Tsunami Saipan eyes records in Hagatna

  Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan head coach Hiro Kimura would rather break records than take home high point trophies in the 2012 Guam Swimming Championships at the Hagatna Pool in Guam.

Coach Kimura said he expects all of his swimmers who will see action in the Guam meet, which is set from May 25 to 26, to at the very least break CNMI age group records.

For instance, the Tsunami Saipan mentor said he wants 8-year-old Ryuto Yanai to shatter the local age group marks in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, and 50m backstroke.

Ten-year-old Miku Tammy, meanwhile, is expected to better CNMI age group records in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly, and 200m backstroke.

Kaito Yanai is setting his sights on the CNMI age group record in the 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 50m backstroke, and 400m freestyle.

Coach Kimura has even grander ambitions for two of his swimmers-Angel Tan and Kensuke Kimura.

The Tsunami Saipan head coach wants Tan to break the CNMI national records in the 100m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke, while the younger Kimura is expected to reset the national record in the 200m backstroke.

And coach Kimura is not stopping there as he also wants his wards to break Guam records.

“We’re also targeting to break Guam records, not only CNMI records. Almost all of Guam record are faster than CNMI records. They are very good targets for us though Tsunami Saipan swimmers already have broken some Guam records,” he said.

To prepare for the Guam Swimming Championships, coach Kimura said his swimmers are training seven times a week and swimming an average of 5,000m to 6,000m every day.

He added that before the 2012 Tokyo Junior Sprint meet last March, Tsunami Saipan swimmers were training for sprint races because of the 25m races there. But after that meet, they switched their training for the long course.

Coach Kimura added that he continues to be amazed by the fighting spirit of his swimmers

“Our swimmer have neither a talent nor a potential for swimming. However, they have the strong spirit to work hard and the grit to never give up. I wish to show that effort exceeds talent and potential at the Guam Swimming Championships,” he said.

Coach Kimura also took the opportunity to thank the club’s sponsors, namely Tan Holdings, Mariana Resort and Spa, DFS Galleria Saipan, Pacific Islands Club, McDonald’s Saipan, Northern Mariana Swimming Federation, and Guam Swimming Federation for making their trip to the U.S. territory possible.