About Us
Overenthusiastic and maybe a little crazy, our swimmers hail from all areas of the US and World.
Noah Smith-Drelich
21 - Philosophy - Williams College - Class of 2007
Born on a non-operational ranch in South-eastern Colorado, Noah now lives on a "tree farm" in Western Maryland with 6 chickens and a sheep named Sylvius. In addition to Piano, Photography, and canoeing, Noah's recently developed a passion for sleeper trains, making it from Vienna to Prague to Budapest to Bucharest to Sofia to Thessalonica this spring break without missing an hour of sunlight. From the ages of 6-9 Noah was a standout on the swim team, and he hopes that this experience will carry through to the English Channel.
Shane Bobrycki
21 - History - Williams College - Class of 2007
Hailing from New York (the city of Syracuse), Shane runs long distances for fun at Williams. Frequently lamenting that swimming isn't as easy as running, Shane will be swimming the English Channel in a black and green florescent Speedo. Most recently, Shane has gathered local fame as the Williams in Oxford Programme's resident 'laundry poet,' penning instant classics such as "The Wash'd Land" and "A Call to Laundry."
Devin Yagel
21 - English - Williams College - Class of 2007
A "ginger" rower on the Exeter Women's first 8, Devin does little to live up to red heads' quick-tempered reputation. This level-headed rower also happens to be a phenomenal pianist, although you'd never know to hear her talking about it. She also has an unusual attraction to a particular Fibonacci drawing sequence, once become so excited about it that she attempted to recreate it in the sand on a beach in Portugal.
Katy Moore
Geography - Oxford - Class of 2008
Much more a runner than a swimmer, Katy has competed in triathlons and duathlons before. Residing in Brighton, Katy is no stranger to the ocean; the Prince Regent made Brighton fashionable by praising the health benefits of the sea, which was more than enough for Katy to participate in a Christmas Day swim without a wetsuit for charity! Ahh, what we will do for a good cause...Katy does expect the English Channel to be a bit warmer than this, and can't wait to swim.
Kathy Burgoine
Medicine - Oxford - Class of 2007
Kathy is still not sure whether she likes to be on top of the water, in the water or running through the water! Kathy is a keen sports woman having competed for Oxford in rowing, cross-country running and triathlon. As a final year medic she spends most of her free time in South Africa pursuing her research interest in MTCT of HIV. So what better combination could have been found for her latest adventure than to swim across the Channel for such a fantastic cause! She can't wait!
Cagatay Bircan
20 - German and Economics - Class of 2007
Cagatay hated water when he was little - it wasn't until the long summer days spent on beaches in the Mediterranean in his native Turkey that he came to understand the value of (salty) water! He has never been to France before but chosen the most inconvenient way so far to get there: swimming the English Channel. Help him see the French beaches on June 21, 2006!
Jordan Goldwarg
25 - Environmental Policy - Class of 2003
Jordan grew up in Montreal and has spent most of his life trying to avoid the liquid form of water, much preferring the frozen form instead. After spending 4 years at Williams on the cross-country ski team, he spent two years coaching skiing at Dartmouth and Williams before coming to Oxford to do a Masters in Geography. The lack of snow in England has convinced him finally to give liquid H2O a try, and he is very excited to be taking part in the Channel swim.
Hannah Gray
21 - Religion and English - Class of 2007
Born and raised in NYC, this lassie from the 'Dale (as she calls it) is the jock of our motley crew. In High School Hannah was a stand-out swimmer on her high school swim team as well as a junior Olympic cyclist. However, she had long given these activities before coming to Oxford in favor of the more delicate art of Chaucer and Milton. Don't be fooled by her now-bookish ways: despite planning on writing two theses next year, this overly active brunette will be the first to tell you how many hours a day she spends in the gym (3).
Mehmet
18 - Oriental Studies - Oxford Class of 2008
Mehmet is the President of the Turkish Society at Oxford and, well, that's kind of all we know about him. Supposedly he swims or something too.