Courtesy: Around the Island® Swim
The 3rd Annual Jim Whelan Open Water Festival is proud to announce the addition of “Team Thunderdome” to the competitor lineup of the 56th Around The Island® Swim, taking place on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in Atlantic City, NJ.
What makes this relay team so special? It’s made up of 4 outstanding high school athletes, each with close ties to the community and local beach patrols. Team members include:
– Patrick Armstrong, Ocean City High School, Longport City Beach Patrol
– James Haney, Atlantic City High School, Brigantine City Beach Patrol “Lifeguard In Training”
– Gavin Neal, Ocean City High School, Brigantine City Beach Patrol
– John Sahl, Atlantic City High School, Atlantic City Beach Patrol
These young men have some pretty impressive swimming credentials for their schools, club teams, and even in various South Jersey Lifeguard Races. All 4 have qualified for the Junior Olympics at some point in their swimming career, and several have been named to the Press of Atlantic City’s All-Start team. Many school records have been broken by this group, including one that was standing for 31 years! The team was formed and is being coached by Atlantic City native and former ACBP member Joe Haney.
“The Around The Island® Swim has always been closely associated with the local beach patrols,” says Haney. “By forming this team made up of some of the best high school swimmers that also have close ties to the beach patrols, we hope to continue this legacy of local participation in this internationally recognized event.”
Bios on each swimmer as well as a video interview can be found on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/
The Around the Island® Swim is a 22.75mi (36.6km) open water marathon swim that circumnavigates Absecon Island in southern New Jersey. The legendary swim, which started as a $100 bet back in 1953 between two beach patrol members, became one of the premier open water events in the world. After a hiatus, the race was resurrected in 2019 as part of the Jim Whelan Open Water Festival, named after the late Atlantic City Mayor, NJ State Senator, and advocate of swimming and water safety education. All proceeds from the festival benefit Green Whales, Inc. a NJ non-profit supporting various children’s swim programs in Atlantic County, NJ. Visit www.jwopenwater.org for more information.
