Friends of Open Water

Several individuals with strong open water swimming ties populate the recently announced FINA Committees, Commissions and Panels:

• Paulo Frischknecht of Portugal (shown on left), Dennis Miller of Fiji and Coaracy Nunes Filho of Brazil are members of the 22-member FINA Bureau
• Coaracy Nunes Filho is also the Vice Chairman of the Legal Commission

• Dr. Jim Miller is a member of the Sports Medicine Committee.
• Pierre Lafontaine of Canada is a member of the Coaches Commission while Paulo Frischknecht of Portugal is its FINA Bureau Liaison.
• Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria is on the Athletes Committee along with a host of other Olympic pool swimming heroes.

Also, the FINA list of open water swimming officials commissioned until 2012 are posted here. The FINA list of open water swimming officials commissioned until 2010 are posted here.

Photo of Paulo Frischknecht by Aqualoja.

Camaraderie Of Open Water Teammates

We are always touched by the camaraderie shown by open water swimmers.

In this photo by Dr. Jim Miller of the action at the feeding station during the women's 25 km world championship race, 10 km bronze medalist Fran Crippen is shown holding a feeding stick to provide hydration to teammate Eva Fabian.

Towards the right, head coach Catherine Vogt is seen getting prepared to drop the feeding stick to the water's edge for Emily Hanson.

Because open water swimmers know well what they all go through, during practice and during races, the bonds that they forge are deep, emotional and long-lasting.

FINA official Rick Walker tells us of the time he was on a feeding station at a previous world championship and a swimmer from Guyana swam by the feeding station without hydration. The next time the swimmer passed, Walker extended his feeding stick to the swimmer who smiled broadly, drank quickly and waved in appreciation. By the time, the swimmer had passed a third time, the swimmer had offers of hydration from most of the coaches on the feeding station. It was not about competition at that point, it was about the camaraderie of open water swimmers.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Beaufort Scale - Open Water Swimming Word of the Day

Beaufort Wind Force Scale (noun): An empirical measure for describing wind velocity based mainly on observed sea conditions. The referee made reference to the Beaufort Scale when he made the public announcement about the abandonment of the world championship race.

Synonym: Beaufort Scale.

Beaufort No. -- Sea Conditions (wave height in meters)
0 - Flat (0 meters).
1 - Ripples without crests (0.1 meters).
2 - Small wavelets. Light breeze. Crests not breaking (0.2 meters).
3 - Large wavelets. Crests begin to break. Scattered whitecaps (0.6 meters).
4 - Small waves. Moderate breeze (1 meter).
5 - Moderate longer waves. Some foam and spray (2 meters).
6 - Large waves with foam crests and some spray. Strong breeze (3 meters).
7 - Sea heaps up and foam begins to streak. Moderate gale (4 meters).
8 - Moderately high waves with breaking crests (5.5 meters).
9 - High waves (6-7 m) with dense foam. Strong gale (7 meters).
10 - Very high waves. Visibility is reduced. Sea surface is white (9 meters).
11 - Exceptionally high waves. Violent storm (11.5 meters).
12 - Huge waves. Air filled with foam and spray. Hurricane (14+ meters).

Excerpt from the Open Water Swimming Dictionary (2009 English edition).

Photo by Dr. Jim Miller at the 25K world championships that was suspended due to a squall.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Expect The Unexpected In The Chesapeake Bay

Open water swimmers understand the general rule of open water swimming: expect the unexpected.

At the 18th annual Great Chesapeake Bay Swim this past weekend, 16% of the swimmers were pulled out of the bay due to an ebb tide.*

647 entered the water and 103 swimmers were pulled as they faced a strong oncoming current and winds during the last portion of the 4.4-mile swim.

"[The] swim was very difficult. During the last half of the race, the wind shifted into us. Times were off by 20-45 minutes from prior years, depending on where you were when it hit," said Dr. Jim Miller who has done the swim 13 times.

The swim was won by two-time winner Brian Benda who finished in 1:34:34. 20-year-old Erin Luley, a Penn State senior, who the women's race in 1:44:18.

There was also a 1-mile race held earlier in the day that was won by Chase Kalisz for the men in 23:08 and Caroline Hamilton for the women in 25:00.

Over the years, the swim has raised US$1.4 million. This year another US$150,000 for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the March of Dimes Foundation.

* Ebb tide is the receding or outgoing (seaward) flow of water when the water level is lowered. The reverse flow is called the flood tide where there is an inflow of water that results in rising water levels.

Photo of start of the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim by Algerina Perna for the Baltimore Sun.

Warning Signs At Open Water Swims

Occasionally, open water swimmers compete in locations where the local government authorities do not want people to swim. As we travel the world, we notice signage posted at open water swimming venues.

To the left is a warning sign at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim course in Beijing - with the swimmers racing in the background.

The photo on the left shows an official warning sign in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Professional marathon swimmers are racing between the escort boats in the background.




But, Richard Clifford, an experienced open water swimming kayaker from New York, brings us a seriously dangerous hole located near Manhattan Island.

FINA Swimsuit Approval Announced

FINA announced the results of its latest testing under the new Dubai Charter.

The list of approved swimsuits valid until December 31, 2009 is on the FINA website.

After reviewing 348 swimsuits from 21 manufacturers, FINA decided the following:

- 202 swimsuits approved
- 10 rejected for buoyancy and/or thickness
- 136 swimsuits to be modified in accordance with Dubai Charter rule 3.1 c) for not fulfilling the requirement that 'swimsuit material shall not be constructed to or include elements/systems which create air/water trapping effects during use'. These manufacturers have now until June 19th to resubmit the same swimsuit for FINA approval, with the corresponding corrections according to Dubai Charter rule 4.3 d.

Adidas
TechfitPowerweb B85779 full
TechfitPowerweb B85777SL full
TechfitPowerweb B85762 full - knee
TechfitPowerweb B85768 pants - long
TechfitPowerweb B85771 pants - short

Agon Sport
2009 full - knee
2009 pants - long
2009 pants - short

Akron SRL
Halifax Allison full
Halifax Buster full
Halifax Ark pants - long

Arena Italia
Powerskin 2512450 full
Powerskin 2512850 full
Powerskin 2512550 full
Powerskin 2710650 pants - long
Powerskin 2906850 classic
Powerskin 2710550 pants-short
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522850 full
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522750 full
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522650 full
Powerskin R-Evolution 2786650 full - knee
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522550 full - knee
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522450 full - knee
Powerskin R-Evolution 2786250 pants- long
Powerskin R-Evolution 2786550 pants-short
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525650 full
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525450 full
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525350 full
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525750 full - knee
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525550 full - knee
Powerskin R-evolution + 2790050 pants - long
Powerskin X-treme 2513850 full
Powerskin X-treme 2514350 full
Powerskin X-treme 2513950 full
Powerskin X-treme 2513750 full - knee
Powerskin X-treme 2514450 full - knee
Powerskin X-treme 2514250 full - knee
Powerskin X-treme 2731750 pants - long
Powerskin X-treme 2925450 classic
Powerskin X-treme 2737650 pants-short

Asics
TIL ALS503 full
TIL ALS505 full
TIL AMA503 pants - long
TIL AMA502 pants - short
TIL ALS502 pants - short
TIL ALS500 classic
TIL ALS504 classic
TIL AMA501 classic
TIL ALS501 classic
TIL - Cloth AMX964-4 full
TIL - Cloth ALX964-5 full
TIL - Cloth ALX964-6 full
TIL - Cloth AMX964-3 pants - long
TIL - Functional Layered System AMA515 full
TIL - Functional Layered System ALS515 full
TIL - Functional Layered System AMA516 pants - long
TIL - Functional Layered System AMA511 inner tights
TIL - Functional Layered System ALS511 inner tights
TIL - Functional Layered System AMA510 inner top
TIL - Functional Layered System ALS510 inner top
TIL + AMX1087 full
TIL + AMX1087-2 full
TIL + AMX1087 full
TIL + AMX1098 full
TIL + AMX1086 full
TIL + AMX1085 full
TIL + ALX1085-2 full
TIL + ALX1085 full
TIL + ALX1086 full
TIL + ALX1098 full
TIL + AMX1088 pants - long
TIL + AMX1088-2 pants - long
TIL + AMX1088 pants - long
TIL + AMX1083 classic
TIL + ALX1083 classic

Descente
III jan09 full
III jan09 full
III jan09 full
III jan09 full - knee
III jan09 pants - long
III jan09 pants - short
IV jan09 full
IV jan09 full
IV jan09 full
IV jan09 full - knee
IV jan09 pants - long
IV jan09 pants - short
I mar09 full
I mar09 pants - long
I mar09 full
I mar09 full
I mar09 classic
I mar09 full - knee
I mar09 classic
I mar09 pants - short
III mar09 full
III mar09 full
III mar09 full
III mar09 full - knee
III mar09 pants - long
III mar09 pants - short
III mar09 classic

Diana Sport
Submarine Shinning Arrow 232M SA full
Submarine Shinning Arrow 250W SA full
Submarine Shinning Arrow 251W SA full
Submarine Shinning Arrow 233M SA full - knee
Submarine Shinning Arrow 253W SA full - knee
Submarine Shinning Arrow 230M SA pants - long
Submarine Thermo Fusion 202M full
Submarine Thermo Fusion 210W full
Submarine Thermo Fusion 221W full
Submarine Thermo Fusion 203M full - knee
Submarine Thermo Fusion 213W full - knee
Submarine Thermo Fusion 200M pants - long
Submarine Thermo Fusion 201M pants - short
Submarine Thermo Fusion 219W classic

FINIS
Amphibian pants - long
Amphibian ATS8-LTM28 pants - long
Amphibian ATS8-JM28 pants - short
Amphibian Long John ATS8-LJM32 full
Amphibian Long John ATS8-LJF30 full
Amphibian Short John ATS8-SJM31 full - knee
Amphibian Short John ATS8-SJF30 full - knee
Hydrospeed 2 Brief 1.10.131.101.28 classic
Hydrospeed 2 Clipback 1.10.024.101.28 classic
Hydrospeed 2 Jammer 1.10.132.101.28 pants - short
Hydrospeed 2 Race John 1.10.025.101.28 full - knee

Jaked
SRL J03 full
J03 pants - long

Kiwami
Kameleon full - knee

Mizuno
Accel Suits full
Accel Suits pants - long
Swimsuit A 85RB-100 full
Swimsuit A 85RB-101 full
Swimsuit A 85OB-100 full
Swimsuit A 85OB-110
Swimsuit A 85OB-111 full
Swimsuit A 85RB-10009 full
Swimsuit A 85RD-100 pants - short
Swimsuit A 85RC-100 pants - long
Water gene 85RB-850 full
Water gene 85OB-850 full
Water gene 85OB-851 full
Water gene 85OC-850 full - knee
Water gene 85OD-850 pants - long
Water gene 85RC-850
Water gene 85RD-850

Orca
RS1 full - knee
RS1 full - knee

Rocket Science Sports
Rocket Light classic
Rocket Light
Rocket Sprinter
Rocket Sprinter
Rocket Trainer classic
Rocket Trainer
Swimskin Suit Sleveless full

Sailfish
Sailfish furious full - knee
Sailfish furious long full

Speedo
Flying Fish body no arms 8-05887 full
Flying Fish Body no arms 8-05889 full
Flying Fish Brief 8-05892 classic
Flying Fish Jammer 8-05891 pants - short
Flying Fish Legskin 8-05890 pants - long
Flying Fish recordbreaker bodyskin 8-05886 full
Flying Fish recordbreaker kneeskin 8-05885 full - knee
Flying Fish strikeback 8-05888 classic
LZR Racer Pro Body Skin No Arms full
LZR Racer Pro Body Skin No Arms full
LZR Racer Pro Jammer pants - short
LZR Racer Pro Leg Skin pants - long
LZR Racer Pro Record Breaker classic
LZR Racer Pro Record Breaker Body full
LZR Racer Pro Record Breaker Knee Skin full - knee
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 full
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 full
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 full - knee
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 pants - long
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 pants-short
Fastskin Pro 8 008093218 pants - short
Fastskin Pro 8 008133218 full
Fastskin Pro 8 008153218 classic
Fastskin Pro 8 008143218 full - knee
Fastskin Pro 8 008053218 full
Aquablade 8 205157031 classic
Aquablade 10 072 7031 classic
Aquablade 8 101077031 pants - short
Fastskin 8 100090001 pants - short
Fastskin 8 100080001 pants - long
Fastskin 8 202230001 full - knee

Sports Hig
F-09 full
M-12 pants- long
M-01A pants- long
M-10 pants- long
M-08 pants- long

TYR
A12 full
A7 full
A10 full

Yamamoto
YH-M-F pants - long
YH-M-F2 pants - long

Photo of Lac St-Jean professional marathon swim by Dr. Jim Miller.

Online Open Water Swimming Certification Test

Under the leadership of Chip Carrigan (shown on left), John Kinney and the USA Swimming On-Line Testing Sub-committee, USA Swimming has added a new online Open Water Certification Test on its website.

Any registered member of USA Swimming is eligible and encouraged to take the latest and newest test at USA Swimming.org.

Instructions on how to take the test can be located here on the USA Swimming website (under Volunteers > Officials > Officials Online Test.

The purpose of this 50-question test is to certify the knowledge and understanding of open water swimming rules by officials who are working at USA Swimming national championship events and Local Swim Committee-sanctioned open water competitions.

The Open Water Certification Test has been years in the making and will prove invaluable to standardize and confirm the level of knowledge among open water swimming judges, officials and referees in the US. As an online test, any eligible USA Swimming member can take the test at their convenience. The ease of modern technology is being utilized effectively to help the sport grow and prosper.

Like most sports, most of the open water swimming rules are cut-and-dry. But like water polo, the dynamic nature of open water swimming requires its officials to be well-versed in the sport’s rules and how athletes tend to move in the water against their opponents. An experienced official can make the correct call and help create fair competitions, especially when large packs of swimmers are barreling down a straightaway towards the finish or fighting for position around a turn buoy,

But, similar to the foul of charging in basketball or pass interference in football, sometimes making a call in open water swimming can be difficult. However, unlike basketball or football, there are no replays in open water swimming. The open water swimming referee has to get it right the first time when he/she must make a judgment call on the spot.

The test combines a variety of cut-and-dry questions with questions that cover different scenarios that officials will experience in many open water swimming competitions. The test-taker will be questioned on a variety of real-world scenarios that will help them prepare for actual competitions.

Because open water races are held in venues with all kinds of shapes and distance under conditions that vary from oceans with heavy surf, lakes shrouded in mist and rowing basins under glassy conditions, open water swimming officials need to be confident in their knowledge of the rules – and the new USA Swimming online Open Water Certification Test is a great step to achieving this goal.

Upper photo of the famous photo-finish at the 2005 World Swimming Championship men's 25K finish by Dr. Jim Miller.

Lower photo of professional marathon swimmers in Lac St-Jean also by Dr. Jim Miller.

5 Meters and No More

We learned that the feeding poles to be used at the 2009 World Swimming Championships are not to exceed 5 meters in length when extended.

Great rule in our opinion.

Photo by Dr. Jim Miller at the 2005 World Swimming Championships in the Olympic Rowing Basin in Montreal.

Erica Rose on the English Channel Race

We caught up with Erica Rose in Chicago where she has begun a focused training program for the Great Channel Swim this August. Erica's excitement and energy were very evident.

Q1. So how do you feel?
A1. I'm so excited! It's such an amazing opportunity - I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Q2. How are you training for the Great Channel Swim?
A2. The focus of my training for the English Channel is building up my swimming yardage so that I am prepared to compete in a race that could last as long as nine or ten hours (obviously, I hope it won't take that long, but I need to be prepared). I will be training in Evanston, Illinois under the supervision of coach Bob Groseth. When it starts to warm up a little bit here in Chicago, I will incorporate lake swims into my training routine so that I become as familiar as possible with the feeling of swimming in very chilly water. I love to train and I am looking forward to the challenge that lies before me.

Q3. Are you nervous?
A3. Right now, I am much more excited than nervous about crossing the English Channel. It is something I have wanted to do for several years and to have the opportunity to do it - along side some of the world's very best open water swimmers - is an honor and a thrill for me. I'm sure I will become more nervous as August approaches, but for now, I'm very excited.

Q4. What are your goals?
A4. My main goal, of course, is to have a successful channel crossing. This will be my first time swimming the English Channel and I am very aware of the many challenges I might encounter along the way. At the same time, I know that I am not merely crossing the channel... I am racing across it! My goal is to be as competitive as possible with the other women who have been selected to compete in this event. I am among an incredibly elite crowd - and while I am honored and excited just to be part of the group, I am also focused and determined to represent my country as best I can in this prestigious event.

Q5. What would be your goal time?
A5. I don't think I can set a goal time right now. I want to be competitive with the other girls during the race. The speed we swim will be quite dependent on the weather we encounter on race day. The fastest time a woman has ever done is just under 7 and a half hours. If we get a good day, I would say there is an excellent chance that the record will be broken this summer. If it's a tough day, it will take longer. I just need to be physically and mentally prepared for whatever conditions we face.

Q6. Can you handle the cold water?
A6. I am not overly concerned about the cold water. I have raced in cold water before and I tend to handle it well. That said, I know it is a factor that needs to be taken very seriously and I do not want to underestimate the impact it could have on my performance. I will practice as much as I can in the chilly waters of Lake Michigan this spring. I did the Polar Bear Plunge here last year... it can't get much colder than that.

Q7. What is the longest swim you have done to date (both in terms of time and distance)?
A7. The longest swim I have done to date is the 88K (54.6 miles) Hernandarias Parana race in Argentina. I have done that swim twice. The first time, it took me just over 10 hours - which makes it the longest swim I have ever done in terms of both time and distance. I'm definitely hoping that crossing the English Channel will take less than ten hours this summer.

Top two photos of Erica were taken by Dr. Jim Miller at the 2003 and 2005 World Swimming Championships. Lower photo was taken by TYR which has sponsored Erica for years.

You Could Hear the Screams

During the 2007 World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, the swimmers ran into large smacks of blue blubber jellyfish.

"They were big," said Larisa Ilchenko who defended her 5K and 10K titles in Australia. "I could hear girls screaming on the first lap when they got stung."

Top professional marathon swimmer Angela Maurer agreed, "My whole body just burned. There were so many jellyfish out there."

Photo by Dr. Jim Miller.

Looking Under the Surface

Back in April, an alarming story from Australia about a 5K race at the 2008 Australian Age Open Water Swimming Championships in Lake Kawana caught the hit the attention of concerned adults and open water swimming enthusiasts worldwide (see photos from finish at left).


The headlines blared 'Six Teenagers Collapse after Lake Kawana Swim'. After reviewing the race results and learning that hundreds of 13-18 year old boys and girls completed the swim, we asked Australian National Team Open Water coach Greg Towle, a very experienced waterman and open water coach, for his comments about the actual swim.

"All the swimmers had to qualify in an approved open water swimming meet to compete and all had swum the [10K] distance prior to the event. All the qualifying times were checked and submitted by their respective state associations. Additionally, all swimmers had to have coaches and/or their guardians agree to their fitness and ability to compete."

"There was adequate water safety support and planning was in place, with first aid on site. It was our National Age Championships. There was a swimmer who suffered a dislocated shoulder (see photo on left), but it will not be the first or last [injury] in the sport."

"The majority of the swimmers participated the day before in the 5K km in perfect conditions. On the day of the 10K, we experienced strong winds on the same course with the same swimmers. Even the strongest and eventual winners swam well over their times from the day before on the way through the 5K. The final times were well off their best and all swimmers found the course extremely tough."

No swimmers were forced to compete or finish the race unless it was of their own accord. To the swimmers’ credit, there were very few DNF’s.

Most importantly, there were no serious health concerns and the swimmer with the dislocation was appropriately treated by medical staff.

The swim was won by Kane Radford who is one of the favorites at the upcoming Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Guam.

The headlines and photos certainly caught our attention, but it appears that the organizers had the race under control, despite the tough conditions, with adequate safety measures and procedures that were up to par with the expertise and experience commonly demonstrated by Australia beach safety patrols.*

* At the 2007 World Swimming Championships, there was a squall that hit during the women’s 25K race, and we observed first-hand how the Australian life saving staff performed professionally and quickly, rescuing dozens of swimmers in the water and dozens of staff on flooting pontoons and in small escort boats.

Yvonne Mooyman of the Black Rock Icebergers can also attest to the fast-action of Australian water safety patrols and race officials who rescued her from a shark during a swim. Just a few examples of the professionalism of our Australian colleagues.

Photos from the Australian Age Open Water Swimming Championships were taken by Che Chapman. Additional photos of the race can be seen here.

Photos of the Melbourne squall during the 25K race were taken by Dr. Jim Miller.

Sports Medicine in Open Water Swimming

Dr. Jim Miller, the former president of US Masters Swimming, FINA Doping Control Officer at several FINA open water swimming races and the physician for several USA Swimming’s national open water teams, gave an easy-to-understand presentation on Sports Medicine in Open Water Swimming.

Click here for a look at the presentation.

Glen S. Hummer Award Winners

USA Swimming has awarded the Glen S. Hummer Award since 1978. The Award was named for an Olympian and coach and is presented to the person or group making the greatest contribution to open water swimming.

Award winners represents Hummer's attitude toward life and his dedication to the sport of open water swimming.

1978: Glen S. Hummer and and Cliff Brown
1979: Don Watson and Betty Talbot
1980: La Jolla Town Counsel and Swim Swim Magazine
1981: Neal and Sue Shepard
1982: Huntington Indiana YMCA Booster Club
1983: Buck Dawson
1984: Luke (Mac) Tesky
1985: Penny Lee Dean
1986: Dale Petranech
1987: Keith Barnes
1988: Dotty York
1989: George Haines
1990: Jimi Flowers
1991: Wilton YMCA Wahoos
1992: Rick Walker
1993: James Whelan
1994: Jennifer Parks and Gail Dummer
1995: International Swimming Hall of Fame
1996: Sid Cassidy
1997: Bob Duenkel
1998: Dianne Limerick
1999: Dave Thomas
2000: Brian Schrader
2001: George Bare and Jacque Grossman
2002: Denny Ryther
2003: Dr. Jim Miller
2004: Julie Bare
2005: Rick Walker, Steven Munatones, Denny Ryther, Mike Shrader, Catherine Vogt, Jeremy Vail and Dr. Jim Miller (2005 USA Swimming Open Water World Championship Team Staff)
2006: Gregg Cross
2007: Steven Munatones
2008: Bill Rose

Photo of Hummer from the Hummeralums blog.

FINA World Cup Pro Circuit Medalists

Due to the inaugural Olympic 10K Marathon Swim this year, the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup series was shorter than usual. However, there were still races to be swum and prize money to be fought over.

In January, the circuit started out in Santos, Brazil, and then traversed the world to Dubai in March, Setubal, Portugal in June and Quebec, Canada in July. After the Beijing Olympic break, then circuit then started back up again in Shantou, China and just completed a race in Hong Kong.

With two more races on the 2008 circuit - in Singapore and Cancun, Mexico - both scheduled for October, here are the medal winners to date:

Santos, Brazil
Men
1. Valerio Cleri of Italy
2. Evgeny Drattsev of Russia
3. Allan do Carmo of Brazil
Women
1. Larisa Ilchenko of Russia
2. Kirsten Groome of USA
3. Angela Maurer of Germany

Dubai
Men
1. Thomas Lurz of Germany
2. Daniil Serebrennikov of Russia
3. Valerio Cleri of Italy
Women
1. Poliana Okimoto of Brazil
2. Aurélie Muler of France
3. Martina Grimaldi of Italy

Setubal, Portugal
Men
1. Valerio Cleri of Italy
2. Thomas Lurz of Germany
3. Yuri Kudinov of Russia
Women
1. Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil
2. Angela Maurer of Germany
3. Andreina Pinto of Venezuela

Quebec, Canada
Men
1. Mazen Mohamed Aziz of Egypt
2. Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria
3. Fran Crippen of USA
Women
1. Angela Maurer of Germany
2. Britta Kamrau-Corestein of Germany
3. Lucy Redgrove of Australia

Shantou, China
Men
1. Valerio Cleri of Italy
2. Mazen Mohamed Aziz of Egypt
3. Allan do Carmo of Brazil
Women
1. Kristel Kobrich of Chile
2. Larisa Ilchenko of Russia
3. Angela Maurer of Germany

Hong Kong
Men
1. Valerio Cleri of Italy
2. Daniil Serebrennikov of Russia
3. Allan do Carmo of Brazil
Women
1. Larisa Ilchenko of Russia
2. Kristel Kobrich of Chile
3. Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil

The proposed 2009 expanded schedule is as follows:

January 25: Santos, Brazil (10K World Cup)
February 1: Santa Fe, Argentina (57K Grand Prix)
February 7: Rosario, Argentina (15K Grand Prix)
February 14: Viedma, Argentina (15K Grand Prix)
March 28: Orienta Bay, Wellington, New Zealand (10K World Cup)
April 18: Sumidero Canyon, Mexico (15K Grand Prix)
April 25: Cancun, Mexico (10K World Cup)
June 20: Capri-Napoli, Italy (36K Grand Prix)
June 27: Setubal, Portugal (10K World Cup)
July (TBD): Ohrid Lake, Macedonia (30K Grand Prix)
July 12: Sabac, Serbia (19K Grand Prix)
July 12: Long Beach,California (10K World Cup)
July 23: Lac St-Jean, Canada (10K World Cup)
July 25: Lac St-Jean, Canada (32K Grand Prix)
August 1: Lac Magog, Canada (34K Grand Prix)
August 8: Varna, Bulgaria (10K World Cup)
August 12: Lake Annecy, France (10K World Cup)
August 15: London, Great Britain (10K World Cup)
August 29: Copenhagen, Denmark (10K World Cup)
September 7: Manhatten, New York (10K World Cup)
September 26: Shantou, China (10K World Cup)
October 4: Hong Kong (10K World Cup)
October 11: Singapore (10K World Cup)
October 17: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (10K World Cup)
October 21: Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (10K World Cup)
October 25: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (15K Grand Prix)

Upper photo of Thomas Lurz at the 2008 European Open Water Swimming Championships by Giorgio Scala of Deepbluemedia.

Lower photo by Dr. Jim Miller of the FINA Sumidero Canyon race in Mexico.

Past, Present and Future of USA Open Water

At the annual USA Swimming and US Masters Swimming conventions in Atlanta this week, important meetings on the future of open water swimming were held.

The USA Swimming open water meetings were chaired by USA Swimming General Manager and Olympic Swim Team coach Mark Schubert. Others in attendance included Dale Neuburger, Vice President of FINA and president of the United States Aquatic Sports Federation, Jim Wood, president of USA Swimming, Olympic open water swimming coaches Bill Rose and John Dussliere, Paul Asmuth, the dominant pro marathon swimmer in the 1980's, Sid Cassidy, chairman of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, John Leonard, Executive Director of the American Swimming Coaches Association, Mike Unger, Assistant Executive Director of USA Swimming, Catherine Vogt, newly appointed USC swim coach and ex-coach of world 10K champion Chip Peterson, Dale Petranech, chairman of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Greg Eggert, USA Swimming Ambassador, professional marathon swimmer Erica Rose, Michael Lawrence, member of the USA Swimming Board of Directors, John Kinney, a registered FINA open water swimming official, numerous USA Swimming staff including Dave Thomas and Russell Mark, Steven Munatones, creator of 10K Swim and numerous interested open water swimming coaches, managers, officials and administrators were in attendance.

The open water and long distance swimming meetings at US Masters Swimming were chaired by Marcia Cleveland.

Note: The USA Swimming and US Masters Swimming conventions are part of the annual USA Aquatic Sports convention. USA Aquatic Sports represents USA Swimming, US Masters Swimming, USA Diving, USA Water Polo and USA Synchronized Swimming to FINA.

Photo of Lac St-Jean professional marathon swim by Dr. Jim Miller, past president of US Masters Swimming and USA Swimming National Open Water Team physician.

Mexican Open Water Natural Beauty

The last race on the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix circuit takes place in Chiapas, Mexico on October 18th. This extraordinary 15K race cuts through the incredibly scenic Sumidero Canyon (Cañon Sumidero) along the Grijalva River.



The race ends at the Chicoasen hydroelectric dam. The swimmers are treated to a spectacular journey along the serene river with the canyon walls towering above them inside a Ecological Park. Despite the serenity of the park, the racing between the pro swimmers has traditionally been competitive and exciting. As the last race on the annual FINA circuit, FINA Grand Prix points and rankings are up for grabs, creating a great competition.




The week before the Sumidero 15K FINA Grand Prix, the last FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup is held in Cancun, Mexico on October 11th. Race Director Omar Diaz organizes both races on behalf of the Federacion Mexicana de Natacion and FINA. The host hotel is the beautiful Oasis Palm Beach hotel.

After a long professional marathon swim season that began in Brazil, traversed to Argentina, Italy, Dubai, Portugal, Serbia, Macedonia, Canada, Seville, Hong Kong and Singapore, with a brief Olympic stop in Beijing, the circuit ends with two beautiful swims in Mexico.

Photos by Dr. Jim Miller.

Mark's Mission - Olympic 10K Race Analysis

In his own words, Mark Warkentin provides the open water swimming community with his first-person account of what happened during the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim:

The story of the day starts about 5 minutes before the announcer said “Take your mark…” Unfortunately, athlete family members and other 10k swimming fans were relegated to seating areas far from the start location and so the 25 athletes stood on the waters edge waiting to get introduced to the members of the media. The excitement of being announced to an Olympic crowd was thus diminished greatly but we were all preoccupied with the task at hand. That task was not the upcoming race, but rather the need to relive ourselves of a full morning of hydration.

Prior to the introductions the athletes had been sequestered in a ready room, then herded to the starting location, and then told to stand at attention in front of the cameras in the media section. The whole process took about 20 minutes and by the time the athletes were finally introduced the only thing we really wanted to do was find the restroom, which of course was not an option. Thus, there was quite a bit of eagerness to get into the water as quickly as possible. At the beginning of the historic race, levity triumphed over tension at the starting dock.

Nothing of significance happened in the first lap of the race and all I really remember was trying to establish a good drafting position, which I believe I did. The race was physical from the start with a lot of jostling for position within the pack for the entire first lap. At the start of the second lap I was the unfortunate recipient of an elbow to my shoulder blade that, now 2 days later, still hurts. I don’t know who it was that got me, but I must have made an aggressive retaliation move because I was given a Yellow Card a few moments later. The race official blew his whistle at me, held up a yellow flag and produced a board with #18, my number, written on it. I was a bit confused about what I had done to get a Yellow Card, but there really isn’t any time to get an explanation from the official. The only thing you can really do is adjust your race strategy accordingly, knowing that a second infraction will result in a disqualification from the race.

At first I didn’t think that the Yellow Card would really affect my race strategy. Every 10K swimmer believes that he swims a docile race, but the reality is that there are times when the situation demands that you get a bit physical. A Yellow Card makes the athlete more apprehensive at the critical moments, and there was one critical moment where I had to back down when I normally would have stood firm.

Going into a turn on the third lap the Russian and I were battling for position. 25 meters until the turn buoy we were side by side. I had an inside position (technically the better position) but the Russian was making it clear that he was going to try and angle me inside the course. His goal was to try and slam me into the buoy instead of going around it cleanly. I knew what he was trying to do and, under normal circumstances without a Yellow Card, I would have held my position. However, holding position would have required a lot of physical contact, and I didn’t want to draw the attention of the race officials. So, I backed down, lost my position, and had to try and scramble to get back into the thick of the pack.

(I realize that the previous paragraph was gibberish to a lot of you, but it was necessary for me to explain it to the 10K swimming enthusiasts.)

Up until I got cut off at the buoy on the 3rd lap I was in the hunt, or so I thought. The upside of my position was that I was drafting really well, but the big downside of my position was that I was taking a physical beating. In retrospect I should have abandoned the desire to draft in favor of getting clean water, but I didn’t know this at the time.

At the start of the 4th lap the pace picked up tremendously, and this is when I knew that I was in trouble. My heart rate shot up, my technique started to flag, and my mind lost a bit of coherency. This isn’t abnormal to 10K races, in fact it happens every time, but in good races I can usually keep my composure at least until the 9,000 meter mark. I fought like crazy from the 7,500 to the 9,500 to stay in the race but I kept getting tangled with the Dutchman (the eventual winner) the Russian (previous world champion) and a whole bunch of other swimmers.

At around the 9,200 I saw the red flag go up right next to me and for a split second I was worried that I was going to be kicked out of the race. It turned out that the race officials gave a Red Card to the Russian world champion Vladimir Dyachin for his physical contact on me but I wasn’t carded for similar contact. I don’t know why he was carded and I wasn’t, but I do know that the physical contact took it’s toll on me because with 800 meters to go – when I needed to make a surge to the front – I didn’t have the energy.

I scrapped my way through the last very painful 800 meters, and the closer I got the more it became apparent that I wasn’t going to win a medal. I won a small battle by out-touching a few of the other competitors at the finish line, but my 8th place finish was about 20 seconds behind the winner. I put my hand on the touchpad 1 hour 52 minutes and 13 seconds after the start of the race.

The winner of the race, Maarten van der Weijden from the Netherlands, is a great guy. It would have been unfortunate for the sport of Open Water swimming if the Russian (who was the odds on favorite to win the race) had won. He doesn’t speak English and he isn’t friendly at all. Maarten, on the other hand, is without a doubt the most popular guy in the sport. He’s funny, very well-spoken, and he has a great story before he became the Olympic champion.

Here’s a good story. This past May Maarten and I raced to a photo finish in the 25K in Seville. (He beat me by 4 tenths of a second in a 5 hour race.) At the 20,000 meter mark of the race Maarten and I happened to be next to each other and breathing towards each other. We made eye contact through our goggles and Maarten smiled at me. It was a really funny gesture considering the circumstance of our location.

Now, fast forward to the race here in Beijing. Just before the pace picked up at the 7,500 meter mark I happened to be next to Maarten when the guy did the same thing. It was only a split second of a grin this time, but it was noticeable, and it made me shake my head and laugh a little. That moment, just before the pain really increased, was one of the highlights of the race.

Looking back on it now I feel good about my race experience. No I didn’t win a medal, but I was in the race the entire time and I gave it my best effort. To wrap up the race analysis I thought I’d share the Olympic Creed: The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as in life the most important thing is not the triumph but the struggle,. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well.

Words well spoken and an incredible effort by an incredible individual. Congratulations, Mark.

Final results 2008 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim:

GOLD - Maarten van der Weijden, 1:51:51.6
SILVER - David Davies, 1:51:53.1 (1.5 seconds behind leader)
BRONZE - Thomas Lurz, 1:51:53.6 (2.0 seconds behind leader)
4 - Valerio Cleri, 1:52:07.5 (15.9 seconds behind leader)
5 - Evgeny Drattsev, 1:52:08.9 (17.3 seconds behind leader)
6 - Petar Stoychev, 1:52:09.1 (17.5 seconds behind leader)
7 - Brian Ryckeman, 1:52:10.7 (19.1 seconds behind leader)
8 - Mark Warkentin, 1:52:13.0 (21.4 seconds behind leader)
9 - Chad Ho, 1:52:13.1 (21.5 seconds behind leader)
10 - Erwin Maldonado, 1:52:13.6 (22.0 seconds behind leader)
11 - Ky Hurst, 1:52:13.7 (22.1 seconds behind leader)
12 - Igor Chervynskiy, 1:52:14.7 (23.1 seconds behind leader)
13 - Francisco José Hervás, 1:52:16.5 (24.9 seconds behind leader)
14 - Allan do Carmo, 1:52:16.6 (25.0 seconds behind leader)
15 - Gilles Rondy, 1:52:16.7 (25.1 seconds behind leader)
16 - Spyridon Gianniotis, 1:52:20.4 (28.8 behind leader)
17 - Rostislav Vitek, 1:52:41.8 (50.2 behind leader)
18 - Luis Escobar, 1:53:47.9 (1:56 behind leader)
19 - Saleh Mohammad, 1:54:37.7 (2:46 behind leader)
20 - Mohamed El Zanaty, 1:55:17.0 (3:25 behind leader)
21 - Damian Blaum, 1:55:48.6 (3:57 behind leader)
22 - Arseniy Lavrentyev, 2:03:39.6 (11:48 behind leader)
23 - Xin Tong, 2:09:13.4 (17:21 behind leader)
24 - Csaba Gercsak, did not finish
25 - Vladimir Dyatchin, disqualified in a time of 1:52:13.7 (22.1 seconds behind leader)

Photo of Mark by Dr. Jim Miller at the 2007 World Swimming Championships.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Feeding in the 10K Marathon Swim

During each loop in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, the swimmers will pass by two floating pontoons where their coaches will hand them drinks via feeding sticks (feeding poles).

Each time the swimmers pass the floating feeding station, the coaches will arm themselves with a feeding sticks and the athlete's favorite drink.

These drinks include Gatorade, fortified water and as many concoctions as there are swimmers. Many athletes are fed different formulations during the race due to varying physiological needs.

During each feeding stop, the swimmers and coaches must synchronize their timing perfectly. Any error in timing and the swimmer's chances of getting his or her drink drops considerably.

As the coaches lean, kneel and stretch out as far on the race course as possible, the swimmers swing wide of the straight-line course to cruise pass the feeding station. The swimmers have just one shot at grabbing their cups that are delicately cradled on the coaches' feeding sticks.

Unlike NASCAR drivers who know where their pit crews are located, the swimmers do not know exactly where their coaches are positioned until they see them on the first loop.

As the swimmers fight for position coming into their first feeding, they expect the end of their feeding sticks to be slightly above the water's surface, facing just at their preferred angle, so they can quickly reach up and grab their own cup without breaking their stroke rhythm. If the coach-swimmer teamwork is successful, the swimmers reach up for their cup, roll on their backs, gulp their drink and resume swimming - all without losing momentum - within 2 seconds.

Despite the coach's best efforts, when a large pack of swimmers comes into the feeding station together, the coaches face additional problems. Sometimes, swimmers may grab or inadvertently hit other swimmer's feeding sticks or spill their competitor's cups. In these cases, no apologies are made...both swimmers and coaches simply chalk it up to bad luck and poor timing.

Secondly, if a pack 3, 4 or 5 swimmers wide come into the feeding station together, the feeding stick simply cannot reach the swimmer who is positioned furthest from the feeding station. In those cases, the swimmer usually turns up the course and accepts the unfortunate situation.

Third, when a very large group of swimmers heads towards the feeding station, all splashing and swimming very close to one another, the only thing that can be positively identified is a...very large group of swimmers splashing and thrashing close to one another. This is especially true with the men, who often remove their swim caps during races in warm water. Occasionally, as coaches stretch the feeding stick out to the thrashing pod of athletes, they notice their swimmers are in a different position and swimming away from the feeding station.

Occasionally, tempers flare and expletives in numerous languages can be heard; sometimes directed at others, sometimes direct at themselves.

Yet, an unwritten gentlemen's code of conduct is strictly followed at the feeding stations because every open water coach knows that if he or she were to fall in the water and disturb another swimmer, his or her own swimmer would be immediately disqualified.

The coach's formula is pretty simple. 4 feeds x 2 seconds each x 100% accuracy = potential Olympic gold.

In other words, 4 years of standing on pool decks, 4 years of walking along shorelines, 4 years of plotting strategy, 4 years of traveling the world to competitions - and the coach's best efforts can go up in smoke within 2 seconds.

So the pressure is on - the coaches.

Photo of the coaches by Dr. Jim Miller at the 2005 World Swimming Championships in Montreal.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

What's A Feeding Stick?

The Olympic 10K Marathon Swim athletes will swim 4 loops of 2.5K in the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. The swimmers will pass a floating "feeding" pontoon where they will be handed drinks and gel packs from their coaches. The drinks are handed to the athletes via a "feeding stick" which is can be constructed of any material (including bamboo) and be of any length.

Most coaches hang a small flag of their country at the end of their feeding sticks so their position on the feeding pontoon (or station) can be more easily identified by swimmers in the water, especially when the swimmers are swimming fast or are in a large pack.

Under the rules, swimmers cannot touch the floating pontoon or feeding stick, so they grab their cups quickly while rolling over on their backs.

The 4 general rules of feeding among the open water swimmming community are as follows:




1. Spot and Seek (as the swimmer approaches the feeding pontoon).






2. Reach and Roll (as the swimmer grabs the cup or bottle).






3. Gulp and Go (within 2-3 seconds while on one's back).







4. Toss and Turn (as the swimmers throws the cup away and turns to go).

It is a skill and process that takes practice and near perfect timing with one's coach.


Paul Asmuth will feed Chloe Sutton during the women's 10K. John Dussliere will feed Mark Warkentin in the men's 10K.

Photos taken by Dr. Jim Miller at the 2003 and 2007 World Swimming Championships.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

No Harm No Foul - Reffing the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim

Dennis Miller of Fiji will be the head referee of the women's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. Ronnie Wong Man Chui of Hong Kong will be the head referee for the men's race.

What does a head referee do and why is the job so critical in the sport of open water swimming? Read on.





25 highly motivated, aggressive open water athletes will swim four 2.5K loops on the Olympic rowing course, fighting around 16 turn buoys, swimming in and out of feeding stations, and sprinting in a frantic rush to touch pads raised a few feet above the water.

If the race unfolds as expected, the 25 athletes will swim in a large tight pack, each close enough to not only rip the goggles right off the heads of each other, but also to snatch the gel packs from the swim suits of their rivals.

The 25 athletes have their own dreams and expectations: Dreams of Olympic gold...and expectations of getting hit, bumped, pulled, banged, elbowed, kneed, cut off, scratched, kicked, yanked and jostled throughout the race.

How do the head referees keep order in open water? How do they give fouls and give disqualifications while the athletes continue to swim?

At the Olympics, there will a head referee, two assistant referees, turn judges and feeding station judges on the floating pontoon. All officials will be in constant contact with one another via hand-held radios.

The head referee and the two assistant referees are positioned in boats along the course and work hand-in-hand with their boat drivers who navigate as closely as possible to the swimmers, without creating a wake.

The head referee positions himself close to the second and third swimmers in the lead pack and makes himself visible to everyone in the lead pack by intensely watching the swimmers for the entire 2-hour race from the bow of his boat.

The assistant referee positions himself further back in the lead pack in a separate boat, constantly watching for rule infractions. Because the first 2-3 loops of the 4-loop 10K race will probably include all 25 entrants at the Olympics in one large tightly bound pack, you will see 2 referee boats positioned only a few meters from the entire pack - the head referee towards the front, and the assistant referee towards the back.

What are the possible infractions?

Under the general unsportsmanlike rule, athletes can be disqualified for making intentional contact, obstruction or interference with another swimmer. Such unsportsmanlike conduct is judged solely by the head referee.

But with swimmers constantly bumping each other, the referee's key consideration is if the contact was intentional or not. A very high majority of the occurrences are simply unintentional instances of contact that do not require intervention by the referees and are an integral part of the sport.

On the other hand, when swimmers are swimming too aggressively, the referees quickly become pro-active and try to mitigate further escalation of inappropriate physical altercations among the swimmers.

Warning whistles and directives given by hand motions are repeatedly used by the referees. For example, when three swimmers are swimming together and the two outside swimmers start to squeeze the middle swimmer, the referee will blow his whistle and give hand signals to instruct the two outside swimmers to separate and give the middle swimmer some room. On the other hand, if swimmers lock arms while swimming stroke for stroke or run into each other during the crush around the turn buoys, the referee generally judges this contact to be unintentional.

While most physical contact among the swimmers is viewed as accidental or part of the sport, there is a subjective element that is entirely dependent upon the referee's experience and perspective.

Can athletes be disqualified?

In general, whistle warnings are given fairly frequently throughout the race - perhaps 2-4 times per loop during a relatively "clean" race and 5-10 times per loop during a more aggressive race.

At the first rule infraction when the referee judges contact to be intentional and unsportsmanlike, the head referee shows a yellow flag to the swimmer(s) with a card bearing the swimmer's number. This number is written with black markers on their shoulders, shoulder blades and back of hands for identification purposes.

On the second infringement, the swimmers are shown a red flag and a card bearing their number, and they can be asked to immediately leave the water.

So what kind of race is expected in the Olympics?

It will be an extremely tactical and close race, carefully monitored by Dennis Miller and Ronnie Wong and their teams. Whistles and yellow cards will add to the excitement of the race...and hopefully, no red cards will be issued.

Photo by Dr. Jim Miller of the start at the 2003 World Swimming Championships 5K race.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association