SISA 2011 Testimonials

Monday, 08 August 2011 14:16

Ice Swimmers:

Philip Emslie:

Training in Silvermine dam on a regular basis was great for acclimatising to the cold water. It was not as extreme, with the water regularly being around 10degC, but served as great preparation. Being made to swim without a swimcap was also an interesting experience in dealing with extreme cold. Staying positive and enthusiastic were key things to focus on leading up to the swim, forcing all negative thoughts out of your mind. Having my wife and parents accompany me for most of my training swims also played a huge role in keeping me positive and focused.

The Ice Swim was both a challenge as well as a unique experience. Trying to get your head around a swim of this nature is really difficult, as you don't can't really anticipate it, as much as you try to. Having done majority of my swimming and racing in water well over 10 deg C, the thought of water temperatures as low as 2 or 3degC was scary. A major concern was my ability to stay focused and to accept the pain that comes with swimming in water that cold, as it feels like the water is burning your skin as you swim. Learning to shift your focus onto smaller things such as stroke positioning and stroke rate became key focus points and I used this as a distraction to the cold. I treated this like any other mile swim I would attempt, for me, the distance is no problem and I aimed to break the race up into stages and focus on one section at a time. Settling into a good pace at the start was key, and gradually push harder and try swim faster as the swim progressed. The fatigue associated with the cold played a big role as the last 300 or 400m seemed to take forever but during the swim I didn’t for one moment think I wouldn’t make it. The swim was tough and the cold was extreme but all in all it was enjoyable. I finished the swim feeling great.

Once out of the water however, the really tough bit began. The recovery is by far the worst portion of the entire swim experience. With my body temperature having dropped below 30degC, staying mentally focussed to concentrate on controlling my body was quite difficult. With your body shivering uncontrollably for at least 10 to 15 minutes, which seems a lot longer when it is actually happening, was very unpleasant. Once I warmed up with the help of the medics, blankets, hot-water bottles and hot chocolate, my temperature rose to above 36 degC within 25 minutes, and I suddenly felt much better.

All in all the preparation made by the organisers made the swim much easier than anticipated. The Medi-Clinic medical facility set up on the water’s edge proved invaluable as the staff that helped us re-warm ourselves played a huge role in the swims success, I really appreciated their efforts.

Ray Butcher:
A superb experience!

I did quite a bit of cold water conditioning in Joburg. Had never really experienced the shakes before but after 3km swims in a open 50m pool at 9-10 degrees, I realised there was a recovery process. Lots of shakes!

The ice bath in Pretoria was interesting, wasn’t to sure how it would be and was glad to make it through the 10minutes…a numbing experience. We also managed 2 icey swims in a dam which helped greatly with our preparations.
Very excited to drive down to Fraserburg and excited about the swim.

The swim itself was very tough and halfway through I took some strain, was trying to swim as quickly a possible. The recovery was very tough as I have never been so cold before. The medical facilities were excellent. My body was frozen and took around 40 minutes to thaw! Thanks to the medical staff and the wonderful Fraserburg people. It was really something amazing to be part of! Glad I made it and sure I will do it again!

Mark de Klerk:

Hey Guys, Thanks again for organizing another successful Ice Swim.

My preparations were pretty much whatever was organized by you guys, i didnt really do anything other than that, namely the ice baths and thevetting swims at Silvermine. My mind set before was pretty simple, business as usual, get in, swim, get out. I dont like to think about things too much because that is when your mind starts playing tricks on you. Just stay focused and believe in yourself and your capabilities and anything is possible.

The only time i was semi nervous was just before getting in the water, in the previous year, a couple of groups went before me so i could see first hand what it was like but this year i went in the first group so it was a bit more nerveracking than the previous year.

I think I had a bit of a different strategy to some of the other guys. I basically swam as shallow as I could so i could monitor my stroke and pace by watching the ground below me. By doing this i could see that i was keeping a constant pace and that i wasnt dropping speed or my stroke was going off. This also helped in keeping my mind off the cold and mainly on my stroke. I actually felt afterwards that I could have swum further. When rounding the last buoy both my legs had seized up and i knew if i mentioned anything to the lifeguard he would have pulled me out which was not going to happen, plus i didnt want to steal the thunder from Captain Cramp, plus, i knew if i quit, Ryan and Kieran would never had let me live it down. I also found the 600m harder last year than the mile this year, possibly because last year was colder or this year i knew what to expect. There was never a doubt in my mind that i wasnt going to finish.

The recovery for me was probably one of my worst I have evern experienced, i had virtually lost control of my body, i wasnt sure if i was going to pass out or vomit or just have complete body failure. i think at one stage i could hardly focus and was drooling. Both my legs were so cramped up that i was having abdominal pains. At one stage i was lying face down (or planking as Ryan and Simon would say) on the bed and had my legs spread eagle with about 4 medics attending to me, much to the entertainment of Ram and Andrew who thought I was about to get an anal probe.

This lasted for about 30mins and then all was good.
Post recovery was all about getting feeling back into my feet a few hours later that was assisted greatly by brandy and coke, no ice and Ram's deep desire to burn every piece of wood he could find in Fraserburg.

Will I do it again....... see you next year. Peer pressure is a bitch.
Thanks for everything

Jakob Van Rouendal Smit:

Thank you so much for the awesome event!

I wrote a nice story about it on Swimming Oceans. But in short: I'll definitely do it again, it showed me I can swim in colder water than usual. Mental preparation was my most important preparation 'method' - I just looked at Lewis Pugh TED talk for inspiration, listened to advice Ram gave the night before the swim. Recovery was just very very cold - but not as bad as Kieron told me. He scared the hell out of me! Post-recovery I was all back to normal and happy that I completed the ice swim!

Endurance Swimmers:
Roxy van Eyk:
Well.... After robben island swim I wanted something bigger and better so I decided to enter the speedo ice swim.
To qualify I had to do a vetting swim at silvermine, ice bath and medical. They were all a breeze. 2 weeks before the swim I thought I should do some could water swimming but did not really have the time so I decided to have only cold water baths and showers. That was my 'pre-training' :) On the day I did not really feel the nerves only until I had to put my costume on and got body marked.
The start was insane.... I had all these crazy feelings going through my mind but could not put my finger on what the feeling was.
The last 50m of the swim I could not tell if I was kicking or not. At the end of the race they told us many of us won't be able to run out and I thought they were joking but at the end I tried to walk but just fell down, luckily the amazing lifeguards were there to catch me.
In recovery I was cold but surprisingly my core temp was not too low. I could not stop shaking and the camera crew were taking full advantage of that...maybe that would be 'good tv' :) Eventually after about 30min my shaking stopped.
Post recovery was better than expected.
But sho... BRING ON THE MILE next year.

Duncan Haupt:
My story of my experiences and what it took to get there. For Speedo ice swim I did a bit of training but not all of it was swimming I did a lot of paddling when I was not swimming because it helps makes your shoulders strong for swimming. The place where I trained for the speedo ice swim was up at Silvermine dam because its the coldest places to train . The things we did to qualify were not to hard the swim up at silvermine dam was not to hard. But the ices baths we had to do in the VnA waterfront were the hardest for me because I could not move I had to sit down in it. So the first day for the ice baths I did 5min it was fine so the next day I was like I can do 10min after I got out after doing 10min in the ice bath I was numb and as my feeling came back into my hands the paint I felt was insane I have never been so sore in my life. The day before the swim we arrived in Fransberg a town I had never heard before when we got in the town we wondered where the kliphuis was and as we where driving around some guy on a bike says u doing the swim so we were like yes ill take you to the kliphuis. So when we got to the kliphuis we got our keys for our house and the lady for the kliphuis took us there . We went back to the kliphuis and there was nothing for me to do and I heard one of the ladies went for a swim in the dam so I was like that sounds like a good idea. So we are driving down the dirt road we go around the corner and there it was the Nuwedam we drove down to the side of the dam so as I am getting changed I can feel the wind chill its flipping cold and I walk to the water I brace myslef for the worst and as I start walking in I get this shock to my brain saying why are u doing this. I dive in then I get the real idea of who cold it is and the people who were there said it was 8 degrees.after that went back to the kilphuis to watch the tour de france. That night we had the briefing and the longest talk in the history of man kind by rum was a great talk . On the start of the morning for the swim I was really nervous because I didn't want to let anyone down . The hardest part of the whole thing was waiting for my turn to go. I remember seeing the first guys go in to the water to do a mile and thinking if they are doing a mile I should easily do 600m but when they some of them were coming in some of them could not talk. I got worried but as my friend henko came out fine I said to my self if henko as the youngest mile swimmer can do it then u can do it. The next thing I remember I hear my name being called to go get changed and get ready to swim . When I'm changed and waiting in the tent rum comes up to everyone an wishes them luck . As I good out the tent I put on my game face and focus . As we go in it gets colder and colder the next thing I hear is the horn to go so lisa and I start swimming together to the first buoy and at the buoy the water was so clear. Then as we turn the buoy lisa drops me and I get into a real good rhyme and then before I know it I am at the buoy on the other side. When I got there I did a hard kick around the buoy and as I did that my leg almost cramp but it did so as I touched the last buoy I got this feeling that I had accomplished something great. When I was walking out the water the lady was like hang onto me so I said to here you do know I'm fine I can walk she just nodded . Just before I got in to the tent craig interviewed me and asked me how the swim went and all of that stuff . When in the tent I was not to bad I started to shake a bit which I knew is good because then I know my body was recovering. As I was looking around the room lisa had everyone with her I felt left out but then the doctor brought me hot chocolate and I was happy. So then they took me out of the bed and they put me on the chair there were 3 guys sitting with me. We were racing to see who could get out first and I won that race . After the race I went to the kliphuis and ate some hot chip and chilled for most of the afternoon with henko . When we got home I wanted to shower but as heinrich and I discovered we had no hot water but on the side of the house there was a free water holder which looked like a pool. So heinrich I jumped in and it was chilly jumped back out and got ready to get our certificates .When I got my certificate if felt really proud . After everyone got there certificates we all had dinner and then ryan played guitar which was cool because he is really good and after a while I went to sleep. The people I that made it happen and made a super event craig and his team worker great job a speedo for all the free cool stuff and a great goodie bag and the big bay safety crew and last of all the people who hosted us. Shot for the great memories. Duncan haupt

Wayne Harley:
My Speedo Ice Swim Africa Experience, briefly summarized:

My preparation for the Speedo Ice Swim Africa, began two weeks prior to the swim date, because after the 2011 CADIZ-FREEDOM-SWIM I was unable to fit a training session into my schedule, however, upon receipt of notification that I was a member of the PHOENIX OPEN WATER SWIMMING CLUB's team whom was scheduled to participate in the Speedo Ice Swim Africa, I immediately donned my SPEEDO and got to training.

But!!! When Dr. Gottschalk suggested that I start cold water training a.s.a.p. I immediately, did just that! And being able to access our, Bellville South-Municipal-Training-Base, was a HUGE help with preparing for the, Speedo Ice Swim Africa.

My Speedo Ice Swim Africa-mindset, was properly conditioned by the fact that I was able to do three Silvermine prep. Swims and training at our, Bellville South-Municipal-Training-Base in 14degree Celsius water.

Not knowing what to expect from a sub 10degree Celsius Open Water Swim was, Fairly Unnerving, because my biggest fear was Not being able to complete my 600m heat-swim.

The swim was a very exciting experience because I was able to follow through on my planned strategy of a, slow acclimatizing start and increase my pace after the 150m turning buoy and end off with a 150m sprint, which saw my finishing time being recorded as 12mins.54secs.

My recovery was sped up by the AMAZING CARE, GIVEN BY THE MEDICAL TEAM and the hot chocolate.

Watching the Springboks take a proper beating from the Aussies made my post recovery very difficult and torturous but Fraserburg's afternoon sun made up for it, as our team hung out in our lodges' back yard and soaked up the afternoon rays, but most importantly, receiving my, Speedo Ice Swim Africa Certificate was the Highlight of the, Speedo Ice Swim Africa Experience

I am looking forward to doing the 2012- Speedo Ice Swim Africa.

Michael Arendse:
It wasn’t as bad as I feared.
I prepped by swimming in cold water as often as possible in the months leading-up to the event. This would usually take the form of 2 or 3 lunch time swims each week at Sea Point pool of a mile each. As part of the entry-conditions, we had to have:
- a medical check-up and ECG conducted by a Medical Doctor,
- an ice-bath wherein we had to spend 5 minutes in a bath of ice-water of 1 – 2 degC water; and
- at least 1 vetting swim in Silvermine Dam (water temp about 10degC) (I did 3).
The experience for me was a combination of nerves, anxiety, excitement – we were thoroughly briefed beforehand by the organisers, had numerous opportunities to chat to ice-swim veterans like Ram, Andrew, Toks, Ryan, Kieron, and received informative insights from Ram on what happens to oneself before, during and after the swim. His presentation on the ice swim he did at a glacier in Norway brought home to me the pioneering-nature of the event we were about to embark upon. I am convinced that the body-fat one has is of tremendous help for these ice-swims, and the endurance-event swims I do at regular galas all helped in the mental preparation for doing something as extraordinary as an ice-swim – the mantra I keep in mind is: “the ordinary cannot be extra-ordinary, neither can the extra-ordinary be ordinary.”
I also want to help change the common perception in the City of Cape Town (amongst officials and citizens alike) that swimming is a 6-month activity, and that the municipal pools can be closed for half the year. Furthermore, the cold-water conditioning I have prepares me to perform a life-saving/rescue action at any time of the year – I have no qualms about stripping to my undies in mid-winter and diving into the Atlantic to assist someone in distress.
The after-swim recovery was awesome – not in the least what I was expecting. I enjoyed individual attention of the med-staff, had a chat about them, their families, their thoughts on extreme swims, and actually stayed on the recovery stretcher longer than I needed to. I felt great, I had done this thing, my temperature hadn’t plunged to below 34deg, after 15-20min was above 36degC, I didn’t experience any shivering – for me, it was remarkable!
Yes, God willing I will be back in Fraserburg next year to attempt the full-blown Ice Swim. We were lucky with the uncharacteristically warm weather experienced in the region this year. The locals told us about stories of snow, sleet, and ice during their winters, and expect that a time will come when such conditions will co-incide with the event. I think Ram will love that – he is always eager to push the envelope…..!
Madness? Yes – I love swimming!
Thank you

Richard Krugel:
Preparations: I have done a lot of cold water swimming, especially at Silvermine dam. With the great weather we have had I also took every opportunity to swim in the ocean. Last but not least, I trained for fitness at the Seapoint pool.
Mind set before: I tend to visualize every big thing I'm about to do. I find that seeing the end result as positive increases your mental power and focus. I have swum that dam a hundred times, weeks before the event although I have never been there.
Anticipation: A bit nervous but excited and ready for it.
The swim: It was very cold but went numb after a while. The cold effects ones performance greatly i.e breathing and tiredness creeping in sooner. I was relieved to finish asap and enjoyed it tremendously.
Recovery: My extremities were very cold but surprisingly my body temp. was 32 degrees when I got out. Obviously the exposure time of the 600m is not the same as the mile swim, but overall it was well organized in the tent and a pleasant experience.
Post Recovery: There were no issues with this, after I left the tent everything was back to normal, just a bit tired from the swim but all and all I felt happy and a bit proud of myself.

I would definitely be there again next year. I want a red jacket!

Maryse Pretorius:
Preparations:
I have been doing open water training swims (Camps Bay, Clifton) on most Sundays throughout the year.
I also participated in the 'Robben Island' (Big Bay) swim earlier on in the year as part of a relay team.
The week before the event, however, was when the serious ice swim acclimitization took place - we had to complete the vetting swim at Silvermine dam (approx. 9 degrees) as well as sit in a 0 degree ice baths in the middle of the waterfront.. Brrrr!!!
Mind set before the race:
I would say the biggest part of the ice swim and build-up toward it is in the mind... If you can believe it, you can do it!
I tell myself "I know it is going to be freezing cold when I get in the water, but I will deal with it and then I will be fine!"
The Swim:
Before the swim we all got ready inside the medical tent, stripping off our warm clothes and gearing up in our Speedo costumes, caps and goggles. All I felt here was excitement! I walked out the tent, and felt like a celeb as the commentator announced our names and crowds watched us in awe. This was it! I waded into the water, and it felt like second nature (I guess the cold-water training had paid off! Or maybe it was just the adrenaline taking over...). As the horn blew, I dived into the cool water and swam. There can't be any hesitation, you just need to put your head down and swim! The first 100m was awesome. I felt strong and in control. It was the next 300m that I could feel the cold take over. My arms started feeling heavy and my chest tight. I just had to keep pushing through... As I circled the last buouy, I knew this was the home stretch - last 200m! I could feel the energy surge through my body, somehow managing to speed up my stroke, kicking harder, swimming faster, even though my extremities felt like icicles. I reached for the finish buoy and it was over, I had completed the swim!
Recovery:
After the lifeguards assisted me up to dry land, I entered the medical tent, where we all had to go for recovery. Each swimmer had a nurse and a stretcher to facilitate their recovery. The most important thing is to get dry - strip off the wet cozzies, dry the skin, and put on dry clothes. Next, warm up the core, from the inside and out - several hot water bottles were placed around my body (although they felt like blocks of ice at the time!), and I was fed hot chocolate through a straw! Then I experienced the all-too-familiar afterdrop... this is when the cold water from your extremities rushes back to your core and you feel your body temperature drop, and the uncontrollable shivering takes over! After about 10 minutes I started to feel sensation in my body again.. and slowly but surely I felt my body temperature returning to normal. The nurses confirm this with an instrument that measures the body temperature through your ear, as well as checking your blood pressure to determine whether you are safe to go.
Post recovery:
The cold water really takes it out of you! The rest of the day was spent sleeping... before heading over to "Die Kliphuis" for our prize-giving ceremony.
It was a fantastic experience, and I am definitely keen to do it again... next time attempting the mile.

Juliette Ball:

Speedo Ice Swim 2011 – one word – breath-taking (literally!)
I was fortunate enough to have been involved with the first Speedo Ice Swim (2010), and my inspiration to participate next time round stemmed from then.
My intention was to just help out at the 2011 event (due to lack of training) but then I learnt that there was space for an extra endurance swimmer or two.
Immediately I asked Ram if he thought it would be achievable without training, and of course the answer was YES - and that was that! Dr’s test, ice bath, vetting swim and off to Fraserburg!
Since we helped out with the lifesaving for the first 3 swims, there was no time to think of the swim – so I didn’t do much mental preparation, other than “I will finish this”!
I jumped in – froze, swam head-up initially, then just swam swam swam and finished! I was incredibly lucky to have Paul (my support) next to me on a SUP - he encouraged me to keep going! I was very cold and once out the ice dam used many “hotties” to warm me up – thank you to the amazing nurses and warming environment 
Well done to the team – it was an unforgettable experience and I commend you on the outstanding organisation.

Mathias Koglin:
Ok, here is my short story of the 600m swim.
After my own home, back-yard, cold pool training swim on July 6...I hooked up with my 2 coaches / mentors and motivators.
Mark van Schaik and Ray Butcher. (They swam the full 1600m )
They showed me Lake Heritage ( Heia Safari Ranch ), Wits College of Education Pool, Fourways High Pool and Tuks HPC ice baths, all up
here in Gauteng.
I knew absolutely nothing about open water swimming, especially nothing about Ice Swimming....had to learn how to spell the word hypothermia first. ( thought it was herperthermia ).
I the weeks that followed...I learnt so much about this sport.
I learnt about body core-temperatures, time allowed in cold water,
how the body changes its swim pattern when cold, freezing limbs,
mumbling speech, dizzyness, etc. Great stuff !
For my short 600m swim, I was really always relaxed and easy-going.
I was always thinking about my 2 coaches, and the rest of the 1600m
swimmers....they had the hard swim...the challenge !
I personally was more nervous meeting all the very successful people
involved in and around this swim.
Meeting many top swimmers, world champions, highly successful
business people and people having top jobs posed a bigger challenge
for me than my 600m swim.
I was sooo greatful for that Speedo goodybag....tremendous, gee !!!
I told all my Comrades running buddies...they were in awe about my bag.
I am not a highly educated guy, not a successful business person...I am
just a car mechanic, a container-rigger / harbour worker and saffolder.
Meeting all of these people proved very uplifting for me....they were all
extremely nice people....very lekker oaks and gals !
When I got to do my swim....I was very happy to get going.
The weather was perfect...NO WIND...sun shine...water temp. also lekker
at 4 to 5 deg. cel......and, a great crowd of supporters ! Fantastic !
I felt like a movie or rock star....all the camera people taking pics and
film footage..... YES. Hollywood, here I come. LOL.
The swim went good...turned at the first bouy, swallowed some water.
Coughed a bit....but no worries. Swam further, could feel my hands, arms
and feet getting cold. Strangely, I could feel how my stroke was changing...
and then Ram Barkai's words came back to me....when your arms and fingers
start to freeze up....concentrate to keep the fingers closed and concentrate
on keeping a positive crawl / shovel effect to keep moving forward....bending
the elbows properley, etc. ( like swimming in warm water ).
Swimming in cold water gives me the feeling that the distance takes double
the time to cover, and uses 10 times the body energy as would be used when
swimming in normal warm water.
I was very happy to finish the swim successfully....without getting cramps, or
any other problems.
It was so nice to be fetched from the cold water by a support lady...wish I could
marry Her !! :D
It was lekker to be interviewed by Craig at the exit...asking how I was doing.
The whole crowd was great.
I was a bit cold from my 600m swim....but still in good shape....if I think back to
my home swim experience.......... ( leaves me speachless and........ )
I have found out a personal cold-measuring device for myself. :)
If I am very cold from a cold swim, and I know that I have been in the water
far too long......my feet go Dark Purple....dark.
Then I know that I am in trouble !
At the 600m Ice Swim....my feet where still in good shape, a bit white with light
pink. Normal feet. :)
It was nice to get into the warm tent, accompanied by a friendly medic with a
grey beard....thanks so much.
I felt very safe with all the medics, assistants and doctors.
Getting changed into dry clothes was very welcoming....then the Big Shakes came...
hillarious !! BBrrrrrrrrr........ :)
It was so lekker to drink the nice hot chocolate...I had 2.
I was discharged by the doctor at 32,5 deg. cel. core temp.
For my body to return to fully warm condition....takes 2 full hours.
My lower legs and feet are the last to warm up properley.
My nickname could be......."Purple Foot".
Later on Saturday, after the swim...Mark, his daughter, Phil Dempsey and
myself drove to Sutherland to check the Star Telescopes on the high mountain.
I love the Karoo......a pure place...no pollution...hard, rugged area ! Lekker.
The prize giving was a nice event...lots of laughs...lots of clapping....and it
was then that I made a promise to myself to try and get a Red Jacket next
year too....like the mammoth 1600m swimmers did...and also belong to
the International Ice Swimmers Club.
That weekend was one of the best weekends of my life !
Thanks very much to all the people who helped me make it possible !!