Southern California's Open Water Swimming Oasis

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Although the water can get cold and rough, Southern California has arguably produced the greatest number of open water swimming stars of any metropolitan area in the US.

Florence Chadwick from San Diego was an English Channel and Catalina Channel record holder.

The incomparable Lynne Cox, who has swum in perhaps more bodies of water than any other human alive, has spent countless hours training in - and writing about - the open water near her home in Seal Beach.

Pomona's Penny Dean (shown above) has held 12 world marathon swimming records, including the English Channel from 1978-1994.

Irvine's Chad Hundeby won world 25 km championships and also held the English Channel record for years.

7-time world professional marathon swimming champion Paul Asmuth trained in Mission Viejo while he was winning an incredible 59 marathon races in his career and is currently leading a resurgence in American elite open water swimming.

Similarly, 7-time world professional marathon swimming champion Shelley Taylor-Smith trained at Mission Viejo to kick-start her incomparable career.

Greta Anderson, a former Dutch Olympic champion and certainly one of the greatest marathon swimmers of the 20th century, works and lives in Los Alamitos.

Most recently, America's two representatives in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympics included two Southern Californians: Chloe Sutton of Mission Viejo and Mark Warkentin of Santa Barbara.

Olympic marathon swimming coaches Bill Rose and John Dussliere and innovative channel swimming coach Siga Rose round out a remarkably impressive contingent of Southern Californians in the world of open water swimming.

So it is not surprising that USA Swimming will hold its 2010 national select open water swimming - for many of its most promising long-distance freestylers interested in open water swimming - in Long Beach, California right before the national 5 km and 10 km championships in the same location (Marine Stadium shown on left).

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Getting on the USA Swimming National Team

Olympic open water swimming coach John Dussliere of the Santa Barbara Swim Club will give an educational and entertaining talk on the USA Swimming national open water team at the ASCA Pacific Swim Coaches Clinic on January 11th, 2009 in Napa, California. John who coached Mark Warkentin to an 8th-place finish at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing and a silver medal finish at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships, will explain how to qualify for USA Swimming’s national open water swim team.

Photo of John at the USA Olympic Swim Team training camp in Stanford by Colin A. Gift.

California Open Water Swimming Clinics

John Dussliere, coach of Olympian marathon swimmer Mark Warkentin, and Jay Thomas, a FINA-certified official, gave a 2-hour open water swimming presentation at the Southern California Swimming Fall Clinic to 175 officials, coaches and parents.

Dussliere, who designed and produced the creative feeding sticks used by USA Swimming's Olympic and national open water swimmers, explained open water swimming on the national and international level and Warkentin's Olympic 10K training and preparations.

Thomas covered the rules and procedures of domestic and international FINA World Cup competitions and gave an open water swimming officiating clinic with specific training in Timekeeping and the responsibilities of Finish Judges, Turn Judges, Clerk of Course Assistants and Assistant Referees.

Their next presentation will be in Napa Valley, California in January, 2009.

Photo shows Dussliere (middle) at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships with fellow British and Australian open water swimming coaches.

USA Swimming Honors Its Best

USA Swimming honored Bill Rose, head coach of the Mission Viejo Nadadores, with its 2008 Glenn S. Hummer Award.

The Glenn S. Hummer Award winner is given to the person who had made the greatest contribution to the sport of long distance swimming. Rose's contributions included not only his role as the head coach of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Open Water Team, but also his coaching over the years at local ocean races, national open water championships and international FINA World Cup races. Over the last 2 years alone, Rose has coached open water swimmers competing in races from Melbourne, Beijing and Dubai to Portugal, London and numerous states across America.

Chloe Sutton, one of Rose's elite swimmers at Mission Viejo, was also honored by USA Swimming as its 2008 Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year. Sutton was the sole U.S. representative in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim and demonstrated her pool speed by placing third in the 800-meter freestyle in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.


Mark Warkentin, from the Santa Barbara Swim Club, was named the Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year for his outstanding open water performances over the past year, including an 8th-place finish in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing and his silver-medal performance at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships where he was just out-touched by the 6'-7" Maarten van der Weijden in the 25K race.

These awards are decided upon by the Open Water Committee of USA Swimming whose members include Dale Petranech, chairman of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Sid Cassidy, chairman of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, Mark Schubert, USA Swimming National Team head coach and General Manager, professional swimmer and former 5K world champion Erica Rose, Catherine Vogt, USC assistant coach, Paul Asmuth, John Dussliere and Steven Munatones.

Chloe's Corner - Under Picture Perfect Conditions

At the pre-race meeting in Beijing this morning, the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim athletes were told the water temperature is a near perfect 27ºC - 27.5ºC (80.6ºF - 81.5ºF). But the weeds in the Olympic rowing venue has grown a bit and come nearly to the surface of the water in some locations.

But, all in all, America's medal hopefuls Chloe Sutton and Mark Warkentin will have great conditions to compete in. There is forecasted to be a slight wind that will only cause minor surface chop and the humidity that dropped significantly. Coach Bill Rose of the Mission Viejo Nadadores and Chloe's personal coach said, "Everyone is feeling great and the conditions are good. At the pre-race meeting today, there was nothing new. The course is good and everyone is ready to go. Chloe's feeling great."

"The quality of the water is excellent. In fact, we were told it is actually drinkable. It was cool this morning after it rained in the evening. Tomorrow, we will leave the hotel at 6:30 am and head down to the venue for a warm-up between 7 and 8 am. At 8 am, Chloe will report to the Ready Room for numbering. The pre-race meeting will be held at 8:30 am and at 8:40 am, the swimmers will be introduced to the crowd for a 9 am start. The awards ceremony will be at 11:30 am."

"Paul Asmuth will be on pontoon #1, which is closest to the start, to feed Chloe. John [Dussliere of the Santa Barbara Swim Club will be on pontoon #2. With Paul and John on the pontoons, I will be on a bike going up and down alongside the course, " said Coach Rose.

"Because of the warm water conditions, we decided to allow each athlete to have two coaches on the course," explained Sid Cassidy, the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee chairman.

"The time has come," explained Nory Krutchen, the FINA Bureau Vice President at the pre-race meeting to the athletes and coaches. "The eyes of the world are upon you and the sport of open water swimming."

Photo by Pei Qingsheng at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim qualification race start.

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

Olympic Crowds and Medal Glory

Crowds at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park for the canoeing competition have not been sold out, but the lack of a full-capacity crowd has not put a damper on the excitement for the athletes, fans, coaches, friends and family members in attendance.

With over 30,000 seats available for the canoeing stadium, it would be difficult to fill it up every day of competition.

But, when the winners cross the finish line, exuberation often knows no bounds. Toga's Benjamin Boukpeti won his country's first Olympic medal in the K-1 canoeing competition. After the race, he was so happy he broke his paddle.

If Chloe Sutton wins the women's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, will her feeder Paul Asmuth break her feeding stick in joy? If Mark Warkentin wins the men's race, will his coach John Dussliere break his feeding stick after the race?

Probably not.

Definitely not.

John custom-made the feeding sticks for the American team out of a golf-ball retriever - and they are working out just fine.

Whoever wins, the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame should request the feeding stick for its archive and for open water swimming's historical significance.

Photo by Pei Qingsheng of Toga's Benjamin Boukpeti after the Olympic K-1 race.

Mark's Mission - Part 3: World's Best Brain Trust

Mark Warkentin certainly has one of the world's most accomplished brain trusts of any athlete at the Olympics.

Throughout Mark's career, he has been coached by some of the world's most innovative and accomplished coaches. In Beijing, Mark will have the benefit of having FIVE of his former and current coaches to provide him support and guidance.

These individuals and the years they coach Mark include:

1. Larry Liebowitz (who coached Mark from 1993-1995), head coach of Oregon State, is currently coaching a Japanese swimmer in Beijing.
2. Mark Schubert (1998-2003) is in Beijing as the USA Swimming National Team Head Coach and General Manager
3. Frank Busch (2003-2004) is in Beijing as the USA Olympic Swim Team assistant coaches.
4. Gregg Wilson (2004 to present), head coach of UC Santa Barbara, will be in Beijing to watch the 10K.
5. John Dussliere of the Santa Barbara Swim Club (2006 to present) is serving as the American Open Water Men's Head Coach.

Photo shows Mark with his training teammates Eric Vendt and Klete Keller in Beijing hours before the opening ceremonies.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association