Nadando Libre : Nadandolibre · Simon Griffiths

jueves, 31 de mayo de 2012

Nadandolibre · Simon Griffiths - Destination open water!

Simon Griffiths.

Simon Griffiths whose name is known for his great job as chief editor in the first and only magazine in the world dedicated to open water swimming.
He is a man who likes to talk about this sport, so clear and simple, displaying in every sentence, efficient information. Simon lets us know his personal view on the sport.
Simon Griffiths and his team of H2Open Magazine seem to have developed a brilliance and maturity of style with which they are able to cover in each issue, from the highest quality to concentrate on small details, to facilitate and improve practices for swimmers that are new to the joy of swimming in open water.
Simon transmits a distinction and passion for the sport, an all well-reasoned approach to a sport full of natural acts.
His influence is crossing borders throughout the world of open water swimming, and its essence seems to be bathed in pure talent.

Open-Water Nadandolibre From Spain, avd Simon and his team from the Magazine H2Open are confident that you will enjoy every issue of the magazine again and again for more than one hundred years.

Jose Díaz · Simon Griffiths, it would be an honor for us from Spain to go deeper into Nadandolibre with you and hear your own story about the history and the beginnings in swimming and the origin of your career in open water and triathlon.

• What is the history of aquatic Simon Griffiths from the beginning to the present date?

Simon Griffiths · I have been swimming all my life, I've been swimming as long as I can remember, competing at club level until the age of 14. It was then when I stop swimming for a while and I started connecting with some other sports such as kayaking and cricket. Then I discovered triathlon and so I was introducing me to the open water swimming. Now I'm competing in swimming events in both pool and open water and even occasional triathlon ..

Jose Díaz  How did the idea of creating the world's first magazine specializing in open water swimming?

Simon Griffiths ·  H2Open · Before I was working as a freelance writer and wrote a series of articles about open water swimming for World Triathlete magazine. I saw a growing number of people became interested in open water swimming and long distance swimming, so I decided to create a magazine specifically for these swimmers.

Jose Díaz   What was the chemistry with which you strongly developed this great information such as the magazine H2Open Water?

Simon Griffiths · I've been very lucky with the number of people who supported the concept of the magazine from the beginning. These include Steven Muñatones head coach in the Open Water Source, Paul Newsome, head coach of Swim Smooth, Kate Rew, founder of the
The Outdoor Swimming Society, Simon Murie, founder of Swim Trek, Colin Hill, and many others. Without these people, their knowledge and experience, H2Open would not have been possible.

Jose Díaz   How long did it take from the arising of the original idea for the first time until you launched the first magazine on to the market?

Simon Griffiths ·  It took about 5 months, from the idea to publishing the first issue in February 2011. Jose Díaz   Who are your idols in open water?

Simon Griffiths ·  There are many people that impressed me for many different reasons from those who overcome the fears of open water for a swim of 1 mile, to those who devoted considerable efforts to achieve incredible feats of endurance or swimming in extreme conditions. I am also impressed by the coaches and contributors who help swimmers achieve their goals, they are always present in the background, while helping their athletes to take the glory.

Jose Díaz   Do you think today the open water swimming as a sport is booming at its highest, or believe the best is yet to come?

Simon Griffiths ·  Obviously I have the hope that the sport continues to grow and attract more followers. I'm excited about the Olympics in London and what they can do for open water swimming.

Jose Díaz   Do you think today the open water swimming is considered a good range of sports?

Simon Griffiths ·  I think there are still unnecessary barriers to open water swimming ... maybe for a number of outdated fears and prejudices that deter people that it could be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby and a way to stay healthy and explore the world.

Jose Díaz   What is Water H2Open’s part of that for your readers?

Simon Griffiths ·  We have readers with different interests. Some enjoy the technical sessions and training, while others like the stories of inspiration and tips for beautiful places to swim. It really depends on the reader.

Jose Díaz   What brings the most headaches in the time you have while preparing the editions?

Simon Griffiths ·  We want to be a magazine for all who love swimming in open water, if it comes to challenges of long distance, mass participation races with wetsuits or just swim for fun in beautiful surroundings. The hardest part is trying to balance to keep our content relevant and interesting to this diverse group of readers. In addition, because some of our readers are new to open water swimming and others have many years of experience, we have to find a balance in the content we write to be useful for people wherever they are on their way of swimming.

Jose Díaz   Do you have a record of how many readers buy your magazine paper, what about Internet?

Simon Griffiths ·  We have over 2000 paying subscribers and a similar number of people who regularly read our free newsletter. We also sell individual copies of the magazines at events through retail outlets, but the numbers are highly variable and depends on the season. We usually print about 6000 copies. We have recently launched an iPhone application for the magazine and we are sure this will generate more readers.
The magazine (and all previous issues) is now available for iPad (via the Apple store) and Android devices. Currently costs £ 1.99 applications / $ 2.99 for download and comes with a free copy of the magazine.

Jose Díaz   How many have borders H2Open Water has managed to cross, in which countries do you sell the magazine?

Simon Griffiths · We have subscribers in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and several European countries. Although published in the UK in English we strive to be globally relevant and report on events around the world. Now that we are available on the iPad I hope it will make us even more accessible to people anywhere in the world.

Jose Díaz   What has been your best moment of open water in this year 2012?

Simon Griffiths ·  We were very pleased with the success of our H2Open day and presentation of the H2Open Awards on April 28. We were very fortunate to have Cassandra Patten in presenting awarding the trophies to the winners. However, the highlight of the day was the 750m swim, where a large number of people took to swim for the first time completing what for them was a major challenge.

Jose Díaz   What words or phrases are most used to motivate those working on their magazine?
Simon Griffiths ·  We are fortunate that everyone involved with the magazine is interested in open water swimming and enjoying the production. Everyone works very hard, especially when we are approaching deadlines, so I think the best words of motivation is simply, "Thanks!"

Jose Díaz   How do expect a journal as H2Open Water receive the London 2012 Olympics? Will you create a special?

Simon Griffiths ·  We're obviously very excited about the Olympic swimming marathon to be held in Hyde Park, central London. It will be a real showcase for the sport and I hope it inspires many others to run for open water swimming. We will not create a "Special Olympics” as such, but of course we will cover the events. In our June issue (to be published on 11 June), we have an article on the history of swimming in Olympics open waters. In July and we will outline some of the top contenders for medals. We will also publish a story in search of what we can learn from the Olympians.

Jose Díaz   Who is your favorite swimmer in solo marathon swim in open water?

Simon Griffiths · This is a difficult question, because I have equal admiration for the swimmer who is taking his first nervous movements to swim in open water, and for those who dedicate their lives to conquer the oceans.

Jose Díaz  Do you think now swimming in open water is a profitable business?

What can you tell me about your personal vision of this business?

Simon Griffiths ·  I think it's possible to make a living in the areas related to open water, such as training, holiday and event management.
The swimming pool has a large number of participants and I think more and more those who venture to swim outside are beginning to be curious about open water swimming, but it is still early to have the same number of participants in open water as in the pool.

Jose Díaz   Do you think open water will become as much popular as basketball (NBA), or Football?

Simon Griffiths ·  Do not think we should compare with team sports that attract a huge fan base. People enjoy swimming as they can do it themselves and the comparison should be, in a more just, with sports such as triathlon, athletics, cycling, climbing and hiking, for example.

Jose Díaz   Do you think that open water swimmers will soon be as popular as those from the swimming pool?, Do you think names like Thomas Lurz, or Petar Stoychev come to be recognized by men, women and children around the world, in the same way as Michael Phelps, Cesar Cielo, Ryan Lochet are recognized?

Simon Griffiths ·  In the United Kingdom Keri-Anne Payne has become well known.
That open water swimming has become an Olympic event, has made a big difference for athletes to improve their performance and help them become more popular and famous. However, only one chance, while the swimming pool have many opportunities because of competing at various distances and the number of styles with the competing gives them more exposure to the media.

Jose Díaz   How do you see from England Nadandolibre’s work over open water?

Simon Griffiths · Congratulations to everyone who encourages people to enjoy swimming in open water. It might be interesting to explore ways to work together, for example, if you would like to maybe write a guest post in our newsletter on open water swimming in Spain.

Jose Díaz What are your wishes for the open waters in the coming years?

Simon Griffiths · That more and more people discover the pleasure of swimming out ... in open water environments.

Special thanks to my friend Niek Kloots, Open Water Eu, for their help in the translation.