Reflection and Redemption

THE HUDSON IS NO JOKE!

When my swim buddy and wingman first spoke about the Seal Swim, I was in New Jersey, looking at the Hudson River.?She mentioned the Seal Swim and that it may be a way to get redemption from the river.?I told her it just may and please connect me with her point of contact with the Seal Swim.?She told me she would connect me with Scuba and fill me in on the Swim.?My first thought was anyone named Scuba I had to meet.

I spoke with Scuba, and he told me to meet him two days later at MSA Swimming at 5 am.?That was my first test. Would I show up??I showed up at 5 am in my swim trunks, ready to go.?Scuba cleared the lane and asked me to swim to the other end.?I swam but was extremely winded, and my head was beat red.??He told me it would be quite a challenge, but we had three months.?Scuba told me he would not take me out of the Seal Swim; I would on my own.

The next day, I was back at the pool at 7 am after Scuba was done with his Swim, and he introduced me to Coach Patty.?He asked her to watch me swim.?I jumped in with my swim trunks and, this time, could not get to the other end of the pool.?She shook her head and reluctantly took me on; her new project.?

For the next fifteen weeks, Coach Patty and I showed up at 5 am so I could re-learn to swim.?She broke me down, step by step.??She made a list of everything I would need, and I did and bought everything she asked me to do and get. I learned years ago, when I was with Bill and Tony, never question a world-class person or coach as they have walked their talk.?There were times when I am sure she looked at me and thought, “what did I get myself into?”?But I knew she had a bigger mission as she has a soft part of her heart for those folks who put themselves on the line every moment of every day, so we have the freedom we enjoy. She was all in, and I was all in.

Coach Patty incorporated other coaches at MSA to support me. Coach Cassie was with me on day four and probably thought she would have to jump in to save me but hung in there.??The first real test was June 1, when Coach Patty took me out with Coach Cassie and the group to Lake Wylie.?We were going to swim 800 meters in open water.?I had my fins, neoprene shorts, my swimming stick, and my buoy.?Coach Patty stayed with me the entire time, and we completed 800 meters.?Every Wednesday at 740am, we were at the lake to swim in open water.??The next test was I was able to swim a mile.?I passed that test.?Then we went all the way to survivor island, which is one mile out and back, and I passed that test. Then the next week was the first dry run of three-mile swim, the same length as the Seal Swim.?I completed that and was extremely tired but knew at that time I could go the distance.?The following week I swam with my swim buddy and wingman Suzanne as we tested how to get our fins on in deep water and Swim.?Suzanne is recovering from knee surgery.?She was going to be there for me; I was going to be there for her.?We were both all in together.

We did our final dress rehearsal two weeks later when we practiced sighting, refueling, pacing, flipping from freestyle to backstroke, and we finished feeling strong.?That Friday was the last time Coach Patty, and I had our swim at 5 am as the pool was closed for two weeks for the coach's vacation.?Coach Patty arranged for me to swim with Coach Cassie the three days before leaving for New Jersey.?She put together the training plan, which Coach Cassie stuck to and coached and inspired me to complete.?The last 200 meters I did, I rehearsed the game plan Coach Patty put together for the Seal Swim, and I did not stop.?That was the point that I knew that I was going to get this thing done.?

During the entire time, I was training, my team was focused on helping get the message out about the GIGO Fund.?Heidi, Ivan, and I went to New Jersey in early June to do a video to promote the reason and the importance of the GIGO Fund, and my team was focused on getting that message out.?And I want to thank those who committed to donate as you won’t know who, when or where it will impact.

My family and Coach Patty headed to New Jersey last Friday for the event.?Suzanne, my swim buddy, and wingman was already in New Jersey.??I told my family and Coach Patty to be flexible when we got there as I had spoken to my great friend, Nikki, at Hackensack Palisades Medical Center, and she invited my family to the hospital so they could meet my family, and I could reunite with them before I went back into the Hudson River.?The nurses who administered to me on 1/15/09 came up to meet my family and were quite emotional when we met.?We then headed over to Suzanne’s hotel to meet up with her and confirm up logistics for the next day.?We had a great dinner in Jersey City, then headed back to Weehawken to get some rest before Saturday.

Saturday morning, I was up early, did a workout in the gym, packed up my bag, had Coach Patty check my bag and set up, and went through the final game plan strategy.??Then we took our pictures from Weehawken, and I was off to meet up with Suzanne to head to the Swim.?

After I got my “official Seal Swim Bag,” we had opening ceremonies.?If you have never been with the military during opening ceremonies, you cannot understand the pride and emotion the National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, and prayer have.??About an hour later, we were ready to go.

Suzanne and I discussed Coach Patty and my game plan, and she was all in.?We initially thought we would be walking into the Hudson River, which would give us the chance to acclimate to the cold water and get warmed up and my rhythm.?That game plan was out the window immediately as we were told we would be jumping off the ledge thirteen feet up into the Hudson and going.?I had been practicing jumping into the water, so I had my game plan for that, but Suzanne hadn’t.?She jumped in first; then I did my tuck and roll in.?All was good until I could not find Suzanne; she was already floating out into the river.?There was no time to warm up, no time for finding a rhythm as I had to catch up to Suzanne.?

Scuba told us the first leg was the toughest as the current was against us.?He pointed out our sightings before we jumped in, but after we were in the water and the tides were high, it took a few minutes to find Suzanne and the sightings.??I started out with my game plan to catch up with Suzanne, but after my first 20 freestyle strokes, I turned over on my back and realized the carabiner Coach Patty had on my stick was gone.??I had a backup carabiner, so I clipped on and went backstroke to find Suzanne.?A New Jersey State trooper came up about 20 yards from me as he found my carabiner and threw it to me.?He threw it out in front of me, so I had to swim to it, but the current was so strong, it was being carried in the opposite direction.?I was trying to catch up with Suzanne the entire first leg, but I never did so; about 500 meters out from the barge, a trooper on a jet ski told me to hold on and took me up to meet Suzanne, about 200 meters away.?He dropped me off and began swimming to the barge.??Suzanne was making her way also, but we never connected in the water.?I got to the barge about 2 minutes before she did. We had to climb up the ladder after we got our fins off.?That was a struggle, but I got to the top first and watched Suzanne climbing up, knowing her knee was struggling.?We helped her on the barge and then debriefed and put another strategy in place.?We did our pushups (no pullups!), refueled, met a new friend Jessica and decided to climb down the ladder on the side of the barge instead of jumping another fifteen feet off the front so we could make sure we stayed together.??We had another 25-50 meters to swim to get to the front, but we were together going forward.

The second leg was to Ellis Island.?The current was strong at an angle, so if you caught it right, it took you forward.??She and I went heads down to Ellis Island, never stopping and making it there.?We both took our time climbing up to the barge, but we were together.??We again debriefed, refueled, and did pushups, but when we found Jessica, she had just thrown up two times and shivering.?She collapsed to the floor, and I went and found a medic to help her.??We knew we had to get going to catch up, so we left Jessica there, climbed down the ladder on the side, and off to New York City.?

Scuba again helped us with our sightings as he told us to go to the church with the green top as the current would help us get to the final point, Battery Park.??Suzanne and I started out, and the current was strong.?She and I stayed together and talked throughout the leg.?A jet ski came up to Suzanne and asked her to jump on as the river would be back opened up for commercial traffic, and we had to clear the channel.?A boat came up to me and asked me to hold on so they could take me to Suzanne.??About 100 meters away, we caught up with Suzanne’s jet ski, and we both dropped back into the water with about 350 meters to go.?We swam closely together for the last 350 meters.?About 100 meters out, I yelled over to Suzanne, and she said, “I’m here.”?I yelled out, “thank you, and I love you, Suzanne.”?She yelled out, “I love you too,” and we came in together to Battery Park in New York City.?She asked me to climb up. First, I got up and waited to help Suzanne over the ladder.?I looked over and saw my family, Coach Patty, Kelli, and Tony cheering for me.??I didn’t lose it then but had so much gratitude in my heart for everyone who helped me get to the finish line.??We still had to finish, which was at the 9/11 memorial.?

?Suzanne and I took a cart to the memorial as we could not run with the Seals but met them there and participated in the final ceremonies and carried the US Flag to where the Trade Centers went down to pray and remember those who lost their lives on 9/11/01.

?I have many emotions going through me right now as I think about what our entire team accomplished.??It started as something to do to help those vets who have fallen on hard times but quickly turned into a mission, a way to turn the turmoil I had starting on 1/15/09 and turn it into a final triumph and leave the river this time on my terms.?

When Suzanne and I spoke in early April, she mentioned that this may be a way for me to have redemption from the river.??Coach Patty kept telling me the entire time that the river saved me the first time and will again.?Scuba was questioning if I could and would really do it until two things happened.?First, he and the other seals saw my commitment, not only with training but the video I did to promote the cause, and second, when he saw me before the final dress rehearsal at Lake Wylie.?He knew that I had put the time, effort, and commitment, no resolve, in to make this dream into reality.?

After all, was done and everyone was connecting before the after-party boat was leaving, I was looking for Suzanne to thank her and tell her again I love her and what she did for me; I ran into Scuba in the parking lot.?He grabbed and hugged me and told me how proud he was of me.?That was the first time I started to get emotional.?He then reached down into his bag and put a Seal Challenge Coin in my hand and told me he was so proud of me and asked me to keep swimming with him and his team at MSA.??

And as Scuba told me on day one, THE HUDSON RIVER IS NO JOKE!?And he is correct!

That was the point that I knew I had my redemption.?Not only from 1/15/09, not only from day one at MSA Swimming and training but whatever turmoil I ever had was now a triumph.?My mission is now to show others how they, too, can turn whatever turmoil they have had into a triumph. As my first mentor, Bill and Tony Robbins, told me, always find the mentor who has walked their talk, and they will lead you to victory.?

I am now redeemed.

??Thank you to Coach Patty, Suzanne, Scuba, my family, my team, and those who have donated to the GIGO Fund.?

With all the challenges 2020 presented, a strategy to turn that year of turmoil into 2021 being a year of triumph is to humble yourself, get around people who can help and support you.?Know there are mentors and role models that have swum the Swim before. Be strong and face your personal "turmoil" head-on, forgive those who may have caused you strife, and begin your Swim to triumph. ??Reach out to them and ask them to support and mentor you, and you will grow out of the turmoil you had in 2020 and on the road to a triumphant 2021,

I went into the waters of the Hudson River on January 15, and when I came out, I had a new purpose in my life.?I aim to help people become the best they can be. To overcome any turmoil they have experienced in life and turn it into a triumph. To do something for someone who cannot ever repay me.

On August 7, 2021, I went back into the Hudson River, but much like that cold day in January, I wasn’t alone.?

I swam with some of America's greatest, a group of Navy Seals to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and remember the Seal mission Extortion 1-7.?

It's one thing to swim on your own; it's another to swim with the Navy Seals.?

My mission is simple; help those who may be going through their own turmoil from the past year with a pathway to victory and triumph and understand that you didn't get this far only to go this far!

Treat the TURMOIL of 2020 as your year of preparation and 2021 as your year to TRIUMPH!

If you would like to support my mission to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and those who lost their lives during the Extortion 17 mission, please check out my page at Dave Sanderson Seal Swim.?Thank you for your consideration.

??LEAD YOURSELF FIRST and CREATE YOUR FLIGHT PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE!

?Dave Sanderson is the President of his firm, Dave Sanderson Speaks International, based out of Charlotte, NC. On January 15, 2009, Dave was one of the last passengers off the plane that crashed into the Hudson River, best known as?The Miracle on the Hudson, considered the most successful ditching in aviation history. In addition, he has built a career as a motivational speaker, mentor, and author. Recently named one of the top 100 Leadership Speakers in Inc.com. Dave averages over 80 speeches a year for major corporations worldwide.

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