‘I can’t quit now’: Girl, 8, becomes youngest person to swim across Halifax Harbour for United Way

Eight-year-old Ava Henley swims from Dartmouth to Halifax for a good cause.

An eight-year-old girl has become the youngest person to swim across Halifax Harbour for The United Way.

This year’s youngest participant was Ava Henley.

“It was crazy, but it was really fun,” Ava said.

Ava and her father, Andrew, did the swim together. Andrew has competed in several long-distance swims and has done the Halifax Harbour for The United Way swim five times.

“The last swim was probably the most memorable for me because this is the first time in my life I had my daughter follow me,” Andrew said.

Andrew said the pair trained together over the summer.

“I was teaching her over the summer that long-distance swimming is more of a mind game more than it is a physical game,” Andrew said.

Ava said she was initially scared when starting the swim.

“I was really nervous on the boat,” she said.

But she gave herself a pep talk saying, “I can’t quit now because I’m on the boat, so I did it.”

The Nova Scotia Harbour Swim for The United Way takes place annually across the province.

This year’s campaign took place from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5, with swim sites in Shelburne, Chester, Halifax, Sydney, St. Peter’s and Pictou.

The Halifax Harbour swim took place on Sept. 4 at 11:30 a.m.

To qualify, participants had to be able to swim 1,500 metres in 40 minutes and raise at least $150 in pledges.

Ava did the swim in about 32 minutes, her father said.

“I’m so incredibly proud of what she’s done,” Andrew said.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Lamb

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