LGSA Committee
Jaimie Monahan - President
Globally recognised marathon and Ice Swimmer from New York, USA, Jaimie has completed the Triple Crown (English Channel, Catalina Channel & Manhattan Island Marathon Swim) and is a member of the 24 Hour Club. She was the overall winner of the 2016 International Winter Swimming Association's World Cup & has represented the US at numerous events across the world.
In 2015 Jaimie became the first American to swim the length of Lake Geneva in 32 hours 52 minutes 14 seconds, she was recognised as a finalist for Solo Swim of The Year by a woman by the Marathon Swimmers Federation and was awarded The Jaimie Monahan Award for the most Exceptional Swim of the Year by the LGSA.
In 2016 she won the Marathon Swimming Federation's Barra Award for Best Overall Year & World Open Water Swimming Association's Open Water Swimming Woman of The Year after another year packed full of impressive warm & cold water swims around the world, including returning to be the first person to have swum Lake Geneva twice, this time from Geneva to Château de Chillon (the opposite direction) in a faster time of 28 hours 36 minutes.
In her role as President, Jaimie is putting her immense experience of participating at the highest level in this sport to guiding and advising the LGSA in it's goal to cement Lake Geneva as one of the most formidable tests on the established endurance circuit.
Tim Davies - Chairman
Tim first got into open water swimming in 2009 with a friend as part of a relay swim across the English Channel. The training process ended up being a major turning point for Tim, one which paved the way for numerous other open water swims across the world and eventually to co-founding the Lake Geneva Swimming Association.
When not busy meeting pilots, liaising with observers or solving logistical challenges Tim works as a mountain guide and continues to either participate in or organise extreme sporting events and expeditions, both in Europe and Africa.
Cindy Pellegrino - Secretary
Passionate about water sports since her adolescence, Cindy starting rowing at age 10. In her national and international career, Cindy has been lucky enough to participate in five world championship finals.
At 25 years old Cindy started to swim in order to complement her training. Her guilty pleasure? open water swimming, which led to her swimming across Lake Geneva, between Lausanne and Evian in 2019.
Today Cindy has made her passion into her profession, as Secretary of the LGSA and rowing coach. Teaching water sports is, in her opinion, to open the door to the largest number of people possible. She loves to share the joy of being on the water and in the water, experiencing new sensations which are completely different to life on land.
Not one so shy away from challenge, sport has been a way for Cindy to grow and gain confidence in her own abilities. What inspires Cindy is to share this with others, so that each person can learn about themselves, discover their limits and push beyond them.
Alain Charmey - Honorary member and consultant
The relationship between Alain Charmey and Lake Geneva begins from childhood. For Alain and his friends, the lake was a special space for games, adventure, challenges and above all freedom. At 12 years old, accompanied by his friend Jean-Pierre who was in charge of rowing the small fishing boat borrowed from a local fisherman, Alain swam across the lake from Nernier to Nyon, in total 5km. From then on, his bond with the lake never stopped growing, even when he dedicated himself to swimming in the pool. He won his first Swiss Championship in 1967, and went on to participate in the 1970 European Championships and the 1972 olympic games. In 1985 he swam around the coast of France (a total of 20 stages along the french coasts).
In 1986 Alain became the first person to swim across Lake Geneva from Villeneuve to Bains des Pâquis, Geneva in a time of 22 hours, 42 minutes and 30 seconds. He was supported in this endeavour by Anthony Ulrich, his trainer of 20 years and his friend Jean-Pierre, who had accompanied him during his first swim 22 years before.
Currently retired, Alain was a physical education teacher for 40 years at l’École supérieure de commerce de Genève, and was responsible for training future swimming coaches at the University of Geneva. He shared his knowledge and experience, his passion and his values with his pupils and students. Alain works with the LGSA to help make Lake Geneva known as a spectacular terrain for an infinite number of sporting exploits, and to promote integrity in our sport of open-water swimming.
Anthony Ulrich - Consultant
Anthony has dedicated more than 50 years to swimming in Switzerland and is globally recognised as a veteran of the sport. Anthony began his studies at l’École Hôtelière de Lausanne, before training as a swimming coach in California in the United States.
Originally from Montreux in Switzerland, Anthony obtained his coaching diploma from Swiss Olympic. Head coach at Genève Natation 1885 from 1966 he also became the national coach for the Swiss Swimming Federation in 1969.
His impressive career with the federation (until 2000) includes fielding athletes for five olympic games, five world championships and hundreds of other international competitions. In 1984 he was elected ‘Swiss coach of the year’ and his swimmer Etienne Dagon won Switzerland’s first ever medal in swimming at the olympic games that year. In 1986 Anthony worked closely with Alain Charmey on his project to become the first person in history to successfully swim the length of Lake Geneva.
Anthony shared with the LGSA his many years of experience and forms part of the association’s local team, always available and willing to help anyone who wishes to find out more about the LGSA and open-water swimming in Lake Geneva.