Not Afraid to Swim With the Fishes Orinda Girl Wins First Place at Sharkfest
Submitted by Jack Reid
Kendall Hemming (middle) Photo Greg Hemming
As a Christmas present to her dad, nine year-old Kendall Hemming, of Orinda, proposed swimming an open water race in the Bay together.
When she committed to swimming Sharkfest, water temperature and possible "wildlife" encounters were her biggest fears -- and come race day, neither disappointed. Hemming and her father trained all year, swimming ever longer continuous distances together, often in the Bay or Lake Tahoe.
On Saturday August 15, Hemming competed in Sharkfest, a 1.5 mile race from Alcatraz to Aquatic Park in San Francisco. Hemming was the youngest of the 800 participants and won the 10-and-under female group in one hour, 22 minutes. While braving the cold was a challenge, the scariest part was a large harbor seal which breached within ten feet of the father-daughter team.
When she committed to swimming Sharkfest, water temperature and possible "wildlife" encounters were her biggest fears -- and come race day, neither disappointed. Hemming and her father trained all year, swimming ever longer continuous distances together, often in the Bay or Lake Tahoe.
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA