Top swimmers compete in Rota Blue Ocean Swim
Recent Saipan Ocean Swim winners Seung Gin Lee, Amanda Johnson, Nina Mosely and Tamiko Winkfield will be competing in the 3rd Annual Rota Blue Ocean Swim this Saturday, April 20.
Joining the four age-group champions in the open swim event are their colleagues from the Saipan Swim Club – Dean Palacios, Jeremy Winkfield, Quincy Johnson, Nicole Calvo, Natasha Good and Myana Welch.
SSC coach Bill Sakovich would not comment on the chances of his wards in the Rota ocean swim since most of the participants from Japan and Guam would be from the masters division.
“The Rota Blue [Ocean] Swim is unlike the Saipan Ocean Swim wherein swimmers get to compete in their age groups. The event actually is more geared for the older and veteran swimmers,” he said.
Sakovich, however, stressed that his swimmers would not be lacking in effort and would try their very best to place in the event.
“Although it would be hard for them to get the top plum, I expect some of them to finish among the leaders in both the men and women’s category.”
Participants in the Rota Blue Ocean Swim have a choice of competing in three distance courses – 1 mile, 2 miles and 4 miles.
Only Sakovich and be-medalled tanker Lee will be competing in the 4-mile course, while the rest will try their luck in the shorter distances.
Aside from the 10 young swimmers and Sakovich from the SSC, swimmers from Tinian, Rota, Guam and Japan are expected to compete in the annual swim event.
Former Olympian Dan O’Keefe of Guam will be among the participants as well as over 60 swimmers from the KFC Triathlon Club of Japan.
Among the SSC participants from last year’s Rota Blue Ocean Swim, only Tamiko Winkfield finished on the top of her category.
Participants will be duking it out for the top three places in both the men and women’s categories. An awards banquet would be held to celebrate the event and award the winners after the competition.
The Rota Blue Ocean Swim is organized by the Rota Mayor’s Office with the help of the Rota Resort and Country Club, Japan’s KFC Triathlon Club and the Marianas Visitors Authority.
