History of Chicot Challenge (Part IV)

Having a pontoon boat on the water gave the swim a whole new feel. Professional, organized, protected. Remember how all this started. Chicot I, besides the Commonwealth article, had no fanfare, a sparsity of planning, and little organization. It was only Randy, Robin, me, and a big lake. We just went out and did it.

As the swims got longer, however, the logistics became more complicated, the crews grew larger, and the buildup more intense. But once I experienced a swim with a pontoon boat, I knew there was little chance of going back to the more primitive conditions. Not for Chicot anyway, but maybe for a shorter personal swim. I do have some things in mind. That, however, is for another blog post.

Besides giving the paddlers a chance to rest and providing me more protection in the water, the pontoon made it possible for my wife to be there in 2014, and my daughter to be on board in 2015. Maybe it's vanity, but the more eyes on me, the better I swim. And having the two most important women of my life on the boat at the same time made the swim extra special. Randy and Robin were also there. Justin was back for the second year in a row. And new to the swim was Shane Ray who paddled and swam support, and Trevor McClain, the first member of Team Centerville to be in the crew.

Chicot IV was announced as a 19.0-mile effort. The plan was to start at Ditch Bayou, turn south on the big lake and swim a little less than two miles, cross the lake and then swim up lake to the State Park. Notice what was different about the course: no Connerly Bayou. I want to go up that thing in a boat one day, but my swimming in there is done.

The swim went well. The water was flat, I felt good, and the crew performed exemplary. Randy even swam with me for two and a half hours straight. That was old-time fun and reminded me of the good old days when we trained together in the catfish ponds. Just below the causeway, we saw a couple of people standing on the bank and holding a sign. We veered in toward shore and found Bethany and Evan Theilman. That was a very touching moment for me, and I cried a little bit. 

Robin even swam some when we got on the upside of the causeway. Randy was in the kayak the last few miles. At some point, I took the Garmin from under my swim cap and gave it to Randy. I knew we were going to be a few tenths of a mile short. "Get me nineteen," I pleaded with the tall guy. "We'll get it," he responded.

Swimming past the landing was difficult when every cell in your body is screaming, has been screaming for hours to stop. But we went past the landing, out into the middle of the lake, and looped around to finish with exactly 19.0. Several members of Centerville Baptist Church were there: Gerald and Debbie Johnson, Kelsey McClain, Sheila and Bridget Mitchell. They all had their pink Chicot shirts on and I could see them from more than a mile away. Bridget gave me cookies. Bethany and Evan relocated to the landing and were there when we came ashore. I was moved by their support and once more was amazed that we pulled it off.

Team Centerville along with my daughter (center front)
and Justin and Randy (back left).

Since I have recently written about Chicot V, I will be brief. A few differences should have an impact on future swims. One was the course. Every year I have swum a different route. I think we finally stumbled upon the best one and the plan is to use the same course for next year's swim. This will allow us to get the mileage really close. All we have to do is add any additional distance to the leg towards Greenville. We turned this year at exactly two miles on the south end and on the north end we turned at a land mark. So now the course can be adjusted easily and accurately.

Another difference, of course, was the crew. Gone were the old mainstays, Randy Beets and Robin Bond. I can never thank them enough or repay them for what they have done in the past swims. But coming all the way from North Carolina? Randy did it twice. To expect both of them to make that trip is too much. So I rebuilt the crew and then with the change of date, I lost three of the new crew members. Justin had previous plans as did Danielle and Tristan. To make a short story long, we did not have a lot of experience out there, we had no support swimmers, and for the first time ever, we had only one kayak. Nevertheless, everyone performed perfectly, I didn't seem to miss having someone in the water with me, and one kayak was enough. In short, I now have a new crew and one that now has experience.

I also have a new attitude. My own emotions were my biggest adversaries during the buildup to Chicot V, but when it was all over, I was and remain the most encouraged and determined I have ever been. God has given me a gift and He has guided my stumbling into this event that uses that gift for others. It's not that I am a great swimmer. But I do have an ability for developing swim endurance. I didn't discover this ability until I was in my 50s. But by His grace, I have not squandered this one. I don't know how long I can keep this up, but while I have the vigor, health, and desire, I plan to keep swimming.

Oh, one more thing. I started this essay (in Part I) mentioning the weaknesses these swims reveal. I bet you think I forgot about that. I did. But since I just remembered, I think that will make a good topic for another post because I have a bit to say about that and the topic crosses over into the realm of exercises physiology. So look for an upcoming post titled, "Weak Links in the Chain."