For the eighth year in a row, the North Carolina Open Water Swim will be held in Moore County, thanks to the efforts of the Sandsharks and the program's director Taylor Cooper.
"The racing is much like a horse race," Cooper says. "There are no lanes. You might call it full-contact swimming."
And with over 350 swimmers coming to town for Saturday's event at Lake Echo in the Seven Lakes area, the contact is sure to be just part of the thrill for the spectators who will line the banks of the lake to watch races. Cooper says the lake's dam is a great place from which to view the action.
Starting at 9:30 a.m. with the 5K race, the day's competition will continue through approximately 3 p.m. The meet also offers a 3K for 13-14-year-olds, a 2K for 11-12-year-olds and an 800-meter swim for youth 10-and-under. The U.S. Masters will also have competitors in the various races.
The course is a triangular shape marked by buoys. For example, the competitors in the 5K will traverse the course four times.
The event, which has no admission fee, not only offers spectators the thrill of the races, but also an opportunity to help out the Sandsharks, a local swimming club for youth. Cooper says the event is the club's primary fundraiser.
"We are trying to give it a festival-type feel," he says. "There will be concessions, and various tents with displays from local merchants."
Cooper also believes the event not only benefits the Sandsharks, but also the community in general. He expects over 1,500 people to temporarily inflate the population of Moore County this weekend. Holding an event of this magnitude requires the assistance of a lot of people, he says.
Cooper says the parent volunteers associated with the Sandsharks, and organizations such as the Seven Lakes Rescue Squad, are invaluable to the success of the event. A local security company, AMTI, is the major sponsor of the championship.
"The Seven Lakes community in general has just been a tremendous help," Cooper says.
As for the swimming, the competition in the past has offered some of the best open water swimmers in the world. Cooper points out that Chip Peterson, who is based in Morehead City, just recently won the 10K World Championship Open Swim in Montreal, and also won a Pan Am Games championship.
"He developed out of swimming in our event," Cooper says. "He won't be here this weekend because he is competing in the nationals."
Another swimmer who has competed here is Chris Thompson of Michigan. He was an Olympic silver medalist, but not in open water swimming because it wasn't an Olympic sport. That will all be changing in the next Olympic Games, set for Beijing, China, when the sport will be making its debut as a medal event.
The competitors in Saturday's state championship will be battling it out for overall team titles in both men's and women's category, while individual male and female champions will be crowned.
The top-eight finishers in the various races will also earn recognition.
