Hogan_eva

Jeff Green | Sep 17, 2009

Photo: Eva and her dad Donald

On August 15, Eva Hogan, accompanied by her dad, Donald Hogan, swam from Brown’s beach at the north end of Mazinaw Lake to the narrows at Bon Echo. It is a distance of approximately 9km. and took her 5½ hours.

Eva was born July 20, 1992, weighing 488 grams (1 lb. 1oz) at KGH. She was approximately three months premature. She spent the first seven months of her life in the hospital. Her parents were originally told Eva would probably never walk and perhaps not talk.

She has done very well with much determination and hours and hours of physio and swimming.

Eva is in grade 12 at Frontenac Secondary School. She swims with her high school swim team, the Falcons (where she makes Provincials every year and won the coach's award in grade 9). This will be the 9th year that Eva has been swimming with the Penguins (A swim team for people with physical disabilities and their siblings), and with her coach, marathon swimmer Vicki Keith. Eva could not swim when she joined the team, but loved the water. Vicki had her swimming lengths in an Olympic-size pool after her first swim camp in Florida (after only four months on the team). Eva currently trains five days a week for two hours. This year she will also be doing some dry land training.

Her Mazinaw swim was done just after Eva had come home from the Can Ams in Edmonton, where she achieved all best times. Swimmers from all around the world attend. She has been to Vancouver, Maryland, San Antonio, Montreal and Edmonton to compete in Can Am games. Eva has won a lot of medals at the games, but she doesn't like to talk about it. She is only focused on getting best times for herself each and every time she gets in the pool. Her goal is to go to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, and represent Canada. She has already attended a few camps that the Canadian Swim coaches have organized around the country for 2012 hopefuls.

Please note: Eva currently has no desire to become a lake swimmer like her coach and team mates Jenna and Natalie Lambert. She much prefers swimming in pools where there are no fish or weeds - where she can always see the bottom and knows what the temperature of the water will be!

Eva's everyday goal is to always do her best and test her limits. She loves to prove that anything is possible, if only you put your mind to it. She wants to prove that people with disabilities are quite capable of achieving all kinds of things.