The Directors & Their Eras
The Broad Shouldered Heros
Here we give due credit to those rare "heroes" who stepped forward and volunteered for the full planning and operational responsibility of running and improving this now great swim and serving for years and years.
Hundreds Worked
Many others helped, some hugely, and we hope to mention them all. We welcome additions of others of the many "load carriers" so deserving of recognition.
Steve Munatones Steve Bobko Gen Iinuma
1986-87 1985 1983-84
The Creative Era: 1988 to 1995
Tough Job
This job is serious because there are many legal, insurance and bureaucratic powers to be dealt with in the permittiing and operational process. Also, great numbers of volunteers, a few paid hands and Nautilus, God of the Seas controling the currents, and creatures of the deeps...all must be engaged and mollified before the gun goes off on Labor Day morning at 9:AM, year after year.
Trask - Anderson - Sheppard: Served Major Tours at the Controls
The Pure Swim
The Swim has been blessed by a succession of conscientous and talented leaders who built upon their predecessor's work and kept on adding improvements while avoiding the temptation to sell out to commercial interests
as have many swimming and other sporting events.
The result is now a non-profit, community-wide, just-for-the-joy-of-ocean- swimming event not besmirched by title identity such as Gatorman or Budweiser Swim or big money prizes such as have others have done or entertained.
Long-Haul Tours of Leadership
Foremost in this regard would would be Fred Trask, Jim Anderson and Ted Sheppard who served long tenures of 6, 8 and 15 years respectively...silent mega-gifts to the swimming world.
Enter Kaia Hedlund...Excellence to the Rescue
In late 2009, Ted Shephard retired, as planned, after 15 years of superb management of the Swim. By extreme good luck, Kaia Hedlund came to the rescue and took over the Directorship of the Swim.
National Class Swim Leader
More luck, Kaia had extensive experience with the Roughwater Swim, have swum in it many times over the years, (winning her age group one year), and more importantly having served on the RW Committee for many years as secretary (aka up to her neck in permit and our own special kind of massive paper work) and even more good luck Kaia had escalated her career into major swim management on the Mainland such as National swim meets of many kinds....WOWEE...
Purity Saved for Future Generations
How lucky could this humble, non-commercial swim be? Nautilus and his co-gods swimming in the air up above the Natatorium smiled on this swim and rewarded it for being so PURE and CLASSIC.
Bottom Line
If you see Kaia, (a good looking tall blonde in dark glasses & "Director" tee shirt) or any of the other past directors, please say:
"THANK YOU".
Jim Cotton
The Now Era 2010 - Future
Kaia Hedlund
The Efficient & Challenging Era: 1996 - 2009
The Growth Era: 1976 - 1982
The Middle Era: 1983 - 1987
Ted Sheppard
Fred Trask
Jim Anderson
The Pioneering Era: 1970 - 1975
The Special Year 1979
Bruce Clark