SALLY and Chloe Hatcher were looking forward to the World Firefighters Games in America for a while before finding out their dreams had been dashed.
The event was cancelled months ago, and with their trip all booked and fund-raising donations in hand, the mother and daughter swim stars decided they couldn’t give up on competitive swimming in the US.
So now plan B will happen, albeit a makeshift plan B.
But it’s no less competitive as the two will line up in the one-mile Corona Del Mar Beach Swim on August 23, and then back up in the Slam the Dam double swims (2.4 miles and 1.2 miles) on September 20.
“I’m not too sure what the competition is going to be like but I’m sure it will be tough,” Chloe said.
“I only took up swimming again for the Firefighters Games, and I’ve done a 3km swim at Penrith but this will be my toughest and longest day of swimming. I just want to do the distance.”
Mum Sally said after months of preparation for the Firefighters Games, the two are now looking forward to the new challenge the two events pose.
“We didn’t want to waste our Firefighters Games training and I just want to finish the swims and not come last,” she said.
The one-mile Corona Del Mar Beach Swim should be a relatively easy event for the long distance experts but the twin swims of the famous Slam the Dam event will be tougher.
The 2.4-mile swim starts at 7.30am and the 1.2-mile event begins at 9.30am.
Sally plans to get out of the water at least 30 minutes before the second swim to consume much-needed food and fluids.
The swim will take place in Lake Mead, Nevada, and is rated as the top 35 must-do swims in the United States.
“We’ve both done surf swims before but a lot will depend on how windy it is,” Sally said.
“There are still waves in still water. I’ve done a swim at Penrith Lakes and in one direction I was fighting the waves.”
Chloe said the final swim would probably be the most enjoyable despite being fatigued.
“I might even be feeling better towards the end of the second swim knowing I’m close to the finish,” she said.
On Saturday a fundraising event will be hosted at Lutanda Yarramundi River Park, 761 Springwood Road. A $10 admission fee will entitle guests to supper and a free screening of the 1932 comedy On Our Selection, which was filmed in the local region.
