Carol Sing

Carol Sing, inductee (Honor Swimmer) of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in the Class of 2000

Carol Sing, Class of 2020 Honor Swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame

Members of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation at the induction ceremonies at the United Nations in June 2011. Photo by Skip Storch

Course taken by Forrest Nelson, Becky Jackman-Beeler, Mike Mitchell, Kent Nicholas, Emily Evans, and Tina Neill were members of Team FTD that completed a 6-way crossing of the Catalina Channel that was captained by John Pittman aboard the Outrider, ratified by the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation and observed by Carol Sing, Donald Van Cleve, and Adam Moine. Source: Marathon Swimmers Forum by Evan Morrison

Carol Sing (born 24 August 1941), is an American marathon swimmer from San Diego, California and was the oldest successful female swimmer of the English Channel and the Catalina Channel at the time of her crossings. She serves as a Marathon Swimming Mentor.

Open Water Swimming Career

• She is a member of the Half Century Club for her 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France at the age of 56 in 12 hours 32 minutes in 1999.
• She crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco on 24 September 2005 in 5 hours 26 minutes at the age of 64.
• She is on the board of directors of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation.
• She serves as a lifetime member of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation.
• She served as a member of the board of directors of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame prior to organizational structural changes in 2015.
• She is a member of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.
• She completed a 45.9 km Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 8 hours and 46 minutes in 1998.
• She completed a 45.9 km Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 9 hours and 16 minutes in 2001.
• She has crossed the Catalina Channel on a paddleboard at the 2005 Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race in 8 hours 58 minutes.
• She crossed the Catalina Channel by swimming in 10 hours 48 minutes in 1996 at the age of 55.
• She is a Lifetime Member of the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association.
• She is a member of the ATI Team 4, a 6-person team that completed a 64.6 km circumnavigation swim relay around Santa Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean off of Southern California on 16 September 2018 in 41 hours 54 minutes 45 seconds together with Susanne Blair, Becky Jackman, Michella Thomas, Alice Ma, and Krista Anderson.
• She participated in a two-way crossing of Loch Lomond.
• She completed a 17.7 km Coronado Around the Island circumnavigation swim three times.
• She completed a crossing of the Maui Channel.
• She swam around Pennock Island in Alaska.

Other Aquatics Activities

In 2004, she paddled the Catalina Classic which is the premier USA West Coast paddleboard competition. Again she was the oldest woman to complete and one of three women who have paddled and swam the Catalina Channel. She also competed in Australia and Fiji.

Catalina Channel crossings

She assisted dozens of Catalina Channel crossings including the successful crossing of Team Tripod. She also served as part of the observer team for Team FTD that successfully completed an unprecedented 6-way crossing of the Catalina Channel on 10-14 July 2014 in 61 hours 6 minutes (see chart on right). She was also on the Wild Old Women relay, a team of six female swimmers in their 60s who set a Catalina Channel crossing record of 16 hours 15 minutes on 4 August 2012 from the California mainland to Catalina Island. The members consisted of Carol Sing, Janet Lamott, Debbie Peckham, Dudley Rockwell, Betsy Jordan, and Sandra Vickers.

Board of Directors

• Linda Bamford
• David Clark
• Forrest Nelson (president)
• Paula Selby
• Carol Sing
• Donald Van Cleve
• John York

Catalina Channel Half Century Club

1. Bob West (USA), 62, CM in 15:49 in 1998
2. Gary Greenwood (USA), 62, CM in 14:08 in 2004
4. Pat Gallant-Charette (USA), 60, CM in 14:11 in 2011
4. Mo Siegel (USA), 60, CM in 14:08 in 2011
5. Bob Needham (USA), 58, CM in 14:10 in 2011
6. Tom Hecker (USA), 56 in 10:45 in 2009
6. Richard Knepper (USA), 56, MC in 11:56 in 2005
8. Barbara Held (USA), 56, CM in 9:46 in 2010
9. Carol Sing (USA), 55, CM in 10:48 in 1996
10. Bill Hoehn (USA), 55, CM in 12:56 in 2005
11. Kevin Murphy (Great Britain), 54, CM in 15:24 in 2004
12. Roger Finch (South Africa), 54, CM, 9:45:02 in 2012
14. Dave Van Mouwerik (USA), 54,, CM, 12:09:06
14. Ned Denison (Ireland), 54, CM, 8:50:04 in 2012
15. Nick Almos-Lau (Mexico), 54, CM in 12:40 in 1999
16. James Fitzpatrick (USA), 54, CM in 14:59 in 2008 (to Newport Beach)
16. Jim McConica (USA), 54, CM in 10:19 in 2004
18. Douglas McConnell (USA), CM, 12:41:14 in 2012
19. David Cooper (USA), 52, CM in 14:19 in 2005
20. Dan Richards (USA), 52, CM in 10:10 2008
21. Alan Bell (USA), 51, CM in 9:28 in 2001
22. Chris Palfrey (Australia), 51, CM in 10:40 in 2009
24. Lynn Kubasek (USA), 51, CM in 15:54 in 2009
24. Daniel Robinson (USA), 51, CM in 9:56 in 2008
25. Antonio Argüelles (Mexico), 50, CM in 10:25 in 2009
26. William Newbern (USA), 50, CM in 12:48 in 2005
26. Ray Meltvedt (USA), 50, CM in 15:25 in 2010
28. Suzie Dods (USA), 50, MC in 18:46 in 2010
29. Dale Petranech (USA), 50, CM in 14:28 in 1985
40. John Hill (USA), 50, CM in 19:15 in 1985
41. Frank Reynolds (USA), 50, CM in 10:44 in 1986
42. Jim Barber (USA), 50, CM in 8:44 in 2010
44. Sue Free (USA), 50, CM, 11:24 in 2012
44. Bridgette Hobart Janeczko (USA), 50, CM 11:26:16 in 2012
45. Hendrik Meerman (USA), CM, 50, 12:48:40 in 2012

External links

• Penny Lee Dean, EdD to Receive the 2024 Poseidon Award
• Doc Counsilman Helped Usher In An Increasingly Graying Trend In Channel Swimming
• International Day of Older Persons and the Aging Demographics of Open Water Swimmers
• Jen Schumacher Talks Swim 22 Across The Catalina Channel On WOWSA Live
• Dan Simonelli Talks About Helping Others On WOWSA Live
• Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame on WOWSA Live
• Carol Sing On Enjoying The Channels On WOWSA Live
• Cancelled: Catalina Channel Crossings For 2020
• The Perfect Open Water Woman
• The Perfect Open Water Man
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation website
• A Celebration Of Catalina Channel Champions
• Updating The Half Century Club
• International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
• Channel Swimming Association
• NYC Swim website
• Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming
• Oldies But Goodies In The Open Water
• The Oldest Men and Women in the Sea
• Sing Their Praises, Team Is Defined By FTD
• Catalina Channel Swimming Back In The Day
• Janet Lamott Was Never Far From Water
• Loretta Cox Attempts To Become One Of The Top Five
• Dale Petranech, A Lifetime Of Achievement
• And Penny Palfrey Makes Three
• How Old Can They Go? Very Old
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Open Water Swimming
• Marathon Swimming
• Daily News of Open Water Swimming
• I Got Stung
• World Marathon Swimming Association
• Channeling Coordination Across Catalina
• Oldest Individuals To Swim Across The World's Channels
• 1 Down, 6 To Go For Beth French's Oceans Seven
• Always At Their Side Looking Ahead, Richard Clifford
• Oldest Individuals To Swim Across The World's Channels
• Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association
• Never Too Old Around Manhattan Island
• Never Too Old, Facing Challenges With Pat Gallant-Charette