For Executive PA Media, Nina Hoven speaks to Tammy van Wisse, world record-breaking endurance swimmer. They talk about her swimming journey and triumphing over adversity. From where it all started and how to stay positive to overcome obstacles and maintain motivation.
Originally a dare, Tammy was given the opportunity to participate in an open water swim. Although originally second-guessing her decision, she grabbed the opportunity and the rest is history!
In this first episode, Nina and Tammy discuss where her love for swimming started. She tells us about refocusing, switching goals, and realising her dreams.
Nina: “I’m going to jump right in and share with everyone that not only have you swum from Tassie to Victoria, but you’ve also swum a total of 65,000 km, breaking world records for the fastest swim. In fact, there’s even a Tammy van Wisse Day celebrated every 21st of July in New Jersey, USA! That’s phenomenal! Your achievements are remarkable! So tell us, what motivated you to take on such monumental challenges in the first place?
Tammy: “I was a pool swimmer, and I had dreams of being an Olympian. I was one of those kids that was at the pool at 5am for a couple of hours swimming and then again in the afternoon, and my parents were very diligent in the sacrifices that they made. I didn’t quite get there in the pool swimming side of things, but I still loved swimming and I loved the training more than anything else. I think because of the camaraderie, and I liked the idea of pushing myself – I walked away in the morning feeling so good! So, I just redirected into life-saving for a little while, and it was actually through life-saving that the opportunity to enter an open water swim presented itself and I kind of did it on a dare to be honest! It was a 20 km swim, and I’ve done a few shorter open water swims, but I thought I’ll just have a go at this and see where I land and hopefully make it! When I got there, I was standing on the start line going “What was I thinking!”
Look out for the second episode with Tammy and Nina about planning for a swim!
