Upwards of 50 to take part in Meek & Mighty

Rain or shine or rough seas notwithstanding, the Saipan Swim Club’s 2020 edition of the Meek & Mighty Ocean Swim will still be a go this Saturday, Feb. 15, in the waters off Kanoa Resort in Susupe.

SSC coach Richard Sikkel said he’s fully aware of the forecast this Saturday and has been monitoring the coast, especially the waters off Kanoa Resort the past few days.

“Hopefully the wind dies down a bit. We swam the course on Monday and it was pretty rough. We will assess and adjust the course if we have to. The swimmers’ safety is our top priority,” he said.

Sikkel said he expects upwards of 50 swimmers to take part in the open water swim early Saturday morning.

Registration for the 2020 Meek & Mighty Ocean Swim is at 7am with starting time at 8am. There will be three distances for the 2020 Meek & Mighty Ocean Swim—a 1-kilometer, a 3K, and a 5K course. The event was cancelled last year as the island was still reeling from the effects of Super Typhoon Yutu, which devastated Saipan and neighboring Tinian in October 2018.

In 2018, the last time SSC hosted the event, club stalwarts Kento Akimaru and Jinju Thompson topped the event in the waters off Pacific Islands Club Saipan.

Kento was the No. 1 overall finisher in the longest race of the day, completing the three-loop course (nearly 3 kilometers) in 32 minutes flat for his third straight victory in the “Mighty” course. In the women’s division, Thompson was the first out of the water and seventh overall after recording 35:12.

In the so called “Meek” two-loop course (about 2K), youth swimmer Wataru Kadokura was the first male and No. 1 overall finisher as he made it to shore at the 33:50 mark. He was about a minute ahead of women’s champion and fellow SSC member Kaithlynn Chavez, who lost a few seconds after heading the wrong direction on the way to the finish line and ended up timing in at 33:51.

SSC is an age group swim club on Saipan founded in 1974 by CNMI sports hall of famers Bill and Jean Sakovich. The team practices year round and participates in numerous local and off-island swim meets.

SSC has been providing children on Saipan opportunities to engage in swimming activities, both recreational and at competitive levels for almost four decades now. Encouraging physical activities and developing healthy lifestyle habits is an important aspect of its program. Equally important to SSC is fostering community involvement and positive character traits including good sportsmanship, teamwork, goal setting, and friendship.

SSC swimmers train throughout the year to improve themselves by participating in both local and international meets and have been true “goodwill ambassadors” representing the CNMI in the United States, Guam, American Samoa, New Caledonia, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Republic of Palau, Pohnpei, Tahiti, Qatar, Spain, Italy, Turkey, China, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Russia.

For more information on the Meek & Mighty Ocean Swim or the SSC, email saipanswimclub@gmail.com or message them on their Facebook page.