Hudson River to English Channel and Beyond!

[TNTCoachMatt]

My name is Matthew James Dios Price, Matt Price. I have been a swimmer my whole life and all though I am a water polo player at heart these days open water swimming is my passion. By day I am Title Searcher, by early evening I am the Water Polo coach at West Point, the United States Military Academy, by night I am training to swim the English Channel, and on weekends I am a TEAM IN TRAINING SWIM COACH! I am using my swimming and coaching efforts to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please visit the following site to support me or encourage your friends to visit: http://www.active.com/donate/hudsonswim08/englishchannel

I love swimming, but I hate Cancer! Hope you feel the same. As many of you know I have been doing "The Hudson River Swim for Life" fundraising since 2000. Last year I didn't swim because of a shoulder injury and surgery but I coached 8 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training (TNT) swimmers to cross. They all raised $16,000. The swim raised over $250k. This year my shoulders are better (knock on wood, I have a surgery scheduled for the right one in Sep) and I am ready to go; however I have heard some complaints that 3.1 miles isn't long enough for me and for fund raising.

Sooooo.... Here is the deal. This summer I just swam 10k across the San Fran Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge, next the ENGLISH CHANNEL in late July, an Ironman in Kentucky, and coaching TNT swimmers, and even organizing a charity water polo tournament to be played in the river! But I NEED YOUR HELP. I cannot do all this alone. I need your help both emotionally and financially. If you can't afford to give anything, give me a call or send an email encouraging me to keep training. I need the motivation. If you can afford to give, even just a dollar please do. The support that you all give me is incredible; when I was swimming in the San Francisco bay it was 53degrees in the water and I swam without a wetsuit. In cold like that is really was the amazing support and motivation that you all have given me that gives me the strength to keep swimming. I need more to keep swimming and make these bigger and tougher events.

If you're like me you hate cancer too. Here is where I get really crazy though. I was thinking; the 5k swim cost $350, so that is $112.90 per mile. I am going to be competing in approx 181 miles this summer! At the going rate my goal should be $20,435.00! I know that sounds crazy, but that if 800 people can donate $25 then I can make it. If 1600 donate $12.50, well you all can do math. Please, donate what you can, even just a dollar, and if you can't... Encourage me and check in on me, and if you don't mind forward my page, http://www.active.com/donate/hudsonswim08/englishchannel, to your friends, and to their friends etc. Together we can meet these goals, we can celebrate small athletic victories but more importantly, one day I pray we will all be celebrating a cure to these awful diseases! Thank you for your consideration and help.

This Sunday is the First TNT SWIM TRAINING!  So if you haven't signed up yet and want to please do.  Also, I leave next Friday on June 20th for England.  My tides are 7/9 - 7/19.  I'll be home on 7/22.  Keep training hard here while I'm gone and wish me luck, I'll be thinking of all of you!

-Matt