Local artist to attempt 15-mile swim challenge

sports@thefranklinpress.com

Swimming 15 miles without stopping wouldn't be an easy task for a young, accomplished swimmer. And it's definitely an arduous task for a 70 year old, maybe even impossible.

Press photo/Andy Scheidler. Nelson Nichols works on a sculpture at his home in Franklin. Nichols, a classical sculptor, will attempt a 15-mile swim in the TVA Chatuge Reservoir to honor his niece, who is a positve example of overcoming struggles.

But a Franklin resident is poised to swim 15 miles unassisted in the Tennessee Valley Authority Chatuge Reservoir.

Nelson Nichols, a classical sculptor who has lived in Franklin for 18 years, will have to battle cold water, a current, boat traffic and fatigue if he hopes to overcome the odds. But those obstacles pale in comparison to the challenges Nichols' niece Debbie Bordeos has endured during her life.

Bordeos was paralyzed from the waist down 25 years ago because of complications from child birth. She survived, but her baby didn't.

She was diagnosed with cancer recently, and had her leg amputated last month in order to save her life.

Despite the adversity she has endured, Bordeos has kept a positive attitude. That mentality has motivated Nichols, and his swim challenge is a way to recognize and honor his niece.

When Nichols called Bordeos to inform her about his challenge, she found it amusing.

"She laughed and laughed," Nichols said. "But that's the way she is. She always has a smile, always trying to care about other people. That's worth me risking my life for isn't it?"

The swim

Nichols will attempt the 15-mile swim Saturday, June 14. He plans to start by Highway 64 near Ledford Chapel, traveling southwest between Chatuge Dam and Penland Island. He'll go by Clay County Park, cross into Georgia, swim underneath the Highway 76 bridge and end somewhere below Hiawassee.

Helping him navigate and stay on course will be Nichols' son, Mike Nichols, and a childhood friend, Terry Preston.

Mike Nichols will travel alongside his father in a kayak.

"I'm there to make sure he doesn't drown," he said, laughing.

He'll carry a GPS device to ensure they stay on the intended route. He'll also have Gatorade and snacks, which Nelson Nichols will take periodically, but he won't use the kayak for assistance.

Mike Nichols competes in running marathons and knows how important the right nutrition and pacing makes in endurance events. His biggest concerns for his father are that he doesn't overexert himself early and that he keeps his electrolytes up, which will provide him energy.

Nelson Nichols expects the swim to take 10-12 hours to complete.

"Although he's a very avid swimmer, I don't think he's really attempted an endurance swim at this level before," Mike Nichols said. "Things can change way into it. You have to have the nutrition and the pacing right, otherwise things can go bad really quick."

Preston is a childhood friend from Scranton, Pa. Once he heard about the swim challenge, Preston said he would make the trip from Atlanta, where he lives now.

Nelson Nichols said when he and Preston were kids, they would go swimming in the local reservoir. One swim stands out from the others.

"He decided to try and swim across reservoir," Nelson Nichols said. "About halfway over, I remember him going down and drowning. I dove in and pulled him out."

So now Preston will be in a canoe, ready to return the favor many years later should Nichols need the help.

Training

Nelson Nichols is no stranger to swimming. He learned to swim in Nicholson Creek at the age of 3. He started competing in junior high school and was the captain of the Scranton Central High School swim team in 1956.

Nichols then earned a swimming scholarship to the University of Miami, where he competed in the 200-yard breaststroke (modern-day butterfly) and graduated in four years.

After working for the U.S. Treasury for five years doing investigative work, he landed a job working for the NASA program.

His true love has been in art. He qualified for an early retirement and became a full-time artist. He says Franklin is a fantastic place to create art.

Nichols started his training around January. He went three times a week to the Cherokee Life and Fitness Center, doing at least three-mile workouts.

"I feel guilty tying up the pool longer than that," he said.

Age and injuries make swimming a much more difficult challenge than when Nichols competed in college. He's had four major back operations and eight inguinal hernia operations.

His shoulders give him pain while he loosens up in the water.

"Once I get in the zone, it's the rhythm," he said. "Once you've got that rhythm you can keep going and going.

"It takes me a mile just to get all the pain out of me. It takes me a mile to swim to get used to the pain that I'm experiencing in my back and my shoulders and everything else. That's what makes this good. That's why I'm doing this for Debbie - because she's been able to meet the challenges of her life with a smile."

Honorary swim

Bordeos lives at the Allied Services Skilled Nursing Center in Scranton, Pa.

Nichols said it "just got to him" and that he wanted to do something to recognize his niece. He is going to make a donation to Allied Services on Bordeos' behalf. Nichols had a plague made at Gooder Grafix that will be placed in a special area in the recreation room of the nursing center.

"She's really amazing to go through what she's gone through and still be this happy person," Nichols said.

Nelson Nichols hopes his motivation provided by Bordeos will help him complete the challenge. And Mike Nichols knows his father will give it everything to finish.

"Knowing his determination, I'd give him a 100 percent chance," Mike Nichols said. "In reality, even I would give myself a low percent chance to complete swim. But knowing him, he'll do it come hell come or high water. He's very stubborn."