This is the traditional time of year for “Best of” lists, so read on to learn about some physical bests you might have missed, and some tips for achieving your own.
Did you know people can swim in water with glaciers, without any kind of protective gear? Check out the story of Lynne Cox in Swimming to Antarctica. She was the first to swim the Bering Strait from Alaska to Siberia, opening the U.S.-Soviet border for the first time in 48 years, in 38-degree water and four-foot waves without a shark cage, wet suit or body grease.
For big goals like this, it helps to start small. Take swimming lessons, practice holding your breath and try out a cold-water plunge. You can even do it for a good cause.
If that's too icy for you, how about this: did you know people really can walk barefoot on fire? It’s true! Firewalking today is performed in India, Greece, Spain, China, Japan, Bulgaria, Ceylon, Thailand, Fiji, Tibet and many other parts of the world, often for religious reasons.
Learn more about the history and experience of firewalking in Firewalking and Religious Healing by Loring M. Danforth.
If your goal is complicated or dangerous, don’t go it alone. Find a reputable group or instructor and undergo training to prepare yourself mentally and physically.
Not all bests are for the record books. Some are personal bests like Jolien Boumkwo’s, the Belgian shot putter who went viral in 2023 by running hurdles to save her team from being disqualified in the European Athletics Team Championships.
Don’t let fear or embarrassment stop you from trying new things. Get pumped up with stories about late-in-life learners like Beginners, stories about people who have overcome huge challenges like Educated or Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw or stories about failing (so it doesn’t seem so scary) like Down to the Wire.
Practice trying new things, and show up for people even when you're scared or feel under-prepared. It can make all the difference!
There are, of course, also lots of physical firsts and bests in the record books.
The Guinness Book of World Records is always a fun brain-starter if you’re not sure what you want your next goal to be. We always have the newest copy in the Children’s Library, and it is definitely worth flipping through if you haven’t in a while.
If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, here are a few other stories about people who did it first (which is a really good way to be the best, at least for a little while!) or who are the best:
Florence Griffith Joyner (Someone really needs to write a grown-up book about Flo-Jo, but this little book is a solid place to start.)
Find something you love, dig deep and practice hard and you, too, may be the first and best at something new!
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