{"id":429123,"date":"2020-05-05T07:00:55","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=429123"},"modified":"2024-10-28T11:43:08","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:43:08","slug":"ishof-class-of-2014-honor-contributors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ishof-class-of-2014-honor-contributors\/","title":{"rendered":"ISHOF Class of 2014: Honor Contributors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Because of the Covid-19 Pandemic and the\u00a0postponement of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2020<\/a>, ISHOF will be reliving some of their previous induction classes.\u00a0 Today we revisit our Honor Contributors from the ISHOF Class of 2014.\u00a0 That year a total of twenty honorees were inducted; seven of which were open water swimmers.\u00a0 In addition to the seven open water swimmers, there were three pool swimmers, Grant Hackett<\/strong>\u00a0(AUS),\u00a0Agnes Kovacs<\/strong>\u00a0(HUN),\u00a0Tom Malchow<\/strong>\u00a0(USA), one diver,\u00a0Peng Bo<\/strong>\u00a0(CHN), two synchronized swimmers,\u00a0Penny<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Vicky Vilagos<\/strong>, (CAN), two water polo players, one male and one female,\u00a0Carlo Silipo<\/strong>\u00a0(ITA), and\u00a0Karen Kuipers<\/strong>\u00a0(NED), two coaches, one male and one female,\u00a0Joseph Nagy<\/strong>\u00a0(HUN, USA, CAN, ESP)(Swimming) and\u00a0Charlotte Davis<\/strong>\u00a0(USA) (Synchronized Swimming), and two Honor Contributors,\u00a0Dale Petranech<\/strong>\u00a0(USA) and\u00a0Norman Sarsfield<\/strong>\u00a0(GBR)<\/p>\n

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Show how special you are and become a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame\u2019s \u201cOne In A Thousand\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Club.\u00a0 Help keep the International Swimming Hall of Fame moving forward toward a new vision and museum by joining now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2014 Honor Contributors:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Petranech,<\/a>

Photo Courtesy: ISHOF<\/p><\/div>\n

Dale Petranech (USA) Open Water\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

FOR THE RECORD: 35 YEARS ADMINISTRATOR FOR OPEN WATER SWIMMING: 1977 to Present; CHAIRMAN AAU NATIONAL LONG DISTANCE COMMITTEE: 1977-1979; CHAIRMAN UNITED STATE SWIMMING LONG DISTANCE COMMITTEE (1979-1991); CHAIRMAN OF FIRST FINA COMMISSION TO STUDY ADDING OPEN WATER SWIMMING TO OLYMPIC AND FINA PROGRAM: 1984-1992; APPOINTED TO FINA\u2019S FIRST TECHNICAL OPEN WATER SWIMMING COMMITTEE: Honorary Secretary (1992-1996); GUIDED FORMATION OF WRITING RULES FOR INTERNATIONAL OPEN WATER SWIMMING; SERVED OVER 30 YEARS AS OPEN WATER EVENT OFFICIAL AND OFFICIAL FINA OBSERVER; CHAIRMAN NATIONAL AQUATIC COALITION: 1996-1998; HONORARY SECRETARY INTERNATIONAL MARATHON SWIMMING HALL OF FAME: 1998 to Present;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Dale Petranech has been a leading figure, promoter, historian and organizer of Open Water Swimming competitions in the United States and around the world for the past 35 years. He has accepted every challenge head on and is well respected internationally for his work.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He began his administrative career in 1977, when he was selected to be chairman of the first USA Swimming Open Water Swimming Committee and developed successful domestic and international programs. After organizing an \u201cunofficial\u201d marathon exhibition during the Los Angeles Olympic Games, in 1984, Dale urged FINA President Bob Helmick to establish a FINA Open Water Swimming Commission, to study adding Open Water Swimming to the FINA and Olympic programs. Under Dale\u2019s leadership as chairman, the commission developed FINA\u2019s first set of rules and procedures, which led to the formation of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee. As that committee\u2019s Honorary Secretary, Dale helped set the agenda, which included adding the 25K marathon swim to the program of the 1991 FINA World Aquatic Championships in Perth, Australia. He helped to write the accepted and standard international rules and served in many capacities internationally as an event official, from clerk of course to assistant referee, to FINA special observer. He also presided over many FINA Open Water Clinics, served on the organizing committees for the FINA Manhattan Island and Absecon Island Swims and mentored younger members of the committee to attain future leadership roles.<\/p>\n

After the death of Commander Gerry Forsberg in 1998, Dale assumed the role and duties of Secretary General for the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, and since then has been responsible for formulating the nomination ballots and for organizing the annual MISHOF induction.<\/p>\n

An accomplished open water swimmer in his own right, Dale became the oldest person to swim the 21 mile Catalina Channel, at the age of 50, in 1985. In order to preserve Marathon Swimming history,<\/p>\n

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