Previous Story
Tsunami Saipan-SSC mutual meet next week
|
Posted on Mar 04 2022
Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center swimmers compete in last year’s time trial at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan.(CONTRIBUETD PHOTO)
Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center and Saipan Swim Club will he holding a mutual time trial on March 7 and 9 at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan lap pool in San Antonio.
A total of 42 swimmers from both swim clubs are expected to take part in the competition, which will use a 25-yard lap pool, which coincidentally is the official size pool of USA swimming.
The events up for grabs will be divided into two age groups—10-and-under 50m butterfly, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, and 100m freestyle as well as 11-and-over 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, and 100m individual medley.
Tsunami Saipan coach Hiroyuki Kimura and SSC coach Richard Sikkel are both excited for the two clubs’ first-ever mutual time trial.
“Tsunami Saipan always hoped to make a good relationship and friendship with SSC. Long time ago, when coach Mike Stewart was here we had a mutual meet. But, after he left, SSC didn’t want to have one anymore,” he said.
Kimura added that fortunately he and Sikkel agreed to hold a mutual meet as it’s all in the best interest of CNMI swimming.
“We knew it was necessary to hold it for NMI swimming. Therefore, it is very timely to revive it now because Richard became SSC coach. He is very smart, aggressive, and positive. We planned and held some joint ocean swim and practice already. So now, we should try to hold the time trial in the pool.”
Sikkel said a mutual meet for SSC and Tsunami Saipan swimmers will only improve the times of swimmers from both clubs.
“We look forward to getting in the pool and reestablish a benchmark of times that the swimmers can start improving upon. Getting to train/swim together will make us all faster swimmers. Hopefully, we can make this a regular thing so we can learn and improve,” he said.
Kimura and Sikkel thanked the management of PIC Saipan for allowing them the use of their lap pool for the mutual meet.
