CAPT Norm Ott Service/Leadership Award
Norm Ott served his country and community as a Navy SEAL with the Frogmen Underwater Demolition Teams and the CIA during Vietnam, the Cold War and later as the senior CIA Intelligence Advisor to CENTCOM during Operation Desert Storm. Norm was a loving husband & father, football, basketball, soccer coach, tennis league organizer and Boy Scout Master. Norm also served for many years as the President of the Tampa Bay UDT/SEAL Association Chapter president. He was known for his selfless volunteering, and by the mantra “if you ever need anybody to do anything, I will consider doing it.”
The CAPT Norm Ott Service/Leadership Award is awarded based on three pillars:
• Going above and beyond to support the Boston Frogman Swim and the Navy SEAL Foundation, whether that be swimming, volunteering, fundraising, supporting etc.
• Someone who we view as an Ambassador of the event.
• Exhibiting leadership not only in their service to the event and Foundation but also in the community and/or to country.
Dan Cnossen Above and Beyond Award
The Above and Beyond award is given to those who exemplify the spirit of the the awards namesake, Dan Cnossen, the beneficiary of the inaugural Tampa Bay Frogman Swim. The recipient will have show that spirit either physically, emotionally and/or mentally to go above and beyond while supporting the Boston Frogman Swim and the Naval Special Warfare community.
When Dan Cnossen, a Kansas native, arrived at the US Naval Academy, he had never seen an ocean and did not know how to swim. By the time he left in 2002 he was an accomplished triathlete. “Life is all about extremes” he always told his friends. On September 7, 2009, while leading his SEALs in combat in Afghanistan, LT Cnossen stepped on a land mine. Less than four months after losing both legs, he competed in his first half marathon, finishing fourth in the wheel chair division, in freezing rain and snow. Now a lieutenant commander, Cnossen has since gone on to become a successful Paralympic athlete competing in cross country skiing and biathlons.
RECIPIENTS
2021 Norm Ott Award – Sara Wilkinson & Sydney Mulder
2021 Dan Cnossen Award – Tom Leard
2020 Norm Ott Award – Joe Lyons & Charlie Orbell
2020 Dan Cnossen Award – Jonathan Kelley
2019 Norm Ott Award – Charlie Orbell
2019 Dan Cnossen Award – Brandon Gatti