Saipan Tribune

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Monday, October 01, 2012

NMSF: More swim meets this season

The Northern Marianas Swimming Federation kicked off the 2012-2013 season last Saturday with a small meet at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool and vows to hold more competition this season.

“We will hold many inter-club meets this season to give our swimmers more chances to update their personal best times and break CNMI records. NMSF is hoping to host or sanction at least one meet every month, as this will also give our swim race officials the opportunity to practice what they have learned during a seminar early this year,” NMSF president John Hirsh said in a brief interview with Saipan Tribune last Saturday.

The NMSF head was talking about the 2012 FINA Technical Swim Clinic that Saipan Swim Club and Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center's officials/members attended from May 15 to 19 under the instruction of FINA Technical Swimming Committee vice chair Don Blew of Australia.

Hirsh added that the swim meets will help prepare the CNMI bets to two world championships. SSC's Victoria Chentsova and Tsunami Saipan's Kensuke Kimura will be representing the Commonwealth to the 11th FINA World Swimming Championships (short course) in Turkey this December. Rezne Wong is also on the CNMI Team and since he is in Hawaii and competing in collegiate tournaments, he has a lot of chances to prepare for the Dec. 12 to 16 event at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul. Minerva Cabrera will coach the squad.

NMSF will also send swimmers to the 15th FINA World Championships (long course) in Barcelona, Spain. The event will run from July 19 to Aug. 4 event and the CNMI is allowed to send as many as four swimmers, one coach, and one official. Hirsh said they have yet to select the members of the team to next year's competition.

Meanwhile, last weekend's first meet of the season had 22 events, including the 25-meter races (backstroke and freestyle) for beginners. Other events were the 200m butterfly, 50m and 100m breaststroke, 50m and 100m backstroke, and 50m and 100m freestyle.

Races were held according to age groups and results will be announced this week.

Swimming season on Saipan runs from August to May and besides the local competitions and world championships, SSC and Tsunami Saipan also join tournaments in Guam.