The Tribune

FOR the third consecutive year, Swift will be hosting its open water swim race at the Palm Cay site this Saturday (October 3).

It has proved to be an ideal location with a beach and shallow water stretching for miles.

The open water event is being sponsored by Palm Cay, Starbucks, Higgs & Johnson, Deloitte and Australian Gold.

Another unique attraction for the open water race is that the Bahamas Swimming Federation is considering setting tougher standards for those who would like to represent the Bahamas in open water swimming.

The proposal that still needs to be ratified is that swimmers will have to compete in two open water races a year and will be required to make a qualifying time standard for the regional meets like CARIFTA, CISC, and CCCAN.

This year’s event will be more popular since the Bahamas is looking at hosting the Caribbean Island Swimming championships (CISC) next July, 2016. 

“Another exciting addition to the event will be that the race will be done with electronic timing. Each swimmer will be wearing a wrist band with an electronic chip in it that will record the swimmers’ official times over the course. Last year there were some difficulties with the timing, but this year we expect things to run efficiently,” according to a press release.

“We anticipate that most of the local clubs, including Freeport and Abaco, will be represented and that we will see some great competition that will result in swimmers qualifying for CARIFTA and CISC and going on to represent the Bahamas well next year.

The age groups are 10 and under, 11-12, 13-19, 20-49, and 50 and over. There are three courses, 800 metres for 10 and unders, and a 1.6 K course for 11 and 12s and all older age groups, and the 5K course for the 13 and older age groups.

There will be gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top three finishers per age group for both women and men, over each course, and a trophy for the overall top male and female swimmer in all three courses, 800 metres, the 1.6K and 5K courses. It will be a triangular course (1.6K) which will allow the swimmers to complete one lap for the 1.6 K course and three laps for the 5K course. The course will be set up using GPS, so as to cover the official distance required.

Registration begins at 8am in front of The Palm Beach Cay Club restaurant inside Palm Cay, and the race begins at 10am.

Registration forms can be found at www.swimswift.com and then under the “events” tab, or you can e-mail us at swiftswimming@coralwave.com if you have any other questions.