The Most Influential Personalities in Open Water Swimming during the 1970's

Who are among the most influential open water personalities in recent history? Who are considered impactful legends, unsung heroes, humble heroines, and overlooked historic figures in the sport? Everyone has their favorite personalities and icons in the sport of open water swimming.

Any list of The Most Influential Personalities of Open Water Swimming is, by necessity, subjective. But it is certainly fun to discuss and debate among open water swimmers, historians, and fans. Below are our choices for The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World during the 1970's. This list does not focus on swimmers as athletes, but rather coaches, escort pilots, administrators, event directors, referees, crew members, authors, documentary filmmakers, database creators, promoters, and historians.

This selection of The Most Influential Personalities of Open Water Swimming is based on four criteria:

1. Promoters - individual who market the sport as writers, filmmakers, or public relations experts
2. Organizers - individuals who serve to set up and carry out events or organize championships
3. Administrators - or individuals who set up structures and entities to organize series, governing bodies, or function as referees, seconds or observers
4. Coaches - individuals who teach and provide guidance to swimmers and other members of the community

This list does not include swimmers who are listed here (at The Best Open Water Swimmers from 1950 to 2020):

The Most Influential Personalities in the 1970's

> Coach Don Watson, USA
> Jim Cotton, USA
> Peter Bales, South Africa [shown above]
> Reg Brickell Sr., Great Britain
> Mickey Pittman, USA
> Roger Parsons, Great Britain
> Francis 'Frank' Richards, Great Britain
> Michael Read MBE, Great Britain
> Susanne Guesdon, Australia
> Billy Wallace, Ireland

Coach Don Watson was a dual inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2013 as an Honor Administrator and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014 as an Honor Coach. He wrote The Hinsdale Swimming Program and was the coach of Olympic medalists John Kinsella and John Murphy, professional marathon swimmer Sandra Bucha, and swimmers from all walks of life including British Petroleum CEO Bob Dudley and entrepreneur George Tidmarsh while coaching many AAU Distance Individual and Team Championships.

Jim Cotton was one of the founders and the first president of the Waikiki Swim Club, the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, and the Maui Channel Swim in Hawaii.

Peter Bales was the chairman and founding member of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association in South Africa. He served as an escort pilot since 1969 and was named a CLDSA Hero by the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association.

Reg Brickell Sr. was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2003 as an Honor Pilot. For 40 years until his death in 1982, Brickell was one of the most successful English Channel pilots, piloting 84 solo crossings of which 49 were successful including with Penny Dean, Helge Jensen, Tina Bischoff, Lynne Cox, and Des Renford. He taught his sons Reg Brickell, Jr. and Ray Brickell how to escort swimmers across the English Channel; they are both also Honor Pilots inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Mickey Pittman was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014 as an Honor Pilot. He taught his son John Pittman how to escort swimmers across the Catalina Channel over his 27-year career where he escorted Lynne Cox, Penny Dean, John York, Cindy Cleveland, Dan Slosberg, David Yudovin, and many other channel swimmers across the Catalina Channel.

> Roger Parsons was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1997 as an Honor Administrator and was the 2004 recipient of the Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award, an award given by the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He was a member of the FINA Open Water Commission that was responsible for adapting the British Long Distance Swimming Association and Channel Swimming Association rules into the FINA Open Water Swimming Rules, and studying the possibility of adding open water swimming to the Olympic Games.

Francis 'Frank' Richards was a British observer who was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2004 as an Honor Administrator. He served as the first president of the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation and observed more than 280 English Channel crossings over a 31-year career of authenticating English Channel swims – thought to be the greatest number by one person.

Michael Read MBE is a dual inductee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1978 and the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2011. He was awarded the 2009 International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award and serves as the President of the Channel Swimming Association, the world's first channel swimming organisation.

Susanne Guesdon served as a race director, event organizer, coach, handler, Australian team official, lecturer, judge, and licensed boat driver around the world since 1966. She was a participant in and holds certificates for the FINA Open Water Officials & Olympic Solidarity course for Open Water Swimming and was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2019 as an Honor Administrator.

Billy Wallace was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1999 as an Honor Administrator. He serves as the President and has served as the Honorary Secretary of the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association.

By Steven Munatones.
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and Editor of the KAATSU Magazine. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), Dale Petranech Award for Services to the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (2022), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007 and 2010), and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984, awarded to the senior whose interests are not bounded by academic or institutional structures. A joyous, deeply-rooted affirmation of life, disdain for the purely conventional; a love of adventure, and desire to learn by experiencing; the ability to respond creatively to difficult situations). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (until 2011) and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, a 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff including 4 FINA World Championships, and 2008 NBC Olympic 10K Marathon Swim commentator.