The chilly water off of Kenosha’s lakeshore served as a training ground this summer for a 19-year-old woman who successfully swam the English Channel.

On Aug. 17, Samantha “Sam” Simon swam the 21 miles in 13 hours, 10 minutes and 45 seconds and became one of an estimated 1,400 people to achieve this goal. Simon is the granddaughter of the late Frank Murphy, a former gym teacher and coach at Central High School.

“I had a few panic attacks before getting in,” said Simon, a sophomore at the University of St. Thomas, adding her parents, Kelly and Paul Simon, were on the spotting boat to give her encouragement. “Once I got in, I knew I could do it.”

The petite, 5-foot-4-inch native of Janesville started swimming competitively in high school. A coach later suggested Simon try long-distance, open-water swimming. She started with two miles.

“I just loved it and knew I could go longer,” she said.

Simon spent two years preparing for the marathon swim from Shakespeare Beach in Dover, England, to Cap Gris Nez in France. In addition to training in Lake Michigan, Simon swam for six hours in 57-degree water off the shore of Santa Barbara, Calif., to meet English Channel Association requirements.

Only 10 percent of the people who attempt to swim the channel are successful. The rest are either overcome by the frigid water temperatures, the current or the waves.

It was the waves that threatened Simon’s journey. About four hours into the swim, the waves began to swell up to 20 feet.

“We had a particularly rough ride,” her mother Kelly said, adding even the captains were seasick.

The waves nearly tipped the boat on top of Simon several times. At other times those on the boat nearly lost sight of her. Simon, herself, could not touch the boat, but she was able to be fed from the boat.

“It is recommended you gain 40 to 60 pounds just to stay warm,” said Simon, who didn’t put on extra weight before the swim. “I lost 7 pounds by the time I was done.”

When Simon reached France, it was dark and the waves were pounding the shore. The French Coast Guard would not allow her family to use the boat’s dingy to accompany her ashore.

“The waves were beating her against a pier,” her mother said. “She was all scraped up, and she lost her goggles.”

Once on shore, Simon lit and waved a glow stick to signal she had made it. Back on the boat, Simon, wrapped in blankets, feasted on chocolate chip cookies — a tradition after a long, cold swim. She slept the remainder of the five-hour trip back to England.

Like others who have successfully crossed the channel, Simon later wrote a message and signed her name on the wall of the White Horse Inn.

Now Simon has her eyes set on a bigger goal.

“In marathon swimming there is something called the ‘Triple Crown,’” she said. “It is swimming the English Channel, around Manhattan Island and across Catalina Channel. The English Channel is supposed to be the hardest, and I’ve got that one behind me now.”

Simon said she would like to swim all three in less than a year’s time — a goal reached by even fewer people. After that, she may attempt to swim across the English Channel and back.

“Three people have triple crossed it,” she said. “So, we’ll work up to that.”