THE HUB Magazine - August 2022

A Moment in Time

By: Dave Scott

Memories

I shook my head in disbelief as I scanned our Hub archives looking for the perfect cover for the Hub History Page in the magazine, because there it was. Sitting in front of me was the August 21, 2012 edition of the Hub. On the cover ten years ago, Lake Ontario loomed large with the Toronto skyline in the background and in the mist was a young lady in the last length of her swim for shore and history!

Most folks in the country followed the crazy adventure that Annaleise took us on for those 20- some hours. A wave of memories of the crew flashed across my mind as I looked back at the photos. For that brief moment in time, we were cemented as one through our experience.

Drive

Challenges in life are nothing new to all of us. It is how we react and the character within each of us that determines the outcome.

It is the drive to succeed in the face of adversity when we help others. As we face wave upon wave of sacrifice to finish what we started. It is the moment you understand that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

The Longest Night

The dark sky melted into the surrounding lake. You could sense the waves rising from the onslaught of the stormy Lake Ontario weather that was about to hit. Could we, should we, try to push through what was going to be a night no one on the crew would ever forget? Yes.

The petite young lady was swimming within the diamond formation of boats that tightly surrounded her, small lights bobbing up and down as the large rolling waves pushed her back to the same spot she was just in. She just kept swimming hour after hour, wave upon wave, until the sun began to rise over the horizon and the lake released her from its grip.

What we saw that morning was an exhausted swimmer, who literally appeared to be sleeping as she swam. I remember thinking this is over. She is done.

For anyone who has done any type of endurance training for a long-distance event, you realize that there is going to be pain and suffering. To accomplish your goal, you have to understand and

accept that, but nothing prepares you for the actual challenges when the day arrives. Physically, you can be in the best shape of your life, but in the end, it is the strength of your mind that will carry you.

There is one other crucial factor. That being the folks sharing your journey with you. In this swimmer’s case, it was a crew who totally believed in her and put forth the love and energy that very well could have been the X factor that day.

The funny thing about hitting the wall is that some folks quit, and others push through. That morning, after fuelling, a positive pep talk from her coach and with the swim pacers hitting the water to join her, we watched as her swim stroke regained power, and that toothy smile came back to life. We all knew nothing was going to stop her from reaching the shoreline of Toronto!

Crew

Thinking back of all the folks that helped make her dream come true, I get a little misty. We built the crew with folks that could work together and trust one another when situations might get sticky.

Most folks don’t know that the crew trained endless hours on the lake and land, both day and night, to be prepared for any situation that could occur, to keep Annaleise safe and moving forward. Everyone had a role to play in the success of the crossing, and they did just that.

Did any of us realize going in just how enormous the crossing would get and the amount of money it would raise for Camp Trillium? I don't think so. Our PR guy and I talked a little beforehand and prepared, but in his words, when the media circus arrived, we knew then it was bigger than we ever imagined.

There was a huge hometown welcome for Annaleise and the crew. Which led all the way to Ottawa to meet the Prime Minister. It was one heck of a ride!

Lives have changed and folks have moved on in every direction to take on fresh adventures in the ten years since. Some of us have lost contact, and a member of our crew has passed.

Life in that moment in time was something we all shared ten years ago, and come hell or high water, nothing can take that from us!

Thank you to all who made it possible.