Over 100 swimmers join opening meet

Julia Jinang races in the 100m freestyle event in the Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation Opening Meet last Saturday at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

More than 100 swimmers participated in the Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation Opening Meet for the 2017-2018 season held last Saturday at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.

All three swim groups in the CNMI—Saipan Swim Club, Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan, and Dolphin Club Saipan—were represented in the first tournament of the season, which featured 17 events.

The timed competition (results will be considered for CNMI national and age group records) started with the second-longest race of the day—the 800m freestyle. SSC’s Jinju and Jinie Thompson, Sophia Gauran, and Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero saw action in the first event of the tournament.

Others races, in order, were the 100m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 200m freestyle, 400m individual medley, 50m butterfly, 50m backstroke, 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 200m IM, 50m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, and the longest event of the day—the 1,500m freestyle. Siblings Lennosuke and Jinnosuke Suzuki joined SSC senior Kento Akimaru in the lung busting 30-lap race.

NMISF is still finalizing the results of the 17 events.

Meanwhile, after the NMISF-sanctioned tournament last week, SSC will host the All Schools Swim Championships on Nov. 4. Next month’s event will not be timed (considered for CNMI records) and is open to swimmers in the elementary, middle, and high school divisions. One more competition will also take place next month, as SSC swimmers head to Taiwan for the Taipei International Meet that will run from Nov. 17 to 19.

For December, there is only one tournament, the Tsunami Open, which is scheduled for Dec. 9. For January next year, three events are lined up, starting off with SSC Double Distance Meet on Jan. 12. Tsunami Saipan Mid Season Meet on Jan. 20 is next, while the other SSC Double Distance Meet will take place on Jan. 26.

For the remaining schedule for the 2017-2018 season, CNMI swimmers will be competing in both on and off-island tournaments. Included on the list of off-island events are the Tokyo Junior Sprint in March, Guam Championships in May, Palau Invitational and Oceania Championships in June, Keo Nakama Invitational in July, and the Micronesian Games in Yap, also in July.