Have you ever earned money through your swimming endeavours?
gnome4766
Member
We all know the sport is growing at a steady pace but has anyone found a source of income through their swimming? I know many other athletes can gain sponsorship from notable companies but I know nothing of marathon swimmers receiving this opportunity.
Comments
After my English Channel swim (sponsored by a friend which co-created the Forever Fund in her father's memory with me) in July 2010, I was asked to speak at local service, religious, non-profits and schools around the Pittsburgh area to tell my story of perseverance for charity. Through these speaking engagements, I was blessed to find and secure a full sponsor, Trustmont Financial Group, for the last 8 (including 5 'Oceans Seven' swims) marathon swimming adventures I have completed. Trustmont does not ask for anything in return other than aligning their brand with mine.
I have not earned a dime in this sport thus far, as I simply ask for a donation back to the Forever Fund for my speaking engagements. I believe if you are passionate about helping others, and work hard to spread your charitable mission, you will find people that want to help you along the way - your passion will sell itself.
www.darren-miller.com
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania U.S.A.
loneswimmer.com
A couple ways so far, both via modeling for photographers. Twice been hired by underwater photographers for my skill at blowing high-temperature bubbles. I understand how to regulate their air temperature and CO2 partial pressure on a bubble-by-bubble basis. This shapes their internal convection currents, which give rise to various air-water boundary layer phenomena, which produce otherwise unobtainable surface optics. Then also several ongoing assignments for swimming in mountain lakes. I don't cut it out of the water, but that doesn't matter as they're interested only in my bubble expertise, or in having a miniscule human element in their cathedralesque mountain/lake photos. I get the gigs because I'm willing, unlike few others, to keep getting in and out and in and out of ice water until they have their shots, though usually the window of light is rather short. It's basically swimming the trial iterations in poor light while they refine their compositions. Then it's wait and wait and wait until the right light, at which point you need a good set of hippocampal place cells to repeat the swim trajectory. You might not have seen me in recent NG features or goggle adverts, or my bubbles in SA online.
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...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Excuse me while I go adjust the volume on my bs-o-meter.
Not income, but a perk. I try to wave the pr flag as high as a slow 55 year old channel swimmer can.
I would do this anyways though. If someone told me I would have a bikini-sponsor in my 50's I would have laughed them off the curb,
No...
Really???
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Slightly pedantic (ok very pedantic) but the amateur requirement in the US is for swimmers in collegiate teams, not swimmers in college. Phelps did not swim for the University of Michigan (which he attended) because he was ineligible having turned "professional" in order to be able to accept endorsements. Missy Franklin will be swimming for (University of California at) Berkeley because she has so far not elected to go pro and is likely turning down considerable sums as a result.
Some US Universities offer athletic scholarships for swimmers, which could be regarded as a form of compensation for the purposes of this thread. Yale is not one of them (AFAIK) so Eva Fabian is actually paying (a likely large tuition fee) for the privilege of not being able to accept compensation for her swimming endeavors...
http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer