Bridgeport native achieves goal of swimming the English Channel

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) - Laura Goodwin started her life as a swimmer in Bridgeport.

“I grew up swimming. According to my mother, I used to crawl towards the water before I could even walk,” Goodwin said.

When she was six years old, she was on her first swim team and had been swimming ever since.

“I heard about the channel when I was nine. I heard it was possible to swim from England to France. It absolutely captured my imagination. So, always in the back of my head, I was thinking someday,” she explained.

Goodwin made this dream come true after several years of training and planning by swimming from England to France on July 11.

When she lived in California, she started her open water swimming.

Then Goodwin moved to North Carolina, and her training expanded.

She said she spent her weekends swimming in lakes and oceans to prepare for the journey.

“It’s not easy. But it is not magical. It’s just taking step after step and not letting things hold you back,” Goodwin explained.

She was doing this while also coaching, and that kept her inspired.

Goodwin added the support from her family and friends was what got her through this so smoothly.

“I was mostly having a really good time. I was so lucky in the day that I got. It allowed me to just take all my training in preparation. Put it into action and have a really good time,” she said.

Copyright 2022 WDTV. All rights reserved.