SwimSwam welcomes reader submissions about all topics aquatic, and if it’s well-written and well-thought-out, we might just post it under our “Shouts from the Stands” series. We don’t necessarily endorse the content of the Shouts from the Stands posts, and the opinions remain those of their authors. If you have thoughts to share, please send [email protected].
This “Shouts from the Stands” submission comes from Eney Jones, a multi-time Masters national champion.
The United States Open Water Swimming Nationals are April 1st-4th in Sarasota, Florida.
How exciting that they are held in the town I grew up in. Sarasota boasts of being home to Siesta Beach, which has been ranked as the #1 beach by TripAdvisor in 2011, 2017, 2020, and 2025. It is consistently recognized for its 99 percent pure quartz, powdery white sand, and shallow, clear water.
Sarasota is also home to Lido Beach, which was developed in the early 1900’s by John Ringling—one of the Ringling brothers—and others, and became a premier coastal destination highlighted by the iconic Lido Beach Casino (1940-1969). Known for its white sand and proximity to St. Armands Circle, it was a hub for entertainment, civil rights “wade in” protests in 1955, and is now a popular recreational, public beach. Other great Sarasota beaches are Turtle Beach and Crescent Beach
Nearby beaches on Anna Maria Island that are also lovely include: Coquina Beach, Bean Point, Bradenton Beach, and Manatee Beach.
But alas, Open Water Nationals are in none of these places; they are to be held in Nathan Benderson Park. Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota was originally created in the 1990s as a borrow pit for shell and dirt excavation to build local roads, including I-75. Then Benderson was transformed into a world–class rowing basin and community park. It was specifically redeveloped to serve as a performance training site for championship rowing regattas. There is no swimming at Benderson Park. Let me repeat that, there is NO SWIMMING in Benderson Park, unless it is a sanctioned event.
The latest sample of the water quality, according to the Sarasota County wateratlas, was on December 2nd, 2025.
Only one location site…. hmmm.
There have been algal blooms and bacterial episodes in Benderson. Maybe it is not tested periodically because there is NO SWIMMING at Benderson, unless it is a sanctioned event. Whereas Siesta Key’s water quality is tested weekly, as it is a recreational swimming place.
Secondly, there are alligators in the 400-acre lake at Nathan Benderson Park. A website for Benderson said the large alligators “generally don’t disturb users.” Umm, “generally”?
Forty alligators have been removed from the lake by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission since 2017.
At the 2017 World Rowing Championships at Benderson, an alligator surfaced during the women’s competition. Max Winitz, the spokesman for the World Championship Rowing Competition, said, “ It’s actually quite funny because most of the European rowers whom I have heard from are intrigued and really want to see an alligator. I’m sure the others don’t want to see an alligator.
Perhaps my fear of alligators stems from when I was 12 years old to a girl named Sharon Holmes. Sharon was 16, swimming at Oscar Scherer State Park in Sarasota, when an 11-foot alligator grabbed her and killed her. Her father tried to free her from the jaws of the alligator, but he could not. She died.
It also could stem from a science class where we looked at what an alligator had ingested. Alligators are opportunistic eaters. They are not picky eaters; they will eat anything.
I have been asked if I am afraid of sharks. I am not. In part due to the education Eugenie Clark gave me at Mote Marine Laboratory on Longboat Key.
Eugenie Clark taught us children to be “fascinated, not fearful of sharks”. Yes, this was during the Jaws decade, the movie that scared everyone. Sharks see well, and we are not their food of choice. Alligators don’t see well and will use a “death roll” to dismember subdue, and tear large prey into manageable, bite-sized chunks.
I would hope the managing bodies of USA Swimming and US Masters Swimming would take some of these concerns into account, but this usually will not happen until after a bad incident.
Take, for example, the death of Fran Crippen in 2010. He was competing (in a sanctioned event) that was 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Some swimmers at the event told me they thought it was hotter than 86 degrees, possibly because the air was in the mid 90’s. After this event, both FINA and USA Swimming put a cap on the high temperature of 31 degrees Celsius, or 87.8 degrees Fahrenheit. They also enhanced medical procedures and safety personnel, but they did this after the tragic event.
Last year, I asked a Masters’ Swimming Executive why Benderson? For spectators, it is hot, there are no trees, there are no concession stands, and no outside entertainment. I implored them to look at the beautiful locations available that would be true open water venues. The response was: Benderson is a venue that is easy to control, it’s easy to tag along to USA Swimming, parking is easier, etc., etc. I was disheartened because open water swimming is exciting when you have the following factors: tides, currents, winds, waves and beauty. Years ago, I saw how Open Water Champion Alex Meyer was mentally doing math to prepare for a race. To access his work, look at this article.
Benderson Park might be easier for the organizers and governing bodies, but it should be the athletes, and the safety of the athletes, that come first. Until then, for me, it is a hard no.
About Eney Jones
Eney Jones has achieved remarkably diverse success as a leading pool, open water, and Ironman triathlon swimmer.
- Masters National Champion 100-200-400-500-1500-1650 5k freestyle 2009
- Open Water 5k Champion, Perth Australia, May 2008.
- National Masters Champion 200-400-1500 freestyle Champion, Portland, Oregon, August, 2008.
- Overall Champion Aumakua 2.4k Maui, Hawaii, September 2008
- Waikiki Rough Water Swim 3rd place 2006, second place Overall 2009, 3rd place 2012
- European Record Holder and Masters Swimming Champion, 2005. Records included 200, 400, 800, 1500 m freestyle
- Over twenty-time finalist in U.S. Swimming Nationals, including Olympic Trials 1980
- Gold medal NCAA 800 yd freestyle relay 1979, silver Medalist 200 yd freestyle 1979. United States National Team 1979-1980.
- Professional Triathlete 1983-1991. The first woman out of the water in every Hawaiian Ironman participated (6).
Eney is right that Sarasota has world-class open water venues minutes away. But for a federation that sanctions fewer than 20 open water events per year and has one open water medal over five Olympic cycles, it makes sense they’ve defaulted to a “controllable” environment.
Beyond being less fun for masters swimmers, though, it’s not preparing our young athletes for international competition, which is typically held in far more dynamic water — including Belmont Shore for LA28. Tactical reps on similar water is a simple thing we can do to prepare them, but so far we haven’t had the strategic focus to develop the venues, officials, and safety frameworks to make it happen.
We’re hopeful that can change.… Read more »
After attending the event I was genuinely impressed — world-class venue, incredibly spectator-friendly to be able to walk along the swimmers and watch the racing up close. The knockout sprint in particular was a ton of fun to watch. Had some super positive conversations about the growth opportunity for open water and some constructive dialogue on how we can best develop a pipeline for international competition. Congratulations to all the coaches and athletes competing at the highest level in Sarasota this week!
Ugh. My son did the swim around Lido Key some years ago. Great event and venue. They swim by manatee. I think it was 7.1 miles. Gators, no thanks. I wouldn’t mind rowing past them, but swimming — not so much.
We don’t have gators at the open water lake swims hosted by ISCA in Virginia. https://SwimISCA.org/save-the-date
My daughter was at the youth nationals rowing championship last June 2025 – alligator was hanging out right at the end of the race course on the surface by the tower..
Every open water venue has its challenges. A swimmer is certainly entitled to an opinion and preference. We all have them. National organizations make venue choices based on comprehensive proposals. It is a big responsibility to host two events of this magnitude.
Every lake in Florida carries the risk of gators, water qualit,y and visibility issues. Many places across the country are marked “no swimming” but offer competitive swimming events. I have raced several triathlons and open water events in Florida that had these “no swimming” warnings. My sister and I did another open water race in Indianapolis (Poseidon Swim Challenge) in a canal where swimming is not normally permitted. Open Water National Championships has been hosted in lakes at… Read more »
Something to note is that everything about these championships was set by the previous USAS administration, Hinchey, Mintenko, et al, who were fired for many good reasons. The current administration could not change it.
That said, I agree with everything Eney said. In addition, the timing of the event is terrible, making it extremely difficult for an NCAA swimmer to attend and expect to swim at a high level. Here’s hoping that big changes are coming.
Are they set that far out? It wasn’t the interim administration?
Still, a good point either way.
Good question. I would bet she already had so much on her plate she never even gave a thought to this.
Yep. I’m in Miami and looked into doing the 5K at masters nationals, but when I saw the venue I noped out so fast. Forcing everyone into a murky lake with gators is just insane when there is no shortage of suitable beaches with clear, calm water for these events. There is no way I’m driving four hours to jump into that lake.
Was Ron DeSantis somehow involved in this decision making?
Something that I heard about 15-20 years ago was that they wanted selection meets in waters that were similar to where the international championships were help. Waves, currents, temperatures. Don’t know if that is still a factor.