Photo By Matthew Manning | Beata Huntington, a member of the Okinawa Dolphins Swim Team, comes up for a breath of...... read more read more
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CAMP FOSTER, Japan - Summertime is the season for many exciting athletic events in Okinawa hosted by Marine Corps Community Services, such as the Okinawa Dolphins Swim Team Summer Aquathlon.
More than 40 athletes showed up to compete in the aquathlon held at the 50-meter swimming pool on Camp Foster Aug. 18.
“We started hosting the aquathlon about ten years ago,” said Mathew Luebbers, the swim coach for the Okinawa Dolphins Swim Team. “One of the service members on the swim team had the chance to go to the world championships, so we created the aquathlon to help him train.”
Each aquathlon consists of two different races, allowing the athletes to test their endurance while competing at their own skill level.
“The races are run-swim-run,” said Jennifer A. Guare, assistant swim coach for the Dolphins. “It starts with a 400-meter run, followed by a 100-meter swim and then another 400-meter run. The second [race] is a 1.8-kilometer run, with a 400-meter swim and ends with another 1.8-kilometer run.”
The aquathlon was a free event open to all military and status of forces agreement personnel.
“A lot of the athletes for the event come from our swim team,” said Guare. “Other participants are often friends or siblings who have watched an aquathlon before and decided they wanted to do more than watch.”
The aquathlon has two different race lengths and is set up so each contestant competes against their age group.
“There are a lot of parents who run these races at first to ensure the safety of their children and have a lot of fun,” said Guare. “They will come out to run the short race with their child, then run the long race on their own to challenge themselves.”
Several of the athletes who show up for the aquathlon are triathletes, using the aquathlon to help them train for triathlons.
“I do pretty much every triathlon that comes along,” said Michael A. Skarzynske, a swimmer on the Okinawa Dolphins Swim Team. “A lot of other members from the team compete in triathlons, and they introduced me to the events.”
According to Guare, the event was a fun-filled time of friendly competition between all the athletes who participated.
“I think it went wonderfully,” said Guare. “It was a lot of fun for both the children and the adults. It was nice to see the children running, having fun and succeeding at what they were doing.”
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.25.2011 01:27 |
| Story ID: | 75886 |
| Location: | CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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