Saipan Tribune

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

SSC All Schools swim meet Nov. 10

Schools battle for bragging rights at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool, as Saipan Swim Club hosts the 19th All Schools Swimming Championships on Nov. 10.

Whispering Palms and Saipan Community School hope to extend their reign in the elementary and junior high school divisions, respectively, while Grace Christian Academy goes for back-to-back high school crowns in next Saturday's competition.

Whispering Palms topped the elementary division of the All Schools meet in the last seven years and is favored to get its win No. 8, as it is expected to field a full team anew this year.

“We're looking to have between 20 to 35 swimmers in the All Schools tournament. We already conducted practices and it will be sweet to win for the eighth time,” coach Jeff Race said.

Race brought 32 Whispering Palms students at the Marpi pool last year and the Navy Hill-based school went on to earn 251 points in the elementary division races to beat the Yanai brothers-led Garapan Elementary School (140 points) and Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School (83). Saipan International School placed fourth with 65 points, followed by SCS (46), San Vicente Elementary School (32), Kagman Elementary School (25), Dandan (18), and Mt. Carmel School (15).

Each school received points based on how their swimmers placed in the various races.

In the junior high school division, SCS collected 109 points for its back-to-back championship and will be gunning for three in a row against last year's runner-up GCA (43 points), Whispering Palms (39), 2008 champion SIS (35), and Hopwood Junior High School (16).

In the high school race, GCA gathered 70 points to beat 2010 champion Saipan Southern High School (69) and Marianas High School (48).

Meanwhile, SSC coach Jacoby Winkfield said students interested in competing for the Nov. 10 tournament must coordinate with their principals or send email to saipanswimclub@gmail.com for registration forms.

He added that the one-day competition is open to both private and publics schools and students in the 18-and-under age group. Races will start at 8am and warm ups will begin at 7am.

The All Schools meet is the first competition SSC will host for the 2012-2013 season and the second one for Saipan swimmers after joining the Northern Marianas Swimming Federation-sanctioned event last month.