Teen Will Try To Go Down In The Record Books With Lake Erie Swim
Posted July 23, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Thirteen-year-old Francis Kerr is preparing for her big swim Monday when she’ll dive into the waters of Lake Erie at Sturgeon Point, New York and try to make it over to Crystal Beach, Ont. in under nine hours and 33 minutes, which is the current record for the 20-kilometre stretch.
If Francis can beat that time, she’ll break two records: first, becoming the youngest person to cross Lake Erie and the second is to do it with the fastest time.
“A couple people that are on my swim team have done this and my coach has done this and I thought it would be a neat experience if I did this too,” the medal-winning competitive swimmer said.
The teen has surrounded herself with the perfect people to help her complete her goal. Her coach, Vicky Keith-Munro, has swum across all five of the Great Lakes.
And of course, Francis’ mom Margaret is bursting with pride and can’t wait to cheer her daughter on.
“I’m really proud of her. She’s done a really good job preparing for this,” she said.
Francis has also trained with Jenna Lambert, the first female with a disability to swim across Lake Ontario. The 15-year-old has cerebral palsy and accomplished the incredible feat without using her legs.
“If I really like this and I want to do this again, I’ll probably try Lake Ontario,” Francis said.
The young swimmer hits the water at 8am Monday morning.
