Swimmers can qualify in four different ways for the 2010 USA Swimming National 5K and 10K Open Water Swimming Championships in Long Beach, California on June 4th (10K) and June 6th (5K). American athletes who meet any of these qualifications can enter online here through the USA Swimming’s On-line Meet Entry System. Entries are being accepted from March 1 until May 30, 2010.
1. Finished in the top 15 at a 2009-2010 FINA World Cup Race.
2. Finished in the top 10 at the 2009 USA Swimming 5K or 10K National Championships.
3. Attended the 2010 Open Water Developmental Camp (an invitation-only camp).
4. Achieved the following pool times standard between April 1, 2008 and May 28, 2010.
Women’s 5K Qualifying Times
1500 Long Course Meters: 17:38.7
1650 Short Course Yards: 17:00.1
Men’s 5K Qualifying Times
1500 Long Course Meters: 16:37.6
1650 Short Course Yards: 16:03.5
Women’s 10K Qualifying Times
1500 Long Course Meters: 17:20.5
1650 Short Course Yards: 16:48.5
Men’s 10K Qualifying Times
1500 Long Course Meters: 16:15.5
1650 Short Course Yards: 15:51.5
The USA Swimming National 5K and 10K Open Water Swimming Championships are also open to any foreign athletes who meet the qualifying criteria and who are members in good standing of their country’s FINA affiliated federation. Foreign athletes e-mail entries directly to Susan Woessner at USA Swimming (swoessner@usaswimming.org).
Swimming Canada will also send its top swimmers down to Long Beach and will use the USA Swimming National Championships as its selection meet for the 2010 World Open Water Swimming Championships in Lac St-Jean, Quebec, Canada in July.
Last year, Philippe Debreuil of Sherbrooke, Canada (1:51:38) won going away in Florida with Fran Crippen of Germantown Academy (1:52:41) and Andrew Gemmell of Delaware Swim Team (1:52:43) rounding out the top three. Emily Brunemann of Club Wolverine (1:58:11) out-sprinted Eva Fabian of Greenwood Memorial Swim Club (1:58:13) and Club Wolverine’s Emily Hansen (1:58:27) on the women’s side.
A Flowswimming interview with Philippe is here who said after his 2009 victory, “I still can’t believe I got the win, it’s a big thrill. With such a big field I really didn’t want to get stuck in a large pack so I focused on getting off to a very fast start. I got out to the lead and I just tried to increase it on every lap.”
It is certainly going to be some great lap swimming in Long Beach.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven Munatones