International Aquatic History Symposium & Film Festival

The Organizing Committee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame is delighted to announce the inaugural International Aquatic History Symposium & Film Festival (IAHSFF) that will be held in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, USA in 9-12 May 2012.

Why have an IAHSFF?

Sports history and historical events provide inspiration for youth, a historical context for current rules, skills and the achievements of athletes, a platform for documentary and feature films, for fictional and non‐fiction literature and art –all of which serve to promote sport in the media and with the general public. Thus, the heritage of every sport is a fundamental component of its future and must be respected and preserved in a meaningful way. It is for this reason that the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) and Museum was established in 1962 and to further this important mission, ISHOF is initiating the inaugural IAHSFF.

Speakers

Among the confirmed speakers are:

• Robert Pruter: ”Having the Necessities”- The remarkable story of the DuSable High School swim team of Chicago, 1935-1952.
• Dr Stathis Avramidis: “Hollywood Films: Truths and Lies in relation to Drowning and Lifesaving”, “Aquatic and Lifesaving Related Messages that arise from Art”, and “Facts, Legends and Myths on the Evolution of Resuscitation”.
• Dr Kevin Dawson: “Swimming, Surfing, and Underwater Diving in West Africa” and “African Swimmers in the New World: Enslaved Swimmers and Underwater Divers“.
• Steven Munatones: “The History of Open Water Swimming – From the English Channel to Hyde Park at the 2012 London Olympics” and “Lessons by the Death of Fran Crippen Description”
• Lisa Bier will present her book: “American Women’s swimming 1870–1926”.
• Lynn Sherr: will present her book: “Swim: Why we Love the Water”
• Richard “Sonny” Tanabe: “Evolution of Freediving & History of Spear fishing in Hawaii”, and “Hawaii’s swimming contribution to the aquatic world”.
• Bruce Wigo: “Native American Swimming Skills Before and After The Arrival of the Europeans” 
• Bob Barney: “Resistance, Persistence, Providence: Swimming Science, David Armbruster, and the Evolution of the Butterfly Stroke“
• Dave Barney: “O Brave New World of Super Suits: So Fast Even Phelps Didn’t Know the Water was There“.
• Barbara Dunbar, Meegan Wilson: “Masters Swimming for Life- From the Beginning”

Cinematography

Among the confirmed films to be presented are:

• Ted Woods will present “Whitewash”, a documentary film that explores the complexity of race in America through the struggle and triumph of the history of black surfers. The story is narrated by Grammy Award winner Ben Harper with Tariq “Blackthought” Trotter of The Roots and told through the eyes of black surfers from Hawaii, Jamaica, Florida, and California.
• Cheryl Furjanic will present “Sync or Swim”, a documentary film about synchronized swimming. Sync or Swim provides a firsthand depiction of nine young ladies who aggressively train to make a spot on the U.S. Olympics Synchronized Swim Team and where split-second timing is everything. Over the course of the journey, the women must also band together to show emotional support to a member of the team who is rebounding from a sudden and utterly devastating personal crisis.
• Terje Stakset will present “How to Teach Young Children to Swim“, a training film that shows the progress of children from 3 years to 5 years.
• Frank Pia will present “On Drowning”, a pioneering film that established the Instinctive Drowning Response. 

Best regards on behalf of the organizing committee.

Dr Stathis Avramidis                               Bob Duenkel

IAHSFF Co-Chairman                               IAHSFF Co-Chairman

 The controversial image that is believed to depict people

performing the ‘doggy’ style in the African “Cave of Swimmers”.