Student Feature: Paige Christie '15
A few weeks ago I sat down with Paige Christie, class of 2015 and 6th Smithie to swim the English Channel, to talk to her about how her time at Smith had influenced her to attempt the Channel swim. What I found out was that Smith had inspired rather than influenced her to attempt it—and that the Alumnae network here is indeed a powerful thing.
Where did you first get the idea to try and swim the English Channel? Tell me a bit about the training involved.
When I first came to campus I toured and absolutely loved it. The multitude of opportunities here was inspiring. Coming from swimming at my high school, I met with the swim coach while visiting. I heard about the Channel swim from him and (after applying Early Decision) promised to do it if I was accepted.
(Spoiler alert, she was.)
Although I had reserved a spot during my first year at Smith, I didn’t really get to start training (outside of regular swimming) until summer before my Junior year. It was intense—I would swim for hours at a time. There was a qualifying swim in May to make sure I could hold up against the cold temperatures. I swam in the Connecticut River for six hours. That was worse than the actual event.
Was there any outreach from Smith’s Channel alums?
A ton! I was in contact with multiple previous Channel swimmers from Smith. They gave me advice and words of wisdom from their own experiences, which I found really motivating. Mackenzie Bradley ’13 and Emma Reim ’13, friends and teammates of mine who’ve both completed Channel swims, pushed me to succeed and gave me motivation during the entire process.
I also spoke with Margaret Bronniman ’85, who was the first Smithie to swim the Channel. We emailed back and forth constantly during the week leading up to the swim. She really paved the way for all of us who have swam after her—so her support instilled a huge amount of confidence in me. Even if we didn’t personally know each other, she was excited and extremely supportive because we had Smith as a connection. We’re planning on a meet-up for all six swimmers this coming May, my graduation and her 30th reunion.
As a soon to be alum, what designation do you plan on making your first gift to this year?
Financial Aid is the biggest thing for me. I’m excited to make a gift—it gives me an opportunity to ‘pay it forward’, so to speak, and provide the same kinds of opportunities that I was given by my predecessors.
Read more about Paige’s swim on her training blog.
