One summer鈥檚 day in early August, 50 swimmers made a splash into the Atlantic Ocean to begin their journey across the Northumberland Strait from Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick to Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island.
Amongst those dedicated swimmers participating was Tanya Muggeridge (Class of 鈥�99 and 鈥�03), facility manager for the Genomics Unit at Dal鈥檚 Faculty of Agriculture. She鈥檚 had her sights set on completing the grueling 14-km swim for the past three years.
鈥淚 signed up for the event three years in a row,鈥� Tanya says. 鈥淭he first year we were all standing on the beach watching white caps on the water in the distance and heavy clouds rolling in. Although we weren鈥檛 able to swim across the Northumberland Strait, we did swim 12 km along the New Brunswick shoreline.鈥�
In 2017, Tanya and her fellow swimmers faced a similar fate. Standing on the beach, both mentally and physically prepared, bad weather descended and dampened the spirits of those prepared to swim. The entire swim was cancelled due to high winds, thunder and lightning.
To the delight of this year鈥檚 swimmers though, 2018 was much different.
All for a good cause
is an annual summer event that raises money for the as part of the Give to Live project. Currently in its eighth year, The Big Swim recently reached the $1 million mark in fundraising money. Each year, up to 50 swimmers can register for the event and pledge to fundraise to support the charity. For Tanya, it was a challenge she couldn鈥檛 pass up.
Though Tanya and her family moved between Newfoundland and Ontario when she was young, it was the East Coast that captured her heart. She returned to Newfoundland to attend Memorial University where she met her husband, Mike. Together, they made the move to Truro, Nova Scotia, where they have been living for 25 years. There, Tanya completed two degrees at the Faculty of Agriculture (then Nova Scotia Agricultural College): her Bachelor of Science degree in animal science in 1999, followed by her master鈥檚 2003. Today, Tanya manages the Genomics Unit and facilitates the research of faculty across campus.
On top of her work at Dal AC, Tanya has a seven-year-old daughter who she explains was part of her motivation to complete The Big Swim.
鈥淚t was important to me to show Maya that I wouldn鈥檛 give up; I would complete and achieve my goal of swimming across the strait and she would be there on the other side to witness it.鈥�
Making the most of it
Tanya was also swimming for the hundreds of kids who attend Brigadoon Village each year. Located in Aylesford, NS, Brigadoon Village is a traditional sleep-away children鈥檚 camp where children battling chronic illness can be ordinary and experience camp like any other child. It provides them with a very important break from the institutional healthcare system that they spend so much of their time in throughout the rest of the year.
鈥淚t is a wonderful sanctuary, giving kids the chance to be with others going through similar issues,鈥� Tanya says. 鈥淚t is a chance for them to break away from the difficult routine of medical appointments and just be themselves, make friends and have fun.鈥�
Beginning her training in March, Tanya would visit the pool at Truro鈥檚 Rath Eastlink Community Centre to swim laps. She began increasing her swimming distance from 1 km to 5 km. As the weather improved, she trained in lakes throughout Nova Scotia and in the ocean when the water warmed up, swimming up to 9 kilometres.
After countless hours of rigorous training, Tanya swam 18 km across the Northumberland Strait in eight hours. It took a bit longer than anticipated as the undertow and current pushed most of the swimmers many kilometres away from the Confederation Bridge. For Tanya, this was the most difficult part, but her razor-sharp focus kept her going, one stroke at a time.
鈥淚 would get into a rhythm and feel like I was flying through the water,鈥� Tanya says. 鈥淎n incredible feeling and I was thinking of how lucky I was to be able to do this. Any complaining about how tired or sore I might be would not touch the pain and discomfort these children at Brigadoon endure every day of their lives. I was swimming to accomplish this feat for myself, but I was also swimming for those kids too.鈥�
Staying motivated
While Tanya鈥檚 mental fitness certainly played a role in getting her safely to the other side, she also credits her motivation to her husband who was, quite literally, with her every stroke of the way.
鈥淎ll swimmers are required to have a kayaker alongside them. My husband, Mike, was my kayaker. Mike was my rock and was extremely supportive throughout our eight-hour day on the water. I would not have been able to complete it without him by my side. In addition to his encouragement and company he also had our food and drink on the boat; definitely a necessity for spending the day on the water鈥� she adds with a smile.
Tanya鈥檚 seven-year-old daughter and other family members were waiting for her on the other side during her crossing. Knowing that her biggest supporters were waiting for her kept her motivated and determined.
Looking back, Tanya is thankful for the experience. In total, $170,000 was raised in support of Brigadoon Village. She now joins the other 199 people who can say they successfully swam across the Northumberland Strait.
鈥淚 feel very proud to be among this amazing group of people,鈥� Tanya says. 鈥淲e made a commitment, trained hard, raised thousands of dollars, brought awareness to this very special Brigadoon Village, and we got to meet incredible volunteers and organizers who were all wonderful. They treated us like family.鈥�
While she is forever grateful for the experience, Tanya admits she won鈥檛 be participating in The Big Swim again. She explains she is considering her next charity challenge and is excited to see what she鈥檒l find herself training for next.
鈥淚 have reached my goal of successfully swimming across the Strait,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey only take 50 swimmers each year so it鈥檚 time to hang up my wetsuit and let someone else take the plunge. In the future, I may consider running across the Confederation Bridge rather than swimming under it!鈥�