The News-Press and Naples Daily News held their annual Southwest Florida Sports Awards Show on May 29 at Suncoast Arena on the campus of Southwest Florida State College. During the show, we announced the Seacrest Volleyball team as the 2024-25 Girls Team of the Year.

The final All-Big Bend teams of the year are here as the spring sports round out the Tallahassee Democrat’s annual award season.

A BUSINESS leader from the New Forest will be making a splash to raise money for a children’s swimming charity.

Marketing strategist and mum-of-two Sarah McCrae will take part in a relay swim across the English Channel to support SwimTayka.

The UK-based charity provides free swimming lessons in “low-resource” coastal areas of countries like Brazil, Peru and Bali, where the risk of drowning is high and access to swimming education is limited.

Collectively called the Team SeaGals, Sarah will join five teammates in July as they swim in rotation for an hour at a time from Dover to the French coast.

The 20-mile crossing can take between 11 and 18 hours, depending on tides and weather, and will see the team face strong currents, busy shipping lanes and freezing water temperatures, all without wetsuits.

It’s scheduled to take place between 23rd and 31st July, depending on tides.

Sarah said: “We are brought together by a shared sense of adventure and a commitment to this meaningful cause.

“Each team member is facing her own personal challenge: from overcoming injury, managing cold-water anxiety, to rebuilding fitness.

“What unites us is a collective determination to train hard, support each other and achieve this incredible goal together.”

Although Sarah has a strong swimming background from her youth in club swimming, water polo, and windsurfing, the Channel swim is unlike anything she’s ever faced before.

“I’ve always loved the water but I also have a deep-rooted fear of open water and what lurks beneath the surface,” she said. “This is completely outside my comfort zone. I’m doing this to raise funds for SwimTayka because I believe every child deserves the chance to feel safe and confident in the water. It’s not just about sport, it’s about survival.”

Training for the challenge began during the winter, with Sarah focusing on endurance training in the pool and gym and cold-water acclimatisation dips in the sea.

She has done open-water swims at Ellingham Lake north of Ringwood, QuaySwim in Mytchett, Surrey, and other locations along the south coast.

Sarah has also been training regularly with her team at Aldershot Garrison, Littlehampton and Dover Harbour, simulating the demanding conditions of a Channel relay.

SwimTayka founder Bryan Avery said: “More people have climbed Everest than have swum the English Channel.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Sarah and the SeaGals for taking on this monumental challenge. Their support will directly help us reach more children with essential water safety skills.”

Sarah is aiming to raise £2,000 for SwimTayka, and all funds will go directly to support their international programmes.

Donations can be made via https://justgiving.com/page/sarah-mccrae-swimtayka

From Lignano Sabbiadoro to Somabay, to keep living the HaBaWaBa dream. This is the journey the teams classified at 2^nd and 3^rd places in Gold U9 and U11 tournaments of HaBaWaBa International Festival 2025 will take: Italian Bogliasco, Rapallo Sharks, San Mauro Squali, and Montenegrin Primorac 1 will fly to HaBaWaBa Egypt thanks to the generous and exciting initiative by Mindset For Sport Development, the partner of Waterpolo Development which will organize the 1^st Egyptian stage of the HaBaWaBa International Circuit. The event is scheduled on December 18-22, 2025, in Somabay, a magnificent venue on the Red Sea.

Montenegrin Primorac 1, 3rd in U11 HaBaWaBa 2025, between Fouad Luxor and Ezz Nour. Above, Italian San Mauro Sharks, who got the 2nd place (ph. Giacomello).

Mindset will pay for flight and accommodation and offer free participation in the tournament to 15 people (including players and coaches) from each team. This huge investment aims to promote HaBaWaBa Egypt and at the same time offers a new opportunity to the teams involved after the narrowly missed gold medal at HaBaWaBa International Festival in Lignano Sabbiadoro.

“Young athletes need access to international exposure that broadens horizons and builds confidence – Mindset Managing Partner Fouad Luxor stated – Waterpolo gives them the opportuinity to gain valuable exposure and experience through travel and cultural exchange”. “Waterpolo taught me discipline, resilience, and teamwork – Mindset Founder & CEO Ezz Nour added -. We are focused on building the character and mindset of young atheletes to thrive in and beyond the pool. We are developing a community that is perpeared for the challenges of both sport and life”. 

Waterpolo Development congratulates the award-winning teams and extends special thanks to Mindset for their efforts to ensure that HaBaWaBa Egypt becomes another great success for the HaBaWaBa community.

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