Second ‘Swim for MS’ raises $4,300, still eyeing $5K goal
After doing plenty of “Walk For MS” charity events in honor of his mother in the years since her diagnosis 20 years ago, local athletic trainer Bo Shirey decided he’d like to mix things up a bit while still helping raise money to fight the disorder that continues to affect his mother, Judy.
So, the local “Swim For MS” was born last year — but the 2019 edition still has a few more breaststrokes to go before reaching its financial goal for the year. Last year’s month-long swim saw Bo and a cadre of local swimmers log 500 miles along the way to raising $4,000 for the National MS Society.
This year, the swimmers have traveled close to 550 miles (it takes 36 laps to equal one mile, as a point of reference), though the financial goal of $5,000 has fallen a bit short with only $4,300 raised at this point. So, even though the latest swim technically ended in September, Shirey is still accepting donations through the end of October to try and meet the fundraising goal.
“This just felt like a great way to honor my mom by swimming for her, as she fights the disease MS,” he told The Times. “I just appreciate all the swimmers so much. They did such a great job this year to pass our goal of 500 miles. I mean, it takes about an hour to swim a mile, so they spent a lot of time in the pool to make it happen.”
Shirey is accepting donations and can be contacted via email at bamaboshirey@gmail.com.
Shirey and the swimmers will also be holding a celebration at Jim ‘N Nicks in Cullman at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and anyone wishing to donate could also do so in person at that time.
The swimmers who participated include: Alan Weatherly, Arnold Caylor, Betty Payne, Bo Shirey, Bob Moeller, Clark Farley, Fran Edmondson, Frank Preston, Glenn Pilcher, Gordon Blanton, Jeff Taylor, Jerry Welch, Kathy Lee, Michael Thomas, Mike Hall, Robin Hall, Robyn Crawford, Ruth Anne Knight, Fabian Holland, Victor Crawford, Betty Klocek, Bill Schgier, Claire Pilcher, Frank Odell, Philip Murray, Stephanie Johnson, Gay White, Sandy Blake, Wescoat Free, and Michael Sullins.
“After each swim, the swimmer would record their laps in a notebook,” Shirey explained. “I would tally them each week and send out a notice on our pace. The swimmers really enjoyed seeing the results each week, and it kept them motivated to keep on swimming and some cases increase their normal amounts … Our team swam over 550 miles, 968,000 yards, which is 19,360 laps.”
As far as performance, Shirey also kept track of how each swimmer performed:
50+Mile Club
Arnold Caylor
Bo Shirey
Bob Moeller
30+ Mile Club
Ruth Anne Knight
Michael Thomas
20+ Mile Club
Robyn Crawford
Jerry Welch
Betty Paye
Clark Farley
10+ Mile Club
Bill Schgier
Robyn Hall
Jeff Taylor
Glenn Pilcher
Frank Odell
Frank Preston
Fran Edmondson
Mike Hall
5+ Mile Club
Gay White
Kathy Lee
Fabian Holland
Michael Sullins
Rob Werner
Sandy Blake
Claire Pilcher
Wescoat Free
Gordon Blanton
Stephanie Johnson
1+ Mile Club
Philip Murray
Alan Weatherly
Victor Crawford
Betty Klocek