(SSC) — For the last few days Saipan Swim Club swimmers donned their caps and goggles in an attempt to set new personal bests in the lap pool at Pacific Islands Club.
Saipan Swim Club swimmers wait for their turn to set new personal bests in the lap pool of PIC.
The SSC time trial schedule of 16 events included events ranging from a 25 yards kick for beginners to a 200 yards individual medley for the more seasoned swimmers.
Excited family members lined the pool to watch their kids and grandkids performance in the pool.
For some of the almost 60 signed up swimmers this was their first experience at swimming in an organized race environment and the pre-race jitters clearly showed on their faces.
One swimmer was heard asking, “Is it okay to be nervous?” The answer is, it is perfectly normal to be nervous, it is all part of swimming, the hard work put in during practice, the culmination of the hard work at a time trial or race, the competition, the support of your team mates, setting a new personal best, and stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new.
Once done with the races the smiles and the sense of accomplishment emerge though, and the looks on the faces change to that which say, “we got this!”
Says Saipan Swim Club coach Richard Sikkel: “I am really happy with the way everyone stepped up and tried their best. I am super impressed with the younger swimmers who practice at Greenflash Diveshop for joining the trials and trying something different. Practicing swimming is one thing but swimming in front of a crowd against other swimmers is a completely different ball game. Their excitement was contagious. Our developmental team, the BB and B swimmers also did really well. These trials are an excellent way for our coaches to see what the swimmers are doing well and what areas need work and improvement. A few stand-outs emerged showing that the younger swimmers are hungry for speed and they are nipping at the heels of our older swimmers. It is a good reminder that it takes work to get top times and it is even more work to keep registering top times. Our competitive swimmers keep making improvements and their steady progression is encouraging.”
Saipan Swim Club’s last scheduled event in 2022 is the “hundred hundreds” on Dec. 24. The 2023 event schedule of events is in the works and will see the return of the Meek and Mighty, the Paupau to Tanapag swim, and the local favorite, Escape from Managaha.
