2019 ISHOF Honoree Weekend

ISHOF hosted the Class of 2019 Honorees and award winners, May 17-19, 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the 55th annual ISHOF Induction weekend.

The weekend kicked off Friday evening, May 17th with the 24th Annual Paragon Awards, sponsored by Pentair Aquatic Systems. The Paragon Awards are presented annually to individuals or organizations for outstanding contributions to aquatics in six categories.

The Paragon Award winners included Greg Eggert, Competitive Swimming, Bill Farrar, Diving, Carvin DiGiovanni, Recreational Swimming, Peter Davis, Aquatic Safety, Don Holbrook, Water Polo and Igor Kartashov for Synchronized Swimming.

2019 Paragon and Award Winners

Other award winners for the evening included, Ruth Meyer who received the John K. Williams Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award; Jim Wood was given the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously and was represented by his sister, Terry Commodore and his brother, Bob Wood.  David S. Duda was awarded the Judge G. Harold Martin Award, and Robert Strauss was presented the Virginia Hunt Newman Award.  Dale Petranech received the ISHOF Service Award for his many, many years of help and friendship to the Hall of Fame.

Peter Bick received the Al Schoenfield Media Award.  Peter is a photographer who has taken many fabulous photos for numerous magazines, including Sports Illustrated, Time and Swimming World.

Carolyn Wood received the Buck Dawson Authors Award for her book, “Tough Girl”.


Dr. Joe MacInnis

Dr. Joe MacInnis

On Saturday morning, 2019 ISHOF Gold Medallion Recipient, Dr. Joe MacInnis gave us a preview
of his underwater world and was the speaker at the luncheon.  MacInnis, a speaker for numerous Fortune 500 companies, gave ISHOF guests a special treat.  He spoke on leadership in high risk environments, telling stories of his adventures and expeditions.

The 55th annual Induction ceremony began Saturday evening at 6:00 pm at the Ft. Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa. 2019 marked the second year ISHOF has had a successful silent auction.  With donations from swimming legends like Caleb Dressel, Natalie Coughlin, Anthony Ervin and Jason Lezak, just to name a few, the ISHOF Silent Auction was a huge hit among ISHOF guests and swimming enthusiasts that were able to bid online.

A special thank you to all those who donated to our 2019 Silent Auction.  Besides swimming memorabilia, we had exciting items, like a 7-day vacation in Cabo San Lucas, thanks to the generosity of Drury Gallagher, an African Safari, A Napa Valley wine excursion and much more.

The ISHOF Silent Auction will now be an annual event during the Honoree weekend and a major fund-raising opportunity for ISHOF.  Please consider ISHOF if you have any items that you might to donate for next year's event.  Contact Meg Keller-Marvin at 570.594.4367 or meg@ishof.org if you would like to be part of the silent auction.

This year's Induction Class of 2019 included four swimmers, Jason Lezak (USA), Stephanie Rice (AUS), Britta Steffen (GER) and Otylia Jegrzejczak (POL); one diver, Li Ting (CHN); one synchronized swimmer, Olga Sedakova (RUS); one water polo player, Alessandro Campagna (ITA); one coach, Boris Popov (RUS); one open water swimmer, Marcella MacDonald (USA); one contributor, Dr. Ferenc Salamon (HUN) and one Pioneer, Alfred Nakache* (FRA).  The Gold Medallion recipient for 2019 was Dr. Joseph MacInnis.

Jason Lezak and son Ryan

The class of 2019 begins with the swimmer who anchored one of the most memorable races in history.  Jason Lezak has competed in four Olympic games, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012, and has won eight Olympic medals, four gold, two silver, and two bronze.  Lezak will always be remembered as the anchor of the U.S. 4×100m freestyle relay team that won the gold medal and set a new world record at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.  Lezak's split a 46.06, is the fastest 100m freestyle split in history by nearly six-tenths of a second.

Call for Nominations for the 2020 ISHOF Induction Class

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is accepting nominations for the 2020 class of inductees, which honors individuals who have achieved tremendous success in the aquatic disciplines and/or made a significant impact on the sport of aquatics through their lifelong efforts.  Nominations must be submitted along with supporting materials by July 10, 2019.

The 2020 Inductees will be honored at ISHOF’s annual Induction Ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA on Saturday April 24, 2020.

Nominations can be made by anyone in any of the following six categories:

• SWIMMER (includes Olympic, Masters, Marathon, Open Water and Pioneer Swimmers)
• DIVER (includes Olympic, Masters and Pioneer Divers)
• WATER POLO PLAYER (includes Olympic, Masters and Pioneer Water Polo Players)
• ARTISTIC SWIMMER (includes Olympic, Masters and Pioneer Synchronized Swimmers)
• COACH (Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming, Masters, Open Water & Marathon Swimming)
• CONTRIBUTOR (Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming, Masters, Open Water & Marathon Swimming)

Nomination Forms

Nomination forms can be found on the ISHOF website.  You can complete and submit the form online, or print a downloadable formand return it via email (ischmid@ishof.org), fax (954.525.4031) or snail mail (Ivonne Schmid, International Swimming Hall of Fame, 1 Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33316)

Requirements for Nomination

Each nominee must meet the following minimum criteria to appear on the ballot:  (see full list of criteria)

1. Generally, athletes shall not be chosen unless retired from international competition at least four years, or at least one Olympic quadrennial.  “Athletes” refers to swimmers, open water swimmers (FINA), divers, water polo players and artistic (synchronized) swimmers. Masters and Marathon swimmers (Non-FINA) may be nominated without retirement after being inducted in their respective Hall of Fame and will be voted on by the same criteria as all other nominees.
2. Note that male and female candidates are grouped together, alphabetically.  Male and female candidates should be voted upon as one combined group per category.
3. A coach must have a significant international record and have been coaching at least 25 years.
4. A contributor must have been in aquatics at least 20 years and have had a significant international impact. Athletic achievement should NOT be considered, contributions are to the overall improvement or development of “international” sport through leadership, journalism, invention or other area of great, outstanding impact.
5. The Pioneer category was created to honor great achievements or advancements in aquatics that have been overlooked. These include special circumstances, such as interruptions caused by war or politics, barrier-breaking moments, societal changing events, etc.
6.  All Nominees must exemplify the highest athletic moral and ethical standards. Any past or current violations of the spirit and principles of Olympism, such as doping, DUI’s, domestic violence, drug abuse, accusations of sexual offense etc. have to be disclosed at the time of nomination. If and when ISHOF is presented with substantial or compelling evidence, a criminal charge, conviction or admission of guilt, the ISHOF board of Directors will consider all options within our means and resources that will enable us to ensure the integrity of our Hall of Fame.
7. Remember the key word – “international”. Emphasis should be placed on the international impact made by the nominee, not just within his or her own country.
8. Consideration should be given to athletes failing to participate in Olympics because of non-Olympic years due to war (1916, 1940, 1944), boycotts (1980, 1984) injury, career interruptions and non-Olympic events such as the individual medley (I.M.) prior to 1964, etc.

Important: Please provide contact information (email, phone, or address) of the person you are nominating and a high-resolution photo (either a photo you took or a photo that you own the rights to).

For more information please email Ivonne Schmid at ischmid@ishof.org or call 954.462.6536 ext. 210

For an alphabetical list of current inductees, please visit the ISHOF website.

About ISHOF

The International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc. (ISHOF), established in 1965, is a not-for-profit educational organization located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.  It was first recognized by FINA, the International Olympic Committee’s recognized governing body for the aquatic sports, in 1968.  ISHOF’s mission is to collaborate with aquatic organizations worldwide to preserve, educate and celebratehistory, showcase events, share cultures, and increase participation in aquatic sports.