Profiles

Many ,many people help to make these events a success. Not least those kind enough to sponsor and give to the charities the challenges are design to benifit.

Below is a "less than complimentary" summary of some of the key players who have taken some of their own time to give to those less fortunate. Great people and characters everyone of them and Mick knows he is proud to call them his friends

Michael/Mick/Mickey/Metal Mickey/Helpsy

Sport has been a key part of Mick's life for a long time. Whether playing, watching or coaching he enjoy sport. Although he's partial to a long swim (English Channel solo ,Lake Zurich and two lengths of Lake Windermere) he can also do equally stupid endurance events on dry land (Ironman, Marathons etc.) and has plans to tackle the infamous Marathon Des Sables and the Arch to Arc before he gets too old (Well lets face it he's already at that stage but no one is brave enough to tell him so we let him carry on regardless!)

He has always said that through these events he has felt privileged to meet so many inspirational characters and believes it is the right thing to do to help those who are less fortunate or need support by doing something he enjoys - i.e. ridiculously long and painful endurance events

Mick loves the humour and fun he gets out these challenges ,not taking this part of his life too seriously.

Events: All Challenges to date

Paul/Og/Oggie/Hosk's

If Og was allowed to write his own profile he would start with a 15 page dossier on his ankle, back ,hamstring complaints!(etc.....etc) (with regular twitter updates on fresh twinges!) His ankle ailments are indeed legendary believed to originate from an ancient football injury but it was so long ago that it is said they were playing with a pig’s bladder at the time!

Joking aside he is a rock of a character who will mentally be able to eat the challenges but its always a test whether the bag of bones will be as tough as the mind.

The Channel Relay was the start of his Open Water Swimming career and he rouse to the occasion - worryingly he has taken comfortably to both lycra and speedo's!

Events: Windermere two way swim crew, John O'Groats to Landsend Cyclist, Channel Relay swimmer.

Brad/Bradster

Bradster was formerly in the Army. (Details however become vague from this point so we have had to fill in the blank information based on our own research so some of the findings may be subject to confirmation.)

He was in the specialist catering core and at his peak was skilled enough to kill a man within a single lunch time armed only with his recipe for lasagne, a small tomato and an oven glove.

He has seen action across the world .For example being active in Scunthorpe, Luton and Clacton-on-sea. It was during his tour of duty at the latter location that he got his interest in swimming. Whilst others were suppressing the local uprising he would often sit on the beach thinking up recipes for ratatouille or ways to spice up a Cesar salad with aromatic herbs. We have seen his love of the exotic during training where he has brought along his home made strawberry and blackberry perfumed tea for a post swim refreshment.

He is a strong character who although new to open water swimming has learnt the skill to just keep going. He has the mentality that he will not be stopped and has doggedly chipped away at every challenge thrown at him during training. This must be the military mind - he was in the army - did you know?

Mark/Pollers

Pollers’ was the Channel relay team captain and organised the squad excellently. This was not been an easy task and at times probably been akin to herding cats! It is therefore not a surprise that he has been so successful as Pollers’ has extensive experience of working with animals during his time as an ‘adult entertainer’.

Most of the activities we would freely write about Pollers’ would no doubt land us into a huge litigation battle with him and seeing as he’s a top lad we thought we would be wholly impartial and very scientific. We therefore undertook an independent survey of people who knew Pollers (actually the other 5 of SEA6 whilst in a curry house) to describe him in one word.

Mark has successfully run many Marathons and enjoys most ball sports (assumed he meant Football and Rugby).He is also a founder member and MD of the internationally renowned Turquoise Cleaning company along with Bradster (who was in the army!)

Greg/Doddsey/TJ

Doddsey is one half of the dynamic duo who impressively raced each other across the channel in 2007. He was also part of Mickey's successful solo channel crossing crew taking on the role of Mr. Motivator. Which consisted of him throwing food at Mick at strategic points of the swim and shouting obscenities in the knowledge that either Mick couldn’t hear him (with his swimming ear plugs in) or he was safely on board the boat where Mick couldn’t get him until he had finished the swim!

He used to play a bit of Water polo as well ................................ I feel we're about to enter into a long diatribe of abuse from him where by he will explain at length how he is still as good as ever and can show the current crop a thing or two ! (problem is He's probably right!)

Events: Channel solo crew member, Lake Windermere two way crew member, Channel Relay swimmer

David/Dave/Kimber/Kimber Dog/Brown Bottle/DOG !

Kimber Dog is a city boy with a big heart. He is the linking factor between most of the SEA6 team having played waterpolo with Helpsy and Doddsy and going to school with Pollers’. He has also run many marathons and has taken very well to the open water scene (by this we mean he enjoys prancing around Brighton beach in skimpy speedos!).He comes from a strong swimming background and although a channel virgin took well to the challenge of the channel relay.

His biggest failing is his denial of the fact he is a size 40” waist and has doggedly folded himself into a pair of size 32” speedo’s. This has however got him recognized in the Oxford English Dictionary. If you look up in a 2010 version under “Denial” it says ‘Dave Kimber’s Speedo size!’

Probably the nicest bloke in the city and also in SEA6 .This is however like saying he’s the most popular ginger kid in a leper colony!- (Just in case you thought we had gone soft and all lovey-dovey or have drunk some of Bradster’s hippy tea) - (Brad was in the Army - Did you know!)

Dickie/Richard/ Cromps/Sumo

Mick has known known Dickie since school (yes they did sometime go! - they hide it so well!) and there have not been any key event in each others lives that they have not been involved in some form involved.(weddings ,god-parents, channel swims etc..)

Dickie is an untapped oil well of ability and probably one of the funniest men on the planet. (a cheque will do Dickie!!) A king of the one liners and a general knowledge /useless information expert.

Rob/Robert

Following both successfully doing the London Triathlon and then inventing the 4in04 Rob and Mick went on to do the first ever UK Ironman together and went through many physical and mental learning curves to achieve this. Rob is one of the good guy in the team. Often hampered by injury but has the determination and ability to achieve so many challenges

Events: London Olympic Triathlon, 4in04 competitor, Ironman, Channel Solo Swim Crew

Andy/Andrew/Yasser

Mick Met Andy when Mick was single handily managing the development of the Fifth Terminal at Heathrow Airport (!!). Andy came into tell Mickey what a great job he was doing.

Andy has many (he would claim amusing) stories about how he has often been mistaken for the former Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat. Aside from all of the above he is a genuine good person who seems to make sense out of chaos.

Mark/Mr.B/Bayliss

It was Mark who made the first mad suggestion of doing the Marathon Des Sables to Mick in 2008. At the time Mick did not fully appreciate what would be involved and as the 2011 event comes closer he realises doing as Mr.Bayliss suggests is not always a good idea!

Mark has also undertaken Marathons, an Ironman ,plays waterpolo and has swum the channel. Mark was part of Mick's crew when Mick Swam the channel and Mick was part of Mark's crew when he followed suit.

The most determined and dedicated training partner Mick has ever trained with. Mark is good to train with .......if you can keep up!

Events: Channel Solo Swim Crew, Lake Zurich swimmer, Marathon Des Sables Runner