Swimmers Profile No 9 Kevin Cassidy

33Back to main menu 33
...................................................................................................................

Kevin has made the big change from running to swimming and is booked to
swim the channel in 2009 . Kevin is known for his dry sense of humor as
you will understand after reading his profile . I spoke earlier about Jonathan Hayward's
stroke being almost perfect, well you can apply that with Kevin's training.

1: Name- Kevin Cassidy

2: Age- I’m sad to admit that my year of birth is 1960. The ageing process is advancing at an ever increasing rate

3: Resides- Melbourne.

4:Swimming Highlights- After several years of pool and summer swimming [which every man and his dog does!], the transition to becoming an iceberger was a highlight all on its own. Leaping into Melbourne’s icy winter waters in the dark morning hours is as extreme as it gets. As Maxwell Smart would say, “And loving it”

5:Biggest influence and coach – My first influence was back in 1998. An old mate from my running days nagged me for two years before I finally caved in and agreed to try swimming. As he now tells me, “I’ve created a monster”. More recently, Alby Bardoel and his vehement and substantially vocal hatred of wetsuit clad cheats has influenced me greatly.

I spent 30 years of my life as a runner, 20 of them involved tackling Ultramarathon races both here and overseas before age and injury wore my body down. With such a background, I think it’s just been a case of “natural progression” to want to take on the extremes of swimming.

6:Swimming Idol- I’ve never been the type to idolise or hero worship anyone. Being talented at a particular sport doesn’t make you a better person. Just look at some of the social morons and empty heads that infest the sports of football and cricket. I rest my case.

7: Pool or Ocean- Two or three pool sessions a week but nothing beats the open water. That black line can become rather mind numbing after a period of time.

8:How many kms a week- About 15 at the moment. If I’m building up to something long, about 25.

9:Longest swim and how many hours in the water- 20km Rottnest Channel Swim. 8hr 14min

10:Favorite place you have swam- Sydney Harbour and the stretch of water between Townsville and Magnetic Island

11:Coldest place you have swam and temp- Port Phillip Bay. Last year the water temperature got down to 6 degrees in mid July, the coldest recorded there for many years.

12:Roughest swim eg. Wave height and wind speed- A few years ago, a one-off swim was held at Mordialloc. The organisers pretentiously named it the “Big Swim”. It was only 1200 metres in distance but it should never have gone ahead. White caps were rolling in and swimmers were dotted all over the place desperately trying to avoid being dumped. It was rather dangerous.

13:Swimming goals- The English Channel in 2009 and to enjoy the training and preparation over the next 12 months.

14:What or who motivates you – My first motivation is the fact that if I wasn’t swimming, I’d probably be plunging the depths of brain rot watching the Kerry Anne Kennel [or whatever her name is!] Morning Show. You could fit the brains of her viewing audience into the head of a humming bird and it would still fly backwards!

I’m motivated highly by a desire to step outside our lazy society and test my spirit and limitations. In the modern world, a “normal” person is one who never challenges their comfort zone. The term “normal” means to not try. Please don’t ever insult me by calling me “normal”

15:How much is Physical/Mental. I still crack up laughing at that line from “The Castle”. It’s 95% mental, 10% muscle and the rest is just good luck!!!

16:Favorite saying- “You’re better than you think you are and can do more than you think you can” It’s the official slogan of the Leadville 100 mile footrace in Colorado. I guess it’s a bit of a variation on the old “Nothing to fear but fear itself”

17:Biggest fear swimming eg..cold jellyfish,sharks etc.. Definitely jellyfish. I had an experience with bluebottles up in Sydney a few years ago that I don’t desire to repeat with any degree of haste! I think I’d prefer bowel surgery with a rusty steak knife!

18:Swimming close calls- I foolishly headed out in foul conditions on my own at Black Rock early last summer. I got badly dumped by a wave I just didn’t see coming. By the time I managed to re surface, my goggles had vanished and I had turned blue trying to hold my breath. It frightened me no end.

19:Tips for other swimmers –Embrace what you do and enjoy the journey. In any endeavour you take on, the journey is the reward. This was by far the most valuable lesson I learnt when I look back at all my years of running

20:What would you eat and drink during a swim- Gatorade, water and Maxim. Energy gels and cold tinned spaghetti also go down a treat

21:Worst place you have swam- Lake Wendouree in Ballarat back in 2001. It was the most revolting experience. The water was shallow, muddy and full of weeds. It actually freaked me out somewhat. Then to top off a horrible day, I spat out my false teeth [never to be seen again] 300 metres from the finish line. 500 dollars and four days of drinking cups of soup and all was normal again!! Standing at the finish, I was covered in filth, toothless and utterly miserable. Without doubt, I’d have strongly resembled a Collingwood supporter that day!

22:Worst injuries- None yet, touch wood! Although my shoulders were so sore that I was incapable of steering the car the day after finishing the Rottnest Island swim.

If I was to list the injuries I dealt with during my running days, I’d fill three isles at the local library!

23:Favorite food,drink,music ,movie and holiday destination-

Food – Potatoes….in any form. A large juicy mushroom pizza isn’t half bad either!

Drink – Diet Coke

Music – The Eagles, David Bowie, Bob Dylan. Anything from the 70’s and older!! There is no truth in the rumour that I own a vinyl copy of the “Bert and Patti family album”

Movie – The Castle……”Listen to the serenity, Darl”

Holiday destination – Call me boring if you wish, but after travelling to Europe, USA and NZ, I don’t think you can beat a trip to Sydney and its surrounding attractions. Sydney has a distinct culture that I relish.

24:What do you think of when you are in the water for hours- This is the very same question I copped regularly when I was running. Basically, nothing at all. Both long runs and long swims are the ideal times to completely switch off from the morons and meat heads who infest our everyday lives.

25:Where is one place you haven’t or would like to swim- Obviously the English Channel is top priority at the moment. I’d also like to tackle Black Rock to Williamstown as a training swim one day.

26:Three people you would invite to dinner-

1. Barry Humphries: A comic genius and one of the greatest talents and most brilliant minds in Australia.
2. Neil Armstrong: To this day, Man on the Moon is still the most phenomenal human achievement I have ever seen.
3. Jane Kearney: Who, you ask? Not a household name by a long shot but someone who I’m privileged to do some work for. Extremely intelligent and highly educated, her passion and devotion to her vocation in the world of education has my utmost admiration and awe.

27:Cold water tips- Don’t waste time trying to tippy toe your way in. Just leap into the water and go [yes, you do become accustomed to it]. Convince yourself that it ISN’T cold but actually quite tropical.

28:Toughest competitor- Over a long distance, I believe that ultimately you are your own toughest competitor. However, I regard Yvonne Mooyman as one seriously tough dude. She may grizzle about the cold and how far we are swimming in training but don’t be fooled by her act. In a racing situation, she goes like the proverbial cut cat and grinds down many a speedier competitor. Her English Channel swim in 2005 was achieved in atrocious conditions, a performance that is still spoken about with awe.

29:Diet and how much is weight a factor on long distance swims- 2008 is only my second winter of iceberging. Regardless, the extra weight I have purposely gained in the last 12 months [I’ve sure enjoyed the eating!] makes me feel much more comfortable in the cold water and I am swimming faster and further than ever before without any problems. I’d never be able to survive if I was still sporting my old 64 kilogram runners’ physique.

30:Pet hate- SMOKERS!!! Everything about them is repulsive. They stink 24 hours a day, they discard their butts everywhere like utter pigs and generally have no regard for the fact that their actions are filthy and inconsiderate of others. When I become Prime Minister of Australia I’m going to declare smoking a crime punishable by the death penalty.

31:Biggest thrill- The Point Lonsdale swim in 1998. It was only 1400 metres but was my first attempt at swimming. As nervous as a 16 year old on his first date, I was convinced I’d need to be rescued by the surf boats. Living to see the finish was both a thrill and a gigantic relief all in one.

32:Favorite sport besides swimming- As a worn out old runner, I still have the odd occasional jog but from a spectators point of view, you’d travel a long way to surpass a good game of Rugby League or American Football.

33:Who would you like to sit next to on a plane- I absolutely detest being trapped inside planes and as a result, have no desire to be sociable. My preference is for an empty seat either side of me. If you do happen to get stuck next to me, keep your trap shut, look the other way and allow me to be miserable in peace. I once had the painful misfortune of copping a chatty old woman on a flight from Brisbane. By the time we landed in Melbourne I’d heard everything from the type of shampoo she used on her dog to her preferred brand of incontinence pads!! I spent most of the flight trying to resist a very strong urge to strangle her.

34:Car you drive- Falcon Utility. I’m a committed “Ute Person”

35:Next swimming challenge- The next major one will be Rottnest Island in February 2009

36:Occupation – Fireman. Self employed everything. Amateur journo and magazine editor

33Back to main menu 33
...................................................................................................................