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 extraordinary 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 African History” and “Swimming in the African Diaspora.”
• Richard “Sonny” Tanabe: “Hawaii’s swimming contribution to the aquatic world”.
• Bruce Wigo: “A Race of Swimmers: The Aquatic Skills and Bathing Habits of Native Americans as Described by European Conquistadors, Explorers and Colonists”
• Kelvin Juba: “Five Rings of Water: A Journey through Olympic Swimming”, “Swimming in England and the Impact of Social Control, 1860-1914”, and “David Wilkie – looking back at new ways of promoting an Olympic Champion”
• Bob Barney and Dave 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 and Meegan Wilson: “Masters Swimming For Life – From the Beginning“

Book Signing

Among the confirmed authors that will present their books, are:

• Lynn Sheer: “Swim: Why we Love the Water”
• Lisa Bier: “Fighting the Current: The Rise of American Women’s Swimming, 1870-1926”
• Sonny Tanabe: “The Evolution of Freediving”
• Kelvin Juba: “Fiver Rings of Water”
• Dr Stathis Avramidis: “History of Aquatic Safety”

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 the training video ”How to teach young children how to swim“.

Best regards on behalf of the organizing committee.

Dr Stathis Avramidis                               Bob Duenkel

IAHSFF Co-Chairman                               IAHSFF Co-Chairman

The myth of people performing the ‘doggy’ style in the African "Cave of Swimmers".