Cayman: Newcomers, veterans enjoy final race before Flowers Sea Swim
CIASA NEWS – Cayman Islands Aquatic Sports Association
May 31, 2022
George Town, Grand Cayman: As nearly 150 people affixed their swim caps, stretched, warmed up and went through their pre-race routines, 8-year-old Emry Vassell stood quietly on iconic Seven Mile Beach and took it all in.
“I’m going to do this sea swim and it’s only my first time doing it,” said Vassell, minutes before making his open water debut at Saturday’s (May 28) Butterfield 800-Meter Sea Swim. “I’m not that scared, either.”
Eze Vassell, Emry’s brother who completed his first sea swim two weeks ago at the Flow 800 event, finished 99th overall and Emry Vassell 100th. More importantly for local swim leaders, however, their participation represents a growing interest in Cayman’s open water competitions.
“Just try to have fun,” said Will Sellars, who placed first overall, when asked what advice he would give to first-time open water swimmers. “If you enjoy it, great. Develop it over [time] when you grow older. If they get dedicated to it, they can go far.”
Sellars won with a time of 10-minutes, 28.14 seconds while Harper Barrowman (10:30.49) edged Dominic Hilton by just more than a half-second to place second overall in the final tune-up ahead of the Flowers Sea Swim on June 11.
Barrowman, one of five female swimmers to finish top-10 in the race, had a similar message for young people interested in trying open water swimming for the first time.
“It’s a great race. It’s fun,” she said. “It’s like a swimming competition but without the same level of, ‘you’re in the pool and there’s all these people watching me.’ So it’s a nice way to try [competitive swimming] out.
“If I can do it, anyone can do it.”
If the numbers are any indication, the message is being heard loud and clear. The 148 registered swimmers Saturday were the most since 172 people registered in 2010. The competition has been tough, too, with back-to-back races where swimmers who finished in the top three were separated by less than a second.
“I think open water [racing] in Cayman is developing very nicely,” Sellars said. “And there’s a lot of good people here that can go on to do big things in open water, I think. It’s just great to have good competition to race against and it’s always fun to come down.”
Age group winners for male swimmers included: Harrison Coak (8 & under); Noah Watson (9-10); Chase Watson (11-12); Dominic Gunn (13-14); Sellars (15-19); Matthew Javier (20-29); John Michael Glen (30-39); Emil Kalinowsky (40-49); Marius Acker (50-59); Wayne Hannum (60-69) and Victor Thompson (70 & over).
Female age group winners included: Olivia Cadwgan-Evans (8 & under); Tessa Danter (9-10); Riley Watson (11-12); Sierrah Broadbelt (13-14); Barrowman (15-19); Daniella Ferreira (20-29); Andrea Ho (30-39); Ciara Nash (40-49); Jacqueline Scott (50-59).
Cayman’s swimmers now turn their attention to the Flowers Sea Swim, which annually attracts a large number of participants and draws top international swimmers from across the globe.
Registration is open for the swim, where 12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte highlights a strong field of international standouts set to compete along with local Olympians like Brett and Sean Fraser, Heather Roffey, Andrew Mackay, Lara and Geoff Butler, Darren Mew and more. Click here for more information on the Flowers Sea Swim.
The 3K and 10K swims will not be held this year, but the Walk & Watch event is still on. Check in for the swim and Walk & Watch is between 12:30 – 1:45 p.m. on race day with a 2:30 p.m. start.
CIASA is the recognised national governing body of all Aquatic Sports (comprised of competitive swimming, open water swimming, diving, high diving, water polo and synchronised swimming) in the Cayman Islands and is an affiliated member of FINA, PanAm Aquatics, CCCAN, Island Games Association of the Cayman Islands, CARIFTA and the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee. For more information email [email protected] or visit the CIASA website at www.ciasa.ky .
