Blog Posts

Swimming with Eloise

8/11/2018

This Saturday, I had the privilege to swim with 8-year-old Eloise. At such a young age she wanted to swim in the Santa Cruz waters. Her father, Captain Brain, accompanied up on a paddle-board.

I really enjoyed swimming with Eloise. She was very open to the idea of swimming in cold waters, something that older people would not even fathom. She was really brave and strong. Even when she was cold or afraid, she worked through it herself (rather than telling us and getting out of the water) and was able to conquer her fears. Really could learn something from her. We stayed in the water for 35 minutes and swam around 1k.

Amazing job Eloise.

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How to overcome failure

8/8/2018

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“If a tsunami is coming, you’ll be able to survive right?”

Someone asked me this a few weeks ago. Water is such a powerful element, and when I swim I am swimming in very mild conditions. For any open water swim we have to check the tides, the temperature, and the winds. Only if everything is corperating, then I can begin the swim.

Last year I was planning on swimming across the English Channel on a relay. I took a week off of school and went to England. When I arrived, the conditions were not good. They said I would have to wait another week and, since I traveled so far, I agreed. Another week went by and it was still too windy. Without even beginning the swim I returned home. A few months later, I was set to swim Roundtrip Angel Island, where I start at Aquatic Park, swim to Angel Island around it and back. I got all greased up, but then captain announced it was too foggy, and once again without even beginning the swim I returned home.

These two experiences were very difficult for me because I dedicated time and effort toward this swim, but without even trying I “failed.” I was disappointed, but I was able overcome it when I took a step back. I realized that when I went to England I had a great opportunity to take a break from school and have sometime to myself in a whole other country. I had trained for the swims, and each time I finished a training swim I felt like I accomplished a lot that day, and even if I didn’t get anything done at least I had swam.

When we want something there is a lot that goes into it, and when we train, study, or pay for it, and it does not go the way we plan, we become disappointed. But it is important to remember that not being able to accomplish something is not the end of the world. It is like the phrase: “It is not about the destination, but about the journey.” In this sense, yes we are doing all these activities for this one event, but we should be proud that we put in time and effort into our goals. We should be thankful that we have the opportunity to accomplish our goals and remember that there is always tomorrow in which we can try again.

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Why do I continually choose to raise money for Children International?

8/7/2018

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A few months before I was born, my parents wanted to give back to India, their homeland, and discovered Children International (CI). They loved that they could sponsor a child throughout their childhood, and decided to sponsor a young girl from India. Since then, we have expanded to 6 children ranging from ages 8 to 15-years-old from Guatemala, India, and Honduras.

In 2014, I visited Guatemala to learn more about CI. Around this time I wanted to use the awareness I was gaining for my swims, hikes, and triathlons for a positive cause. While visiting Guatemala, I participated in CI’s youth program and I met two brothers, who we would later sponsor.

When meeting the two brothers, we went to their favorite restaurant: Pollo Campero, fast food specializing in chicken much like KFC. They were very excited that they got to go to Pollo Campero, somewhere I would normally not consider a treat. I learned from them that it is important to not take anything for granted and to be thankful of everything I have. While this may seem cheesy, like something from a Pinterest board, a lot of times in life when we have tests, due dates, or appointments we forget to take a step back and be grateful that we have the opportunity do what we love, that we have a roof over our head, or a job that pays the bills.

Also, while in Guatemala, we visited CI’s youth programs. I was able to talk to the children and learn about what they hoped to do in the future. They said they would like to be doctors, engineers, or educators. These jobs were not anything new to me, they were jobs my friends wanted to become. These children we just like me and my friends, but they lacked the opportunity to achieve their dreams. A lot of times we see posters of starving kids next to bus stops, but it never registers that these kids are kids that like to climb trees and want to become successful. Instead we see them as charity cases, as kids who only think about their next meal.

The trip to Guatemala opened my eyes to children who were getting a boost so they could play on a level field. I decided that I wanted to raise awareness and money for Children International to give the support these children need to achieve their dreams.

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What is Children International

8/6/2018

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Children International (CI) a top‑rated humanitarian organization focused on helping children break the cycle of poverty. From toddler to young adulthood, CI surrounds kids with a caring team, a safe place and a clear path out of poverty through programs focused on health, education, empowerment and employment.

CI has more than 35 years of child sponsorship programs. It is serving 260,000 children in 10 countries; including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines, the USA and Zambia. Spread out in these countries are 70+ community centers with over 9,000 local volunteers to help kids. These centers provide a safe haven for these kids and deliver life-changing programs.

These programs focus on 4 cornerstones:

Health - CI helps children develop healthy habits and connecting them with services when they need it.

Education - CI provides school fees, supplies, uniforms, computer labs, tutoring and scholarships.
Empowerment - CI teaches leadership, teamwork and confidence. CI encourages youth to give back to their communities.
Employment - CI connects youth with jobs or helps them earn scholarships for college or vocational training.

In 2014, I got the chance to visit CI in Guatemala. It was an amazing experience to see CI’s Youth Council in action. The council is comprised of CI-sponsored teens who are democratically elected to solve a problem in their community. They identify an issue, figure out a solution and put in the work. In Guatemala, I saw the council plant gardens for schools and families. They sold the produce to local residents and donated to CI’s nutrition program. What a success! Learn more about the gardens and these 5 Inspiring CI Youth Projects. This is my favorite part of CI because it gives teens control to invest in projects they consider important and fill a need in their community.

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Amber's Triathlon

8/5/2018

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Today Amber participated in the Silicon Valley Kids Triathlon. This event is hosted in bay area with 1,600 participants. Amber placed 9th in her age group! I was happy to help Amber with her transitions (she had the fastest transitions in her age group!). We have a plan of attack for her next triathlon, and I know she will be able to get to top 5.

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#improvement

8/4/2018

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I woke up late and rushed to the harbor at Santa Cruz. I was not nervous, even though I had planned to swim 6 miles. Luckily, I was able to reach on time, and did not hold up the group. On the boat ride to the jump location, it was so foggy that I could barely see a few feet in front of me. There was a lot of sea life activity: seals, dolphins, and a lot of sardines. I thought to myself, this is going to be a scary swim. I leaped into the water, and began swimming. As soon as I started, my fears slowly disappear, and the fog lifted. It felt great to be the water, which was warm, with cold undertones (I don't know what that means either). My strokes were powerful, and I was going much faster than usual, but I wasn't going to slow down. In 2 hours, I finished 4 miles. I kept swimming and when I looked at my watch and saw that I had already swam 6 miles, I couldn't believe it. It felt like I just got into the water. I ended my swim at 8.8 miles.

It's really amazing that when I started swimming longer distances, like 6 miles, I would feel like it takes forever and I would be really nervous. But now, I can easily do 8 miles (and more). #improvement

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Featured in Sakal

7/21/2018

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Today, my grandparents called me to tell me that I was featured in Sakal, a newspaper publication in Nashik, India. My dad grew up in Nashik, and he was in the same newspaper in the 1980s since he was ranked second out of 125,000 people on the 12th grade merit list! It was really cool being written about in an international newspaper and I am really proud that my dad and I have both been in the same newspaper.

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A conversation with an olympian

7/20/2018

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A few weeks ago, my mom and I had lunch with a lady to talk about my Catalina swim and more. She was writing for India Currents magazine. I would later learn that she is India's fastest ever women swimmer and in 2004 she went to the Olympics. When we met her, she was very humble about her amazing past, and did not tell us. It was only after 2 weeks when she sent us a link to her TED talk did we learn who she was.

My Q&A with Shikha Tandon, India's fastest ever women swimmer, published in India Currents magazine.

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Birdwatchers’ Pizza Swim!

7/7/2018

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I kayaked for Lisa at the Birdwatchers’ Pizza Swim! This was Lisa’s longest time swimming only freestyle and she killed it. Here is a video.

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A Circle of Motivation: What motivated me to complete the 20 mile swim from Catalina

7/6/2018

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published in Siliconeer Magazine

The day had finally come. After hours and hours of training, I could finally begin the swim I had been looking forward to: the Catalina Channel. The Catalina Channel swim starts from Doctor’s Cove (Catalina Island) to Terranea Beach (Mainland LA). At 10:20pm on June 24, I was greased up began my adventure. As I jumped into the water, my nerves began to race – I just started to realize that I was going to swim 20 miles, spend anywhere from 10 to 16 hours in the water. I took a few deep breaths, told myself that it was time, and then plunged down into the dark water. First, I had to swim to the shore and step onto dry land as the Marathon Swimming Rules states.

On the beach, a group of boy scouts was hanging out, and when my kayaker said “This is Angel More, she is attempting to swim from Catalina to the mainland. She is only 15 years old.” They immediately started giving me high fives and wishing me good luck. I thought to myself, “I must look like a monster with all this sunscreen on,” but the boys didn’t seem to mind. I walked up the beach a little more until I reached the dry rocks, turned, looked at the boat, and waited for my OK, stating that I could begin my swim.

I walked down to the edge of the water, and as soon as I took a step into the cool water, I knew that there was no going back. I kept going until I was fully emerged and began swimming. The full moon was hidden behind thick clouds which made the surroundings pitch black. I never open my eyes in the water because I don’t want to see any wildlife, but for a second I opened my eyes and saw black. Everywhere I looked was black, the darkest black I had ever seen. Next to me was a large fisherman boat with glow sticks hanging from the rim. On my other side was a kayak decorated with string lights. I felt secure knowing that people were watching out for me. In fact, I had a crew of 12, each person had a different job, but their sole purpose was to safely guide me to the mainland. Knowing I was safe, I put my head down and swam. I felt like I was swimming in a marble... a large, black marble.

Before Catalina, I had completed many swims, but nothing measures up to the 20-mile challenge I had begun to tackle. In 2017, I swam in the Santa Barbara Channel, from Anacapa Island to Oxnard. In 2016, I swam from Capitola Wharf to Santa Cruz Wharf and back. Both swims were 12 miles long. I also had swam from Alcatraz to San Fransico mainland 51 times and from Golden Gate to Bay Bridge six times. I was ready, and I was prepared, I just had to keep swimming.

After seven hours of continuous swimming, the sun began to rise. I was told about how beautiful the sunrise is in the channel; however, when I looked up all I could see was grey. The clouds again were covering the bright light of the sun. Disappointed, I continued to push through only, stopping every half hour to drink my feed - a mixture of juice, water, and electrolytes.

Nine hours into the swim a current began pushing me toward San Diego. I had 5 more miles, but the current continued pushing against me and in many places, I was not moving. I could see the cityscape and my crew was telling me I was so close to shore, but I was going nowhere. I was frustrated, irritated, and just wanted to reach the shore. At this time, I turned off my mind and let my body continue the robotic swimming motion. After five hours I could see the beach, and within minutes I was on the shore. I kept telling myself that I was going to make it. I was going to reach the beach, and I was going to be able to feel the joy of completing the swim.

And I did, I reached the shore in 14 hours 22 minutes, and I did feel a palpable excitement and felt a deep satisfaction.

People ask me what the hardest part of the swim is and, to their surprise, it is usually not what they think. It is not the cold, sea life, large shipping boats, or even the swimming itself, but it is the mindset one must build to believe that they can do complete the swim.

Open water swimming has helped me build confidence in myself – I speak more comfortably with people, I take on challenges, and I dedicate my time to things I enjoy and am passionate about. At times during Catalina, I got tired, and I doubted myself, but I knew that when I finished the swim I was going to be proud of myself, and I was going to make a difference in the world. People were going to know me and know what I can accomplish, and maybe I would inspire them to do what they hope to do.

The best compliment I have gotten is: “I want to be like you when I grow up.”

The feeling that people are inspired by the things I do makes me proud and want to continue expanding my comfort zone and pushing my limits. It is a circle of motivation.

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Want to Help kids in Poverty?

Swimming with Eloise

How to overcome failure

Why do I continually choose to raise money for Children International?

What is Children International

Amber's Triathlon

#improvement

Featured in Sakal

A conversation with an olympian

Birdwatchers’ Pizza Swim!

A Circle of Motivation: What motivated me to complete the 20 mile swim from Catalina

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