For the 13th year, Lee County is partnering with USA Swimming and the Gulf Coast Swim Team to host the annual Open Water Swimming Festival, April 12-13 at Miromar Lakes in Estero, Fla. Lee County waters have played an integral role in shining the spotlight on open water swimming, a sport that was added to the Olympic program prior to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
“Miromar Lakes was the venue used to select the 2008 U.S. Olympic Open Water Team and will again play host to this world-class event,” said Jeff Mielke, executive director, Lee County Sports Development. “Our office believes this event will assist Southwest Florida in attracting future international competitions that will have a positive economic impact on our area.”
A new addition to this year’s Open Water Swimming Festival is the 10-kilometer Crippen Cup Open Water Marathon, which will be contested April 12 with a minimum $10,000 prize purse on the line. The event will honor the life and legacy of U.S. open water standout Fran Crippen, who tragically passed away during a 2010 FINA Open Water 10K World Cup event in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. The inaugural Crippen Cup is expected to include swimmers from Brazil, Sweden, Russia, Canada, Germany and the U.S.
The Crippen family is expected to be on hand for the event, and the Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation will host an open water camp in conjunction with the Festival.
Please check www.usaswimming.org , or www.openwaterfestival.org frequently for updated information.
About USA Swimming
As the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the U.S., USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. The membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. Members can get involved through more than 2,800 clubs across the nation.
USA Swimming is also responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success.
About Lee County Sports Development
Created in 2003 to meet the growing demand for sports development in Lee County, the Lee County Sports Development office is recognized by the Florida Sports Foundation as one of the state’s 25 Regional Sports Commissions. The Lee County Sports Development office leads the recruitment and implementation of amateur and professional sports events and activities in Lee County, with the goal of providing economic impact to Lee County. Through local partnerships the Lee County Sports Development office provides services designed to address the needs of local, national and international sports entities including housing, access to venues, event management, transportation assistance, event promotion, marketing and local sponsorship opportunities. For more information, call 239-344-5201or visit www.leeparks.org.
This is an unedited press release submitted to SwimSwam.com
