Joel Armas
Encyclopedia
Joel Armas y Hernandez is the U.S. record holder in finswimming
.
Mr. Armas is the son of Ceren Armas and Maria Hernandez. His father, an athlete who once trained for the Cuban national basketball, successfully left Cuba on boat in 1979. A few months later, he and his mother (a teacher), unsuccessfully tried to leave Cuba. His mother lost her job and he was ostracized at school.
He later swam competitively at school meets. When he was 8 years old when he won the 25-meter backstroke at a regional competition. When he was 10 years old he was sent to train at the Cuban National Aquatic School in Havana. In 1990, he joined the national team to train for the 1992 Olympics
in Barcelona
, Spain
. He later dropped out of the national team when he was told he would not be allowed to leave the country to compete. On August 21, 1994, he got on a raft and left Cuba. After 14 hours at sea he was picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard and taken to the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo
. He remained there for 18 months.
In 1996, Armas worked as a lifeguard and played baseball for Miami-Dade Community College. He later studied at Florida Memorial College and at Florida International University
. In 2002, he appeared on the TV show Sabado Gigante
on Univision
and won a Ford Focus. He then became a firefighter-paramedic for the Broward County Sherif’s Department. He later met Cayetano Garcia (1958- ), the U.S. monofin champ, who gave him his first monofin
and later coached him.
He placed 17th in his first world competition at the 2nd CMAS
World Cup in Ravenna
, Italy
and broke Mr. Garcia’s U.S. monofin swimming record. In 2007, he placed 9th in Hungary
at the World Finswimming Cup.
Finswimming
Finswimming is the progression of a swimmer using monofins or normal swimfins either on the water surface or underwater, using only muscle strength. It is a discipline of underwater sports. The competition distances are same as for swimming...
.
Mr. Armas is the son of Ceren Armas and Maria Hernandez. His father, an athlete who once trained for the Cuban national basketball, successfully left Cuba on boat in 1979. A few months later, he and his mother (a teacher), unsuccessfully tried to leave Cuba. His mother lost her job and he was ostracized at school.
He later swam competitively at school meets. When he was 8 years old when he won the 25-meter backstroke at a regional competition. When he was 10 years old he was sent to train at the Cuban National Aquatic School in Havana. In 1990, he joined the national team to train for the 1992 Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He later dropped out of the national team when he was told he would not be allowed to leave the country to compete. On August 21, 1994, he got on a raft and left Cuba. After 14 hours at sea he was picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard and taken to the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo
Guantánamo
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...
. He remained there for 18 months.
In 1996, Armas worked as a lifeguard and played baseball for Miami-Dade Community College. He later studied at Florida Memorial College and at Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
. In 2002, he appeared on the TV show Sabado Gigante
Sábado Gigante
Sábado Gigante is a Spanish-language television show that is Univision's longest-running program and the longest-running variety TV show in the world. Sábado Gigante is an eclectic and frenetic mix of various contests, human-interest stories, and live entertainment...
on Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
and won a Ford Focus. He then became a firefighter-paramedic for the Broward County Sherif’s Department. He later met Cayetano Garcia (1958- ), the U.S. monofin champ, who gave him his first monofin
Monofin
A monofin is a type of swimfin typically used in finswimming and free-diving. It consists of a single surface attached to footpockets for both of the free-diver's feet.-History and production:...
and later coached him.
He placed 17th in his first world competition at the 2nd CMAS
CMAS
CMAS may stand for:* Commercial Mobile Alert System, a system for distributing emergency alerts to mobile devices* Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques, the international umbrella organization for underwater sports, both competitive and recreational * CMAS* SCUBA Diver, a diving...
World Cup in Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and broke Mr. Garcia’s U.S. monofin swimming record. In 2007, he placed 9th in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
at the World Finswimming Cup.