Reach Up, Special Campaign Begins
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. It is rare that swimmers are greeted with advertising geared towards them when they arrive at the airport and city streets near where their competition will occur.
But it happens.
Fly into Georgetown and welcome signs at the airport greet swimmers who will participate in the Flowers Sea Swim in the Cayman Islands. Go to Rio de Janeiro and large ads in the subway greet swimmers who will participate in the King and Queen of the Sea events in Brazil. Flags fly from the street lights in cities from New York to Okinawa greet swimmers gathering from around the world.
But Special Olympics International takes the welcoming to an entirely different level. Months before the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, visitors from around the world and the 7,000+ athletes who will compete in the quadrennial championships are welcomed with large posters throughout LAX.
The two-loop 1.5 km open water event will take place in Naples Island on Alamitos Beach in Long Beach with defending champion Andrew Smiley of the Cayman Islands the pre-race favorite among the estimated 89 total competitors from 34 programs.
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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