Tsunami Saipan, SSC to hold first mutual meet Oct. 18

Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan and Saipan Swim Club will test each other’s mettle as they duel in a mutual meet set for Oct. 18 at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool in Marpi.

The meet, which will be used by both clubs to gauge the development of their swimmers, was originally scheduled for last month, but was moved to a later date due to the low water level at the Marpi pool.

Last month’s frequent power outages made the water level at Marpi pool low and not safe for a tournament.

The Kan Pacific Swimming Pool is a 50-meter pool. Its depth from the starting block when the water level is normal is 5’9”, but last month, the water went as low as 5’0.”

The water level at other end of the starting block was down to as low as 2’0” from 3’0”, while the middle part of the pool, which should be at 7’9”, was once down to 7’2”.

“We waited for the right and safe time to hold the mutual meet. Now the power is back to normal, the water level is back to normal, too,” Tsunami Saipan coach Hiro Kimura said.

Kimura said the final date for the mutual meet was agreed upon by him and SSC coach Michael Blasberg.

Actually, after the cancellation of the meet last month, the tournament was reset to Oct. 11. But it was rescheduled again, as Tsunami Saipan will hold its final session of swimming lessons next Saturday.

Tsunami Saipan in cooperation with the NMI Chapter of the American Red Cross has been hosting a five-session swimming lesson since last month at the south pool of Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan.

The last two sessions will be held this Saturday and on Oct. 11 with Tsunami Saipan and the Red Cross awarding certificates of completion to participants.

The Tsunami Saipan-SSC mutual meet on Oct. 18 is part of the two clubs calendar of events for the 2008-2009 season. Both clubs are hoping to hold the meet every month.

After the mutual meet, SSC will be hosting the Eagle Ray 7K mid November. The Eagle Ray race will start from PauPau Beach to Managaha Island.

SSC and Tsunami Saipan are also set to compete in the MTEC Aquathlon next month and the Guam Swim Federation Island Invitational in the last week of November.

The two clubs will participate in another tournament in Guam in December before taking a short holiday break.

Tsuami Saipan will return to action via the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, which Guam will also be hosting from Jan. 8 to 11.

In February next year, Tsunami Saipan are set to compete in an heptathlon event on Saipan and a short course championships in Guam.

SSC will then host the Saipan International Swim Meet and an ocean swim in March. Also scheduled for March next year was Tsunami Saipan’s participation in the Tokyo Junior Sprint and Junior Olympics in Japan.

In May, selected swimmers from Tsunami Saipan and SSC will represent the CNMI to the Arafura Games in Darwin Australia.

Tsunami Saipan and SSC swimmers will also compete in the 2008 FINA World Championships, which Rome, Italy will be hosting from July 19 to 31.