Swimmers from across the country will descend on the Newton Park Swimming Pool for the hosting of the 45th annual Aquabear Invitational Meet, which gets under way on Thursday morning.
As one of the oldest swimming galas in the country, this year’s event sees more than 30 swimming clubs from across the country heading to Port Elizabeth for the competition, which will run until Sunday.
Traditionally staged at the beginning of the SA swimming season, the event gives swimmers a chance to gauge where they are in terms of preparation for the season ahead.
Hosted by the Aquabear Swim Club, the event was the brainchild of club president Brian Elliott, who got the idea after visiting the US.
“When I started coaching more seriously, I swam in America one summer and took note of the format and the structure of their gala events.
“At first it was just a club gala, but later on we changed the format to a longer event where it was contested over four days.
“Swimmers from 13 years and up swim heats in the morning and then finals in the evenings, while those aged between 8 and 12 swim timed finals from 1pm daily,” he said.
Elliot said this was to eliminate the need for the younger children and their parents having to stay at the venue all day, provided they do not have children competing in different age groups.
The event will comprise three sessions a day across the four days.
Distances contested will range from 50 up to 1,500m events for boys, while the longest distance event for girls will be the 800m event.
In addition to this, individual and relay medleys will also be contested for both boys and girls.
The event is ratified by the International Paralympic Committee, and will see a number of para-swimming events being contested.
Elliot said about 500 swimmers would contest the event across the various age groups and events, with Nelson Mandela Bay being the most represented.
He said teams from Border, Central Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape would also be making the trip to Port Elizabeth.
Prize money will be awarded to the top four finishing teams with the winners receiving R1,750 along with the Speedo Floating Trophy.
The Best Club Spirit award is also up for grabs for the team with the most “spirit” during the competition.
Elliot said the event had been much bigger in previous years. “Previously, when we had the event in December, we had up to 1,000 swimmers attending, so we are down on numbers.
“Some of the swimmers are preparing for final exams and some schools are three term schools instead of four terms, which has hurt us a bit, but I am confident this event will be a success,” he said.
The first session on each competition day gets under way from 9am, with sessions two and three to follow at 1pm and 5.30pm respectively.