Open Water Swimming
With spring well under way, the official open water swimming
calendar has been published by governing body, Swimming South Africa.
Enthusiasts have a bumper season to look forward to.
The well established format events coupled with some innovative actions
by affiliates and event organisers is sure to make the 2009 – 2010 open
water season a memorable one.
The program is well structured and allows all participants to follow
a concise pathway from development to the elite levels of this, the one
of the newest Olympic events.
Regionalised competition has taken on greater significance for the
forthcoming season and is planned to do so until at least 2012.
In the Gauteng region there is “The Elite Series” of events, in the
Eastern Cape, the highly successful SPAR Ocean Series, now entering its
fifth year, while the organisers of the Midmar Mile
have published a
list of seeding events. The affiliates in the Cape region are hoping to
have a “Coastal Series” encompassing Border, EP, WP and SWD. At the time
of going into press details were
still unavailable.
The re-introduction of the National Open Water Swimming squad system
is sure to excite many athletes as they strive to attain their
respective personal goals. The highlight for domestic competition will
be the third South African Open Water Swimming Championships.
The SA Open Water Championships begin on the 12th February 2010 at the
Midmar Dam where the 3km and 5km events will be contested on an
interprovincial basis. The 3km event will be open to masters and
disabled swimmers who meet the qualifying criteria and are registered
with the Federation.
By holding the 2010 SA Open Water Championships at the Halfway
Telkom Midmar Mile, this will afford many of the local swimmers a unique
experience with the opportunity to compete against an international
contingent of open water swimming athletes in a familiar environment for
the first time.
The 25km event will take place on the 15th February 2010 at the Midmar
Dam
The 10km event will be contested on the 17th April 2010 at the SA
National Aquatic Championships after the conclusion of the swimming
events.
This landmark decision will enable the foreign based athletes, all of whom are products of the system, the opportunity to return to South Africa and stake their claim for higher honours in the event which will conclude the championships.
While 2010 may see the soccer World Cup in South Africa, open water
swimming enthusiasts have the sixth World Open Water Swimming
Championships in Roberval, Canada, in July 2010 Pan Pacs in Irvine, USA,
in August 2010 to look forward to.
With this in mind and the sensational Chad Ho’s recent stunning bronze
medal performance at the 2009 Rome World Championships fresh in people's
minds, enthusiasts can look forward to some exciting and competitive
open water swimming in the months ahead.
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EP Open Water Swim Series
Eastern Province Aquatics will host the first of several Open Water
Swimming events at the Marina Martinique, Jeffreys Bay.
The Open Water Series is sanctioned by Swimming South Africa and will
feature a 1km 3km 5km and 10km open water swim - see calendar below.
The Series, which is open to both registered and casual swimmers has an
entry fee of R60 per event and entries can be made on the morning of the
race or ideally online by clicking
here OR download an entry form
here.
EP Aquatics are looking to boost their open water swimming squads,
particularly in the older age group categories and would like to appeal
to everyone to support the event.
Please note that wetsuits are allowed but only registered swimmers who
are correctly attired with the FINA approved swimwear times will be be forwarded to Swimming South Africa database.
Race Day Information
PLEASE NOTE: Entries for all events CLOSE 15min before the scheduled
race start time. ALL swimmers who've entered online are to report for
registration at least 30min before the scheduled start times above to
get their number recorded.
A compulsory race briefing will take place at least 10 minutes before
the start and the scheduled start times above may be altered on the day.
Wetsuits will be permitted, but only swimmers wearing costumes and/or
FINA recognised swim suits will qualify for SSA times and/or prizes on
the day.
Age Group Categories:
10km Swim : Open
5km Swim : 14 - 39; Over 40; Over 50
3km Swim : 11 - 13; 14 - 39; Over 40; Over 50
1km Swim : 13 & Under; 14 - 39; Over 40; Over 50
Race Day Programme - 2010/2011 Series coming soon!
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SA Open Water Swimming National Championships 2011
National Open Water Qualifying Times
The list of qualifying times can be found by clicking here
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The Ocean Racing Series
Started in January 2006, the Nelson Mandela Bay Ocean Racing Series
is one of the largest beachfront events in Africa and is unique to
Nelson Mandela Bay, Africa's water sport capital.
OPEN
TO
ALL, the Series offers an opportunity for open water swimmers, fun
runners, walkers and ocean paddlers to come together on a fortnightly
basis to take part in a world class fun event - without the requirement
of expensive equipment or specialist skills.
Come join thousands of like
minded people during Season 5. Race days are held mostly on alternate
Sunday mornings from October through to April 2010.
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The Redhouse River Mile
The 2010 SPAR Redhouse River Mile, Africa’s oldest open water swimming
event, which is taking place over the weekend of 27/28 February is being
moved to Cannonville on the Sundays River due to dangerously high levels
of pollution in the Swartkops River.
“Not only the oldest, but still growing in stature with increasing entry
numbers year after year, the Redhouse River Mile has proved to be one of
the premium open water events on the domestic open water swimming
calendar.
There’s no doubt that this year’s event will live up to expectations and
continue to grow as well as a supported recreational open water swimming
event”, says Thian de Jager president of Eastern Province Aquatics.
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The Midmar Mile
The Midmar Mile held at the Midmar Dam north of Pietermaritzburg in
Kwa-Zulu Natal is the world’s largest open water swimming event.
The
Midmar Mile draws thousands of competitors each year, both serious
international athletes and Olympic medallists to recreational swimmers.
The Midmar Mile swim gains its name from its location , The Midmar Dam
and its distance (+ / - one mile).
An unique feature of the race is that
while the distance covered is always a mile, depending on rainfall and
the water levels in the dam, the distance swum varies from year to
year. In years with poor rainfall, competitors are subject to the
infamous Midmar sprint start, a bedlam of bodies sprinting across the
muddy lake-shore and through the shallows until the water is deep enough
to swim.
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The Sabrina Love Challenge
Sabrina Ocean Challenge 2009 is on! - Sponsored by Stonehage and
Discovery
27 & 28th of December 2009, Plettenberg Bay
Online entries for the 2009 Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge open from
October 1st 2009
Join the
Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge Facebook Group here
Who is going to ever forget Plett being blasted with hectic winds and
seas at last years Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge ? This may have forced
both the ocean swim and paddle to relocate to the Keurbooms River but
everything else went ahead as planned and best of all - mother nature
having a grumpy moment did not deter the day from being an absolute sell
out as a 1000 determined souls supported the incredible work the Sabrina
Love Foundation is doing for disabled kids in the Bitou Region.
Hot off the press: International wealth advisers Stonehage will be
joined by South Africa’s Discovery Health for the 2009 Sabrina Love
Ocean Challenge. The combined sponsorship from Stonehage and Discovery
Health will grow the event into a 2-day event with 7 different
disciplines. As in past years we guarantee that 100 % of your R 150.00
entry fee goes directly to the Sabrina Love Foundation.
What are the disciplines and the distances?
Sunday 27th December, Central Beach Plettenberg Bay
OCEAN SWIM: +/- 6 km (min. age: 12, unless swimming fit and accompanied
by an adult) - wetsuits are allowed!
The swim starts at Robberg Rocks and finishes at Central Beach. All
swimmers will be transported to the start venue in the morning. Swimmers
will be accompanied by the NSRI and safety paddlers with Shark Shield
Equipment.
Any questions?
Please contact Christine on
info@magneticsouth.net
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Interesting facts
▪ How good are open water swimmers? The best open water athletes are world-class 800- or 1500-meter pool swimmers who have an intense focus on open water swimming.
▪ What can the swimmers see in the Olympic 10K race? Swimmers can see a cable underwater when swimming in the rowing basin. The cable anchors the buoys and race lanes in place, but also help the athletes swim in a straight line.
▪ What countries are the best in the world? The US was dominant in the 1970s and 1980s. Russia and Germany have been the dominant open water swimming countries since 1991. Russia has won 42 out of 168 gold-silver-bronze medals awarded since 1991 – or 25% of the total. Even more impressively, Russia has won 19 out of 56 gold medals awarded since 1991 – or 34%! Germany has won 34 of the total medals awarded since 1991 – or 20%. Combined, Russia and Germany have won over half of all gold, silver and bronze medals awarded since 1991.
▪ What other countries are good? Swimmers from 18 different countries have won world championship gold, silver or bronze medals, with Greece and Egypt becoming the newest members of this elite group at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne.
▪ How good is China? Chinese swimmers placed in the top 15 in China's first participation in a World Championships in the pursuit of higher goals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
▪ How does the English Channel compare with the Olympic 10K? The English Channel is 34 km (21 miles) at its shortest point. 811 people have successfully swum the English Channel, completing 1185 crossings to date. In comparison, Mount Everest had been climbed 2,049 times. Swimmers have been using the same type of gear since 1875: swim suit, swim goggles, swim cap. Technology has rapidly advanced to the advantage of mountain climbers.
▪ How far do world-class open water swimming train everyday? World-class open water athletes train an average of 90,000 meters per week during mid-season – or nearly 56 miles swimming every week. Most of the training is done in the pool in addition to weight-training and other land-based training regimens.
▪ What other things must an open water swimmer prepare for? Acclimatization to water temperature and conditions are a critical element of preparation, whether the water is cold, warm, moving, wavy or filled with jellyfish, seaweed or junk.
▪ Who were the best open water swimmers in the past? Over 100 individuals have been honored by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. For more information on these swimmers, click here.
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Open Water Swimming Menu
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S A OWS Calendar 2009/2010 |
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SA Champs Qualifying Events |
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EP Selection Criteria 2009/2010 |
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Eastern Province Rankings |
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SSA Selection Criteria 2009/2016 |
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S A National OWS Championships |
Upcoming Events
| 2010 | Series 6 Ocean Racing Coming Soon |
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