The San Clemente Sports Wall of Fame is set to enshrine its 28th and 29th inductees in another tribute to local athletic excellence and contributions to sport.
Legendary writer and photographer Fred Swegles and world-record handcycle marathoner Beth Sanden have been selected as the latest honorees added to the San Clemente Sports Wall of Fame and will be celebrated in the ninth annual induction ceremony on May 20 at the San Clemente Aquatics Center in Vista Hermosa Sports Park. The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free to the public.
Inductees in the Sports Wall of Fame are selected annually by the Friends of San Clemente Foundation in coordination with the San Clemente Sports Wall of Fame. The wall honors those who were born, went to school or reached their achievements in sports while living in San Clemente, including Olympians, professional athletes, champions, coaches, mentors or inspiring contributors.
Fred Swegles was a journalist who chronicled life in San Clemente for more than 50 years in the Daily Sun-Post, Orange County Register and San Clemente Times. Swegles, who died last October at age 74, began his career as a cub sports reporter for the San Clemente High School newspaper The Triton and later was the sports editor at USC for the Daily Trojan. As a professional, through his words and photography, Swegles documented the achievements of numerous San Clemente youth, high school and resident athletes over the decades.
Beth Sanden holds five official world records as a disabled handcycler who has traveled the world to compete in marathons. Sanden is the first disabled athlete to complete seven marathons on all seven continents, plus the North Pole. She has also completed the highest-altitude marathon in the world, and Sanden has done all of this recording the fastest time on a handcycle in nearly every event. Sanden has been named USA Marathon and Triathlon Coach of the Year and has completed nearly 200 marathons and Olympic-style sprint triathlons, collecting record after record.
The Friends of San Clemente Foundation is a local charitable organization that, in part, provides scholarships for children to participate in summer programs and city parks programs, as well as providing funding for numerous city-created youth programs. Over the past 20 years, the Friends Foundation has generated more than $600,000 for the City of San Clemente.
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