Page 187 - Tributaries Catalogue
P. 187
neighbour, who is about eighty-five, Now, if you don’t swim in the sea,
and said ‘please help!’ And she had people underestimate this, right,
a good giggle, saying, ‘see, it’s not because usually when you go to the
just old people who struggle to get beach, there is a lot of paddling that
out of their clothes!’ She helped me takes place. But with triathlon …
pull the zip down, and that was the picture swimming lengths in a pool.
beginning of this journey of learning You have swim … and on a race day
to swim in the sea, which then in a triathlon, you don’t know what
became a whole new different the sea is going to look like … What
chapter.” An audience member you’re dealing with is what we call
asked Alida: “But, why couldn’t you ‘chop’ and ‘swell.’ So, ‘chop’ is the
get the zip down?” Alida answered, literal splashing up of the water into
“I couldn’t get the zip down your face … picture when you are
because I had the wetsuit on back trying to swim and every time you
to front – so the zip wouldn’t run … breathe there is a splash.” Alida
note to self, ‘don’t do that again’”! gestures how this disrupts your
Another comment: “So your wetsuit forward momentum and how you
was inside out?” “Yes, inside out.” need to paddle frantically to regain
Showing a photo (previous page), it. “Then you get swell, where the
Alida continued, “So, that there is water is literally taking you up there
proof that I now am able to get in and dropping you. So, you could
and out of a wetsuit. They are still literally be swimming and then you
not flattering … but I went from that start flapping in the air. And then
to learning how to swim in the sea. sometimes you have chop and
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