USA Triathlon is offering Continuing Education Units for its certified coaches to attend the Global Open Water Swimming Conference in Long Beach, California. USA Triathlon describes the Conference as “bringing together the world’s foremost experts on open water swimming including prominent triathlon coaches and personalities. World open water swimming champions, English Channel world record holders, top professional marathon swimmers and some of the most decorated Olympic coaches will share their experiences, insights and recommendations on how to prepare optimally, train intelligently and race well in the open water.

The Conference offers 24 presentations on open water racing tactics, techniques, innovative training methodologies and trends in the sport.“

Speakers at the Conference include Shelley Taylor-Smith of Australia (shown above), renowned adventure swimmer extreme adventure swimmer Ram Barkai of South Africa, leading triathlon coach and endurance guru Matt Dixon (shown on left), 2-time masters world champion Gerry Rodrigues, top triathlon coach Jim Vance and Navy SEALs Lieutenant Commander Richard Witt.

Additionally, arguably the greatest marathon swimmers of all time Philip Rush of New Zealand and Greta Andersen, Great Swim visionary Colin Hill, Flowers Sea Swim namesake Frank Flowers, Brazilian open water visionary Pedro Rego Monteiro, Slowtwitch founder Dan Empfield, the man they call Mr. Open Water Sid Cassidy, one of the greatest swimmers of all time Greta Andersen, FINA Sports Medicine Committee member Dr. Jim Miller, Swimming Canada CEO Pierre Lafontaine, International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame board member Steven Munatones, channel swimmers Forrest Nelson and Anne Cleveland, and Catalina Channel record holder John York among others will provide educational, insightful and entertaining presentations.

Additionally, blueseventy will present beautifully designed awards with a gorgeous open water swimming theme to the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria, the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Women of the Year Poliana Okimoto of Brazil and the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year Andrew Smilley of Cayman Islands). These awards will be followed by a special announcement of four Lifetime Achievement Award winners and an Italian dinner in the hotel.

Attendees will receive a unique Open Water Swimming Almanac filled with such interesting information as The Open Water Swimming Dictionary, The World’s Most Interesting Open Water Swimming Circumnavigations, Great Open Water Swimming Books and Movies, Defining Marathon Swimming, The Longest Solo Marathon Swims in the World, Higher Math for Open Water Swimmers, America’s Top 10 Most Competitive Open Water Races, The World’s Top 100 Open Water Swims, Open Water Swimming Haikus and Poems, The Rules of Open Water Swimming, America’s Top 50 Open Water Swims, Amazing Open Water Swimming Websites, Cool Open Water Swimming Products and Technology, Open Water Swimming Clubs, Teams and Organizations and Four Fundamental Feeding Steps.

Attendees will include accomplished individuals from Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Canada, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago and throughout the United States. It should be some global gathering.

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