zone championships that weekend and have decided
to all compete in the 1500 meter event. I am making arrangements with the meet organizers
to allow all of us to either swim in the same heat or in consecutive heats in the
same lane.
|
5
|
|
USA,
Oakland, San Francisco
|
Manatee Aquatic Masters Swim Club
|
06Dec03
|
We'll swim an agregate, continuous relay, meaning each lane participating will have
a team 5 swimmers swimming a total yardage of 35K, each swimmer doing 7K. Don't
know how many teams will participate yet. I'll post more info on our progress as
we progress. Coach Brian.
|
?
|
|
USA,
Seattle
|
Emily deRiel and Friends
|
06Dec03
|
We could practically swim in the streets, there's so much rain around lately! Details
aren't finalized yet but we have a small group of dedicated people on board...more
to follow.
|
5-10
|
|
Vanuatu,
Port Vila
|
Steve Johnston, a school, the swim club, triathletes...and the High Commissioner.
|
06Dec03
|
We are not going to join the debate the Kiwis, Fijians and Tongans are having re
whose Swim For Terri will be first. Not relevant. Ours will be the best because
we are fitter and stronger than all of you, and better looking.
Our Swim for Terri will be taking place at the Le Meridien Resort here in
Port Vila. The local ex pat school and the local swim club are involved and The
British High Commissioner will be there to officially open the swim on Saturday.
Now not many can offer that!
We are organising media coverage including getting some air time from the local
TV station to promote the swim.
Best wishes to everyone who is swimming - wherever you are round the globe.
|
TBA
|
|
Venezuela,
Caracas
|
Escuela Campo Alegre
|
16Dec03
|
Venezuela is in. A red dot for Caracas' Swim For Terri please.
We may have heard about Swim For Terri later than others but we are no less keen
to participate and we will be no less creative in how we organise our swim. The
local television station at the school in Mexico, now that's setting the standard...
The first creative idea - rejected I am afraid - was to swim during next week instead
of doing semestre exams. Creative, certainly. Accepted, no.
The school's swim coach is onto the planning now and we expect students, teachers,
a few parents perhaps and maybe even the Principal to be persuaded to put in a few
laps. 16th Dec is a possible Swim For Terri day for us. We will keep you informed.
|
TBA
|
|
Vietnam,
Ho Chi Minh City
|
British International School HCMC
|
06Dec03
|
Breaking News: The South East Asian Games hosted by Vietnam from the 5th Dec were
hoping to be the biggest sporting event in Asia this year. But no longer thanks
to the 'Swim for Terri' 35 km charity event at BIS invloving 70 swimmers from 20
countries, 6 lanes and free pancakes and coffee for all participants. A Good Morning
in Vietnam!
|
50-70
|
|
Zimbabwe,
Harare
|
Avril Beare & friends
|
19Nov03
|
We have two teams and we will swimming at Oriel Boys School in Harare where the
Pirates Swimming Club are based. We will start at 6.30am... and just swim until
we have completed the distance! Most will swim about 3km which will work up a decent
appetite for breakfast...
yours, Avril Beare.
__________________________________________
Post swim: We did our Channel Swim For Terri on the 19th November as scheduled.
We actually managed 47 kms, so in Channel terms we must be a bit lost at sea by
now! What a lot of fun and a beautiful day. The attached photos show us at the pool
and what we looked like "on the day". I am in the yellow costume! My friend Tracy
Wallace, the one in the blue hat, is gathering all the money and once organised
will post a cheque. Best wishes from all in Zim.
|
15+
|
|
|