Dangerous When Wet – The Shelley Taylor-Smith Story

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Dangerous When Wet The Shelley Taylor-Smith Story is an autobiography by Shelley Taylor-Smith with Ian Cockerill

Dangerous When Wet – The Shelley Taylor-Smith Story is an autobiography of Shelley Taylor-Smith. Sold for $29.95, 15% of all profits of sales goes to the Esther Foundation.

Summary

This riveting story of Shelley Taylor-Smith's rise to success is uncompromising, spirited, and straight from the heart. A must read for anyone who is struggling with motivation...the perfect read for open water swimmers of all levels. Learn how to absolutely love the solitary nature of the sport and develop the "man-against-nature" mindset which is the key essential to becoming successful in the open-water swim element of your next triathlon.

Delve into Shelley's greatest asset, "the most important 6 inches of your body - the distance between your ears" and the ability to get into your own mind, swim your own race and get in control of your own life. Learn how to turn your love-hate relationship for open water around and overcome your greatest competitor - yourself!

Taylor-Smith is inducted in both the International Swimming Hall of Fame (2009) and the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (1989) for her exploits as a seven-time world professional marathon swimming champion. She was also one of the longest serving volunteers on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (TOWSC) and a member of the board of directors of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. She has been a keynote speaker at the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Global Open Water Swimming Conference and the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

Background

"Shelley's passion for life is as intense as her passion for swimming." - Laurie Lawrence

As a young girl Shelley had a dream - to be like her role model Shane Gould and win a gold medal. Despite most of her school years in a back brace and spending three months in traction with partial paralysis when only 23 years old, Shelley never let go of her dream. Her coach told her "Do you know, you have the potential to be a World Marathon Swimming Champion?"

Shelley took up marathon swimming because it didn't require her to make those back-bending tumble turns and has since achieved what no other woman has in sport.

In 1998 Shelley was told she had six months to live. While swimming in polluted water she had picked up deadly parasites and giardia. The infections had manifested as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and she was warned that if she continued to push herself her system would completely fail and she would die. Six months later Shelley won the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim for a record fifth time and only then did she decide to retire from representing Australia.

Shelley's 'winner's attitude' and her motto: "If you don't quit - you will make it" translates into her everyday life and now she empowers others by sharing with them her greatest asset - The Champion Mindset - training our leaders of tomorrow to think and be Champions today!

Shelley is as dedicated out of the water as she is in it. Her charity work includes: Vice Patron of Life Education NSW and her 2 favourite youth charities - the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and Youth Off the Streets - to which she donates ALL profits from sales of her books.

Achievements

Shelley Taylor-Smith's achievements include:

  • 7 consecutive Women's No. 1 Marathon Swimming Rankings
  • 1991 World No.1 Ranking in Marathon Swimming (overall for both men and women)
  • 15 World Marathon Swim Records
  • 4 World Championship 25K gold medals
  • 4 Pan Pacific Swimming Championship 25K gold medals

In her 15 years of international competition she has been awarded:

  • 4 times World and Australian Long Distance Swimmer of the Year
  • Australian Female Athlete of the Year
  • Guinness Book of World Records for fastest time overall in New York's 48K Manhattan Island swim
  • Guinness Book of World Records for her epic swim Sydney - Wollongong 79K record swim (smashing the record by more than 15 hours)
  • Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Medal 2002
  • Australian Sports Medal Recipient 2000
  • 'MV Shelley Taylor-Smith' Ferry, Perth Western Australia
  • Advance Australia Award
  • Australian of the Year Finalist 1989 & 1991
  • Australian Female Athlete of the Year 1991
  • World Long Distance/Open Water Swimmer of the Year 1988-1994
  • Australian Long Distance/Open Water Swimmer of Year 1991, 1993, 1997
  • Induction into USA Amateur Sports Hall of Fame

She has also been awarded:

  • As a two-time finalist in the Australian of the Year Award
  • This Is Your Life recipient
  • The Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award
  • Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges
  • National Dean's List of USA
  • The College of Education Dean's List USA
  • Gamma Beta Phi Honour Society
  • Omicron Delta Kappa Honour Society
  • Honorary Secretary FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (TOWSC)
  • Australia Day Ambassador
  • Ambassador: Youth Off The Streets & Humpty Dumpty Foundation
  • Vice-Patron of Life Education (NSW)
  • Patron of Western Australian Open Water Swimming Association
  • Patron of Rottnest Channel Swimming Association
  • Clean Up Australia Day Spokesperson
  • Chairperson FINA Athletes Commission (1998-2000)
  • FINA Athletes Representative (1989-2000)

2012 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Nomination

Taylor-Smith was nominated for the 2012 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year award. Her World Open Water Swimming Association nomination reads,

Annette Kellerman. Mercedes Gleitze. Gertrude Ederle. Carol Zaleski. Sandy Neilson-Bell. Penny Lee Dean. Shelley Taylor-Smith follows along the trail-blazing path of these powerfully influential women who worked tirelessly to promote and support opportunities for swimming by both genders. Sitting as the lone woman in various FINA committees and boards dominated by powerful men, Taylor-Smith has succeeded behind the scenes in steering the course in a practical, reasonable and objective manner. Always staying true to the needs and desires of the athletes, the former 7-time world professional marathon swimming champion focuses on improving and professionalizing the sport even though her influence is not always visible to the fans or known to the media. It is not acclamation, self-fame or fortune that she seeks; her goal is the ultimate betterment of the sport. For her tireless, unseen and often under-appreciated efforts to improve the procedures, protocols and policies of open water swimming, for her unceasingly and refreshing unselfish attitude to help athletes of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, for her pioneering role as the first female referee in the Olympic marathon swim at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Shelley Taylor-Smith is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

2013 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Nomination

Taylor-Smith was nominated for the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year award. Her nomination reads:

The longest serving FINA committee member served unselfishly since 1994: first as an athlete representative and then as a Technical Open Water Swimming Committee member. She was instrumental in the incorporation of the 5 km event, Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, and 5 km Team Pursuit event in the FINA program until she retired this year. She was the first female referee to serve at the Olympics. After a trail-blazing career as an athlete, she maintains the same intensity as an author, speaker, and inspirational coach. For leading Open Water Swimming Mastery, for instilling confidence in others with fears and worries, for continuing to pass on her knowledge to the next generation of swimmers, Shelley Taylor-Smith is a worthy nominee for the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

Video

External Links

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