Help Stephanie go to Oceanman Dubai World Championships!

Hi,

My name is Stephanie Sweet, and I’m reaching out to raise funds to attend the Oceanman World Championships in Dubai, this coming December 2024.

In 2020, during the pandemic, I found myself in the middle of an extremely difficult divorce. After losing my family and my business, I found myself at a loss for how to rebuild my life.

After putting pen to paper, I came to the conclusion that I could help my financial situation by moving. So, I took a huge leap of faith, and 6 weeks later, I was on a plane headed to Cozumel, Mexico.

I did not know at this time how healing this journey would be for me! Waking up each day to the sun, ocean, and slower pace of life afforded me the time to reset and to forge a new way forward.

In December 2022, I began training to swim in the ocean. I had trained as a lifeguard in my teens, but had never been taught proper technique. Quickly, I began to advance in my strength and endurance, but some days it was a struggle to get myself to the ocean so early in the morning!

So, in September 2023, I decided to enter a competition swim that would be held at the end of October. In reality, I didn’t even expect to swim the race. I just hoped that it might light a fire under me, and give me the motivation to train faithfully.

As the race approached, I began to believe that I might actually be able to complete the course! I began to get a bit excited. As I approached the last week of training, I realized… I was actually keeping up with the well-seasoned Ironman swimmers. I might actually be able to do it!

On the day of the race, my goal was to keep a certain swimmer in my sights. I knew that if I could keep up with her pace, I would finish strong. I will spare you the drama .. but in the end, I beat that swimmer and came in first place in my category!

Well, this underdog can’t take a lick of credit. God was the one who gave me every ounce of strength during every training session, and was right beside me through that race. And now the fire was lit!

I continued to train, swimming 5 mornings a week, in every ocean condition imaginable, tossed around in every type of current, in calm, with huge swells, and at times with mass swarms of jelly fish. With every stroke, I continued to ask God to give me the strength to keep going.

Another race came, with another first place, while swimming the last kilometer with only my arms, because my legs seized up with cramps!

Then, unexpectedly, I found myself without a team, without a swim partner, and without a coach. The ones who were my lifeline through this journey. It devastated me, and I thought my swimming days were over.

But, in my stubborn way, I made the rash decision to enter the international Oceanman race. Without thinking it through, I filled out the form online, and made the payment. In 4 weeks, I would swim the race. Without a team, without a coach, AND, I had to do it all in Spanish, there wasn’t another English speaking swimmer there!

This is when my faith went to a totally new level. Definitely the underdog, I knew I could only do it by completely relying on God to get me through.

When I showed up at the pre-race events, there was no one to translate. No one to help me understand the requirements, in my language. I had to figure it out. En espanol.

Race day arrived, and I found myself on the beach, in a sea of almost 1000 competitors. I was on hyper alert, listening to the announcer give directions in Spanish, scared that something would get lost in translation and I would miss my heat! The only tidbit of advice I had gleaned was that if there was any chance of doing well, I needed to fight like mad to get to the front of the pack as soon as we hit the water. I was ready. But I had no idea what was about to transpire!

When the horn blew, and we raced to the water, I found myself in a mad mob of swimmers, and it was warfare! In the first 800 meters (30 minutes), I took multiple kicks to the head, stomach, legs.. At one point, when the men’s heat came up behind us, a male swimmer pulled my feet, and I had to kick back just to keep from going under! Relief came in the second half, as I found my pace, rounded each of the marker buoys, and finished the race strong.

After waiting over 24 hours for the official results, imagine my shock when I found out that I came in 7th place in my category, earning one of the top 10 spots to compete in the World Championships in Dubai!

So, here I am 3 months later, the race is less than 7 weeks away. Really, I don’t think of myself as an athlete at all. I’m definitely the definition of an underdog! After much urging from some really dear friends, I decided to finally put together this Gofundme.

When I look back over my time training to swim in the open ocean, I’m incredibly grateful for everything it taught me about life. You never know the conditions you will face when you go to the ocean, and everything can change in a moment. It taught me how to literally ‘Go with the flow’, to NEVER panic, and how to be strong and deal with whatever comes your way.

I am sending this out to ask if you will help me. Help me travel to Dubai, for the experience of a lifetime. Help me to realize this opportunity that I have been given, and to see what God can do through me in this race!

Thank you to all of my friends and island family who have come to watch and cheer me on this year. You will never know what your encouragement has meant to me!

Vamos a Dubai !!!

If you look closely, you might find me in the cover video ☺️