WisconSWIM Mermaids anxious to cross English Channel; 4-member team set to take on challenge later this month

The clock is ticking down to when Pamela Toshner and three of her friends attempt to make history.

The trio from northern Wisconsin call themselves the WisconSWIM Mermaids. Their ambition isn’t modest. They want to become the first all-female team to swim across the English Channel.

Toshner, a lake biologist from Barnes, will attempt the crossing alongside Michelle DeYoung, a business owner in Barnes; Lisa Weispfenning, an X-ray technologist from Washburn; and Jennifer Titus, a salon owner from Hayward. Together they are set to take on the challenge some time between Aug. 18-26, depending on weather conditions.

“I’m excited and ready to get ‘er done,” Toshner said earlier this month.

More people have climbed Mt. Everest than successfully swam across the channel, so Toshner and company know what they’re up against.

Toshner was nervous about the challenge a couple months ago, but is eager to get in the water.

“I’m definitely more in a positive mental zone and looking forward to it,” she said.

Her teammates feel the same way and the WisconSWIM Mermaids have been practicing. Recently the team went to San Francisco to practice swimming in ocean water.

“That went better than expected. We did the escape from Alcatraz swim. It wasn’t as challenging as we thought it might be,” she said.

To make it more difficult, the mermaids completed the escape swim without wearing wetsuits, unlike the male swimmers who swam alongside them. That was good practice because the mermaids won’t be able to wear wetsuits when swimming across the channel in the coming days, Toshner said.

To qualify for the channel swim, each had to prove she could endure the cold temperatures by completing an open swim for an hour and a half in water no warmer than 61 degrees. They were then allowed to leave the water for no more than 90 minutes before returning for an additional hour. The goal was to mimic what the team will endure overseas.

Toshner met DeYoung and Titus in 2021 at the annual two-mile Point to La Pointe swim from Bayfield to Madeline Island. Weispfenning joined the team the following year. They will in the Point to La Pointe swim on Aug. 3 before going across the pond.

At 21 miles across, the English Channel is about 10 times longer, and each mermaid will have to be able to swim at least five miles to conquer the currents.

The average age of a woman who attempts the channel crossing is 35. At age 58, DeYoung is the oldest of the mermaids. She isn’t age bother her.

“I’m trying to do things that are very difficult, she said.

The lifelong swimmer will swim for an hour, then be replaced by a teammate as part of a relay across the water. Overall ,the swim takes about 13 hours to complete. They will likely start in the middle of the night.

Because of the cold water temperatures, they likely won’t have to worry about sharks. They will have to worry about another threat—jellyfish.

“I don’t know how we’re going to react,” DeYoung said.

From what they’ve read, being stung is more of an annoyance than anything else.

They are appreciative of the encouragement from the community as the challenge draws nearer.

“They’ve been really supportive. We look forward to conquering this goal,” Toshner said.