UANA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee Chiar at Cayman Islands Flowers Sea

UANA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee Chiar at Cayman Islands Flowers Sea Swim

 

I was invited by Frank Flowers to visit Open Water races on Grand Cayman.  The races were the Flowers mile sea swim and the Flowers 5K/10K races.  I was asked to make suggestions on improving the competitions.

 

The Flowers Sea Swim had 960 registrations with 886 actually swimming the mile.  I was amazed at the organization and impressed with the safety plan.  The race included Olympians as well as recreational swimmers.  It included English Channel swimmers as well as 8 year olds. It included swimmers from around the world.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and one out of every 10 won a random drawing for prizes. Each competitor received an excellent goody bag.

 

The 5K/10K races were also well organized and safety of the swimmers was of major importance.  The race had 50 swimmers in the 5K and 36 swimmers in the 10K.  I believe it was the first 10K for the Caymans and the first 5K that wasn’t point to point.   The course was a 5K rectangle with two feeding stations.  The race was very well received by the competitors and once again one in ten received a random drawing prize and all swimmers received an excellent goody bag.

 

The trip also gave me the opportunity to meet with two members of the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games Open Water Swimming organizing committee.  I met with Linda Kiefer and Rebecca Watts.  It was a good meeting and much information was exchanged.  It looks like the competition for the games will be a 6 loop 1.66K course with excellent spectator seating.  There is also some thought in having Open Water as the morning event and changing triathlon to the afternoon.  They are going home with a list of questions from me and I am looking forward to visiting Toronto in September.

 

I feel this was a very beneficial trip.  I think Open Water Swimming is growing in the Americas and I feel good to be part of the growth.  I hope the 5K/10K race will continue and if it does I know it will grow.

 

Denny Ryther – Chair
U.A.N.A. Open Water Technical Committee