Just over two weeks ago Natalie Lambert, a local swimmer who'd just turned 14 (as in one day earlier) attempted to swim Lake Ontario from Niagara-On-The-Lake to Toronto. It's a gruelling, crazy swim that started rough and got worse. Natalie battled 12 foot waves for over two hours late in her swim that, sadly, forced her to abandon just 9 short kilometres from shore. At the time she said that she'd do it again, and most of us all thought that meant "some time" in the future, she may make another try.
Natalie isn't like anyone else I know. She decided to make attempt number two just over two weeks later! Two weeks! Hardly enough time to get rested enough to go back to work, let alone to train for, plan, and execute another 50+ km swim across a very unforgiving lake.
This time the swim was moved to our end of the lake, where the water temperature was a bit warmer, and where Natalie could finish in her home town.
This time was going to be different.
As we did last time, Mike Reid from BOB FM and I were part of the team...well maybe Mike more than myself. Mike would again be on the boat with Natalie's crew for the entire swim, calling back reports and relaying messages back to the crew and to Natalie. I (just like before) would have a much more comfortable role - sitting here in my cushy studio doing my show for the entire 24ish hours! Fun!
Morning radio is kind of hard to describe to people. Those of us who've been granted the privilege to get on the air and entertain every day, live for events like this. It's our chance to show the audience that there are amazing and important people like Natalie doing amazing and important things that will make all our lives better.
So Natalie got in Lake Ontario in Sackett's Harbor NY at 10:07 am Monday August 27th, and started swimming that strong, fluid stroke of hers. Right from the start, we knew we were in for something special. She was already the youngest female to attempt a marathon swim across Lake Ontario...but this was less about records. This swim HAD to happen. Every hour we heard from Mike on the deck of one of the support boats. He even took his turn in one of the kayaks, which is funny when you think of how inept he claims to be at piloting one of the sketchy little boats. His reports were funny, heartfelt and insightful. He never missed a beat, and never lost his enthusiasm or his sense that this was about only one thing...Natalie. I got so worked up just relaying the reports and talking with Mike that I talked our station into going "live" from Confederation Park (where Natalie would finish the swim) at quarter to four in the morning!
This came after a small crazy spell where my son and I went on the air together playing some indie Canadian music that my daughter had burned to cd and cracking Mike up on the air with John Hogeman's "700 Hobo Names." It was strange, but fun.
The last hours of the swim were intense. Natalie started feeling low in the dark and cold, and had to pull it together by using everything and everyone she had. Her coach Vicki Keith (who holds more marathon swim records than anyone ever will) drew Natalie's attention to the lunar eclipse that was going on above her in a beautiful, clear, cold sky. The crew sang to her. Even her sister Jenna who'd swam across the lake a year earlier setting records as the first physically challenged person to make it across, jumped in and swam near her sister. They even started racing through some different strokes.
It all worked. The last hour was probably the most intense radio I'd ever been a part of. Natalie's speed picked up and the park started to fill up with Kingston people intent on seeing what we get to experience more than anyone else in this country - history being made. There were people dressed in business attire, work clothes, even high heels, running full-sprint across the park to be there for the landing. It was beautiful to watch.
The last minutes went by so fast, I can barely remember them. Natalie came in fast and strong, and even launched into the butterfly stroke for her last ten metres! When she touched, the ocean of orange-clad well wishers erupted into screams and applause and a celebration that seemed like it was never going to end.
She did it.
We were there for it.
I love this job!
Natalie isn't like anyone else I know. She decided to make attempt number two just over two weeks later! Two weeks! Hardly enough time to get rested enough to go back to work, let alone to train for, plan, and execute another 50+ km swim across a very unforgiving lake.
This time the swim was moved to our end of the lake, where the water temperature was a bit warmer, and where Natalie could finish in her home town.
This time was going to be different.
As we did last time, Mike Reid from BOB FM and I were part of the team...well maybe Mike more than myself. Mike would again be on the boat with Natalie's crew for the entire swim, calling back reports and relaying messages back to the crew and to Natalie. I (just like before) would have a much more comfortable role - sitting here in my cushy studio doing my show for the entire 24ish hours! Fun!
Morning radio is kind of hard to describe to people. Those of us who've been granted the privilege to get on the air and entertain every day, live for events like this. It's our chance to show the audience that there are amazing and important people like Natalie doing amazing and important things that will make all our lives better.
So Natalie got in Lake Ontario in Sackett's Harbor NY at 10:07 am Monday August 27th, and started swimming that strong, fluid stroke of hers. Right from the start, we knew we were in for something special. She was already the youngest female to attempt a marathon swim across Lake Ontario...but this was less about records. This swim HAD to happen. Every hour we heard from Mike on the deck of one of the support boats. He even took his turn in one of the kayaks, which is funny when you think of how inept he claims to be at piloting one of the sketchy little boats. His reports were funny, heartfelt and insightful. He never missed a beat, and never lost his enthusiasm or his sense that this was about only one thing...Natalie. I got so worked up just relaying the reports and talking with Mike that I talked our station into going "live" from Confederation Park (where Natalie would finish the swim) at quarter to four in the morning!
This came after a small crazy spell where my son and I went on the air together playing some indie Canadian music that my daughter had burned to cd and cracking Mike up on the air with John Hogeman's "700 Hobo Names." It was strange, but fun.
The last hours of the swim were intense. Natalie started feeling low in the dark and cold, and had to pull it together by using everything and everyone she had. Her coach Vicki Keith (who holds more marathon swim records than anyone ever will) drew Natalie's attention to the lunar eclipse that was going on above her in a beautiful, clear, cold sky. The crew sang to her. Even her sister Jenna who'd swam across the lake a year earlier setting records as the first physically challenged person to make it across, jumped in and swam near her sister. They even started racing through some different strokes.
It all worked. The last hour was probably the most intense radio I'd ever been a part of. Natalie's speed picked up and the park started to fill up with Kingston people intent on seeing what we get to experience more than anyone else in this country - history being made. There were people dressed in business attire, work clothes, even high heels, running full-sprint across the park to be there for the landing. It was beautiful to watch.
The last minutes went by so fast, I can barely remember them. Natalie came in fast and strong, and even launched into the butterfly stroke for her last ten metres! When she touched, the ocean of orange-clad well wishers erupted into screams and applause and a celebration that seemed like it was never going to end.
She did it.
We were there for it.
I love this job!
