Swimmers lining up for SSC 27th Ocean Swim

As teams and clubs race to raise funds for the 2005 South Pacific Mini Games in Palau this July, the Saipan Swim Club of the Northern Mariana Islands has got a leg up by entering 80 aquatic athletes into their traditional 27th Annual Saipan Ocean Swim in the Saipan Lagoon.

Tomorrow, March 19, participants will offer their support in another one of the club’s drives for dollars in the yearly ritual of “swimming the tanks” when they take to the waters behind AJ’s Bar and Restaurant in Susupe and make their way around the semi-submerged Sherman tanks that stand guard over the lagoon.

There will be a number of races for swimmers of all ages between the distances of .6-kilometers and 2.5km. The racers will be divided into male and female categories and put into the following age groups: 8-and-under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-19, and the Masters.

So far, the six swimmers making up the 8-and-under crowd will traverse the .6km course, the 11 racers in the 9-10 group will swim 1km, followed by the eight 11-12 year-olds set to tackle the 1.3km lap around the tanks. The 16 13-19 years-old participants will demonstrate their strength and durability on the 2.5km course, while the 39 registered masters (20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-and-over) will have the option of either the 1.2km or the 2.5km. The youngest of the age groups will race separately from the older kids, while the Masters will proceed as a one large group.

At 7:45am, the race day will get started when the children of the 8-and-under and the 9-10 year olds report to the start line. The 9-10 year-old swimmers will take off on their 1,000m journey at 8am, while the 8-and-under crowd will start the 600m five minutes later.

The action continues a half hour later, as the 11-12, 13-14, 15-19 age groups report to the starting line at 8:30am. All three groups will then race side-by-side 10-minutes later. The seasoned swimmers will be next in line, as all of the Masters participants report to the line at 9:15am, before their 9:30am race start.

The cost to enter the water for the competition is $15. Following the races, participants can pay an additional $10 per person to attend the awards breakfast, and opt for a commemorative T-shirt for $12, as well.

SSC coach Michael Stewart added that he is still looking for kayaks, and paddlers to help with the race day activities. For more information about the 27th Annual Saipan Ocean Swim, or to volunteer your services to the SSC, contact Stewart by calling 322-9474, or via email at swimsaipan@hotmail.com.