14-Year-Old Becomes Youngest to Swim across Large US Lake

 

A 14-year-old California boy has become the youngest person to swim the entire 34-kilometer length of Lake Tahoe.

The boy's name is James Savage¹. He completed the swim on August 1. It took him 12 hours to cross the famous lake.

Lake Tahoe is along the state line of California and Nevada. It is known for its natural beauty. Savage's swim across the lake started in South Lake Tahoe, California, and ended in the Nevada town of Incline² Village.

His effort was part of a swim event called the Lake Tahoe Triple³ Crown. It is called the Triple Crown because it is made up of three parts. That includes the true width and length of the lake as well as an area called Vikingsholm. This is a crossing at the southern part of the lake.

Before swimming the 34-kilometer length of the lake, Savage had already successfully completed the other two parts of the competition. Each of those is more than 16 kilometers long.

Savage and his mother, Jillian, talked to a local newspaper about the event and how he prepared for it. They both agreed that the physical preparation was a lot easier than the mental preparation. It takes great mental endurance⁴ to complete such a long-distance swim.

However, his mother said she knew that after the first mile her son would succeed.

Jillian Savage told the Tahoe Daily Tribune "I had no doubts whatsoever⁵. He (has) been swimming almost every day -- six, seven days a week -- since he was 8."

This was also not the first time he swam across Lake Tahoe.

Last August, at age 13, Savage became the youngest to complete the 19-kilometer "true width swim." It is also known as the "Godfather" swim. That is because it starts on Tahoe's west shore at a mansion⁶ that appears in the movie "The Godfather: Part II."

Jillian Savage said that swimming in open water is what her son prefers. Open water swimming takes place in natural bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, and oceans.

James said he enjoys swimming in pools, but they are pretty much all the same. "In open water events and competitions," he said, "you can swim in oceans, lakes, and you get to travel around."

Jillian Savage said when her son started swimming in open water events, he told the family he wanted to swim from Alcatraz – the famous prison off the California coast – to the city of San Francisco.

He was only 8 years old when he made that trip.

She said, "We let him do it kind of hoping and thinking it would be a one and done." But as soon as her son got out of the water, he said he wanted to do it again.

His latest swim was led by Captain Tom "Reptile⁷" Linthicum of Lake Tahoe Marathon Swim Federation⁸. The team also included an official observer and pace swimmer. (A pace swimmer is an individual who swims alongside⁹ or near an open water swimmer.)

Jillian Savage rowed a small boat alongside her son during his swim. The mom's biggest worry was that he might give up after a few hours if he got bored.

She said that it takes many people to make the swim event possible. But in the end, it is really just him "out there by himself."

"It (is) not like he can sit and talk to us when he gets bored," his mother said. "His face is in the water and so really, he (is) by himself."

James said he is not sure what he wants to do next. His mom says he will likely set his goal high.

She added that his swimming challenges keep getting more and more difficult. "I'm kind of afraid to see what he wants to do next," she said.

But whatever his next swimming goal is, his mother said she and his supporters will help him make it happen.

Words in This Story

endurance – n. the ability to do something difficult for a long time

doubt – n. a feeling of being uncertain

shore – n. the land along the edge of a body of water

mansion – n. a large and impressive house : the large house of a wealthy person

bored – adj. the state of being weary¹⁰ and restless through lack of interest

challenge – n. a difficult task or problem : something that is hard to do

1 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

2 incline   

v.(使)倾斜；倾向于，赞同；n.斜坡，斜面

参考例句：

• I incline to his opinion on this matter.对这件事我倾向于他的观点。
• The coach breast ed a slight incline.马车上了一个慢坡。

3 triple   

n.三倍之数，三个一组；adj.三倍的

参考例句：

• Twelve is the triple of four.十二是四的三倍数。
• He received triple wages for all his extra work.由于额外的工作他领取了三倍的工资。

4 endurance   

n.耐久力，忍耐力，耐久的时期，持续的时间

参考例句：

• She reached the end of endurance.她到了忍受的极限。
• The exercise obviously will improve strength and endurance.这种锻炼会明显改善体力增加耐力。

5 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

6 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

7 reptile   

n.爬行动物；两栖动物

参考例句：

• The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
• So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。

8 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

9 alongside   

adv.在旁边；prep.和...在一起，在...旁边

参考例句：

• There was a butcher's shop alongside the theatre.剧院旁边有一家肉店。
• Alongside of him stood his uncle.他的身旁站着他叔叔。

10 weary   

adj.疲劳的，使人疲劳的；vi.厌烦，不耐烦

参考例句：

• He has laid out all his strength and is weary.他使出了全部气力，非常疲倦。
• I am weary of his constant complaints.我对他不断发牢骚感到厌烦。