Gregg Taylor - October 9, 2003
The Tournament Capital of Ontario "Athlete of the Week" is Gregg Taylor, a 19-year-old record-setting swimmer.
Gregg has succeeded in becoming the youngest man to swim across Lake Ontario, on August 13, 2003. He is only the 35th person to ever accomplish this feat.
Departing Niagara-on-the-Lake, and arriving 19 hours and 23 minutes later in Toronto, Gregg endured high winds and river outflow currents on this 51km course. The City of Brantford has honoured him with a plaque presented to him at City Hall.
As a build-up to his 51km swim, Gregg had crossed Lake Simcoe just one month earlier. The completion of that crossing earned him two records: the youngest man to successfully swim the 24.6km distance and the first person to traverse the lake in an east-to-west crossing.
The water temperature greatly fluctuated during Gregg's Lake Simcoe crossing, from a cool 12 degrees to balmy 21 degrees Celsius. With only a slight head wind of 10 knots, and calm water, the swim lasted seven hours and 48 minutes.
The event offered an occasion for this athlete to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Swimming has not been Gregg's only sport: he played T-ball and softball, hockey, skiing, golf, and played football for the North Park CVS Trojans.
Gregg's interest in open-water swimming began at a summer sports camp in 1998, when he arrived first in the boys 2km lake swim. Encouraged by his peers, he competed in the Sun City Swim, finishing third in 2000 and fourth in 2001, in this 5km charity event held in Orillia. In 2002, Gregg ventured to Magog, Quebec where he placed fifth in a 10km open-water swim.
In Brantford, Gregg became coach and captain of the North Park CVS swim team and, together with his team members, brought home a bronze medal for men's relay at OFSSA. He was also awarded the high school swimming MVP for the 2002-2003 season.
Gregg is currently a lifeguard and aquatic instructor for the City of Brantford, and a coach for the novice squad at the Brantford Aquatic Club, where he has been a member since 1992. He also participates in lifeguard competitions and has won team silver at the 2002 provincials. |
