It’s one week away – the USA Swimming Open Water Nationals are so close you can feel the excitement building... Current photo via Mike Lewis/Ola Vista Photography
It’s one week away – the USA Swimming Open Water Nationals are so close you can feel the excitement building as swimmers from around the nation are soon headed to SoCal’s Lake Castaic. Sean Ryan is a known force in the pool – he’s had an exceptional college career at University of Michigan. Now he’s ready to do what he’s been doing so well since 2011 and getting in on the open water nationals. Here’s some of what makes open water swimming special in Sean’s opinion:
1.What differentiates an Open Water Nationals from pool nationals (aside from the fact that it’s open water)? Open Water national is a totally different atmosphere than pool nationals. The biggest difference is that everyone at open water nationals is racing the same event and we are all competing with each other in events where times don’t matter which makes the competitive atmosphere so much more intense.
2. Do you think there’s a different bond amongst open water swimmers? Yes I do think there is a different type of bond amongst open water swimmers than pool swimmers. Due to the importance of strategy and stress on gaining any advantage possible on every competitor there is a much more guarded friendship between open water swimmers at times.
3. Do you think open water swimming is changing? If so, in what ways? I do think that open water swimming is changing, as more people join the sport the field gets deeper, faster, and more competitive which challenges everyone in the race to continuously strive to get better and faster.
4. We all saw the prank Alex played on the group out at the Crippen Cup with the alligator head. Do you have any other pranks you’ve seen or pulled in the open water? No pranks that particularly jump out at me. Rookie skits on national team trips are always a fun way to share a few laughs though and it seems that everyone winds up as the butt of a joke.
5. What are some of the songs your pump up playlist? Before I race I don’t normally listen to music. I usually enjoy quiet and try to relax and calm down before my races, especially in open water where the races are long and just as mentally challenging as physically challenging.
6. Do you ever wish you were a sprinter? Not usually I have a lot of pride in training the way I do. It only gets slightly annoying during taper when the distance group hasn’t started tapering much and the sprinters are stretching in the hot tub for practice.
7. Who’s your favorite open water swimmer? My favorite open water swimmer is Jimmy Welborn, an accomplished open water swimmer and masters swimmer from my hometown. His mot notable open water accomplishment was winning the 24 mile Tampa Bay Marathon swim in 2007. He also encouraged and inspired me to try open water swimming for the first time when I was 14.
8. What do you want people to know about open water swimming? I want people to know that open water swimming is fun. It is enjoyable because it is just pure racing, it doesn’t matter how fast you go as long you beat everyone else. It is also more enjoyable than pool swimming because instead of looking at a black line and pool deck for extended periods of time you get to go enjoy the outdoors and take an adventure swimming around large bodies of water. But the most important thing before just jumping in and going is remembering to be safe.
Mike Lewis is a freelance commercial, sport and lifestyle photographer based in San Diego. Mike began making photos in the early 80’s and immersed himself in all aspects of the photographic arts. Mike’s professional career in in photography began after 12 years working within the United States Olympic movement; he …
Freaky picture, that has to be someone elses arm !