GRANT SIEDLE - SPEAKER

“WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T?”

When the idea of “The Rip Swim” was born, it seemed outrageous. We were going to the authorities to tell them that we intended to take groups of swimmers across the most notorious stretch of water in the country. The handful of swimmers who had previously crossed “The Rip” had also crossed a rather grey legal line, according to the authorities.

Nonetheless, after 12 months of solid work and a 75 page risk management plan, the first crossing took place in October 2014. Since then, 782 swimmers have crossed and there have been 3 races and a double crossing.

Hear the full story about the set up of this bold and exciting project and how, 10 years on, it has now become a ‘bucket-list’ swim for so many adventurous swimmers.

This talk is a 45 minute experience that will capture your attention and leave you thinking about what you can create.

Go to The Rip Swim site.

topics

The Rip Swim project is a fascinating example of how a dream became reality. There are several key themes and all of these are relatable to modern day working environments.

  • Concept refinement

  • Feasibility evaluation

  • Market research based on data, experience and intuition

  • Risk analysis

  • Setting timelines

  • Accepting risk as part of the equation

  • Recruiting the best team (personality + ability + performance)

  • Overcoming fear of failure

  • Selling the concept

  • Reviewing the outcomes for continuous improvement

FOUNDERS

Donald Riddington and I founded “The Rip Swim” in 2014. I met Don when I was coaching him at Prahran pool. He subsequently asked me to coach him across The English Channel. Don was successful and became the oldest Australian swimmer to ever cross (68).