Annual Lions Swim meet a splash

Local swim enthusiasts turned out in their numbers for the Annual Lions Sprint Meet at The Lions Aquatic Centre on Saturday 15 May.

The highly anticipated swim event of the year attracted over 200 supporters at The Lions Aquatic Centre and featured 38 events with over 180 individual competitors.

Swimmers from CBAC (Camana Bay Aquatic Club), SMS (Seven Mile Swimmers), Stingray KY, Darren Mew Swimmers and Cayman Brac hit the pool at the sporting event.

“We have been so fortunate to have our youth back in the pool while so many Caribbean countries are still dealing with Covid-19,” said 2nd VP of the Lions Club of Grand Cayman and swim meet organiser Michael Havlin.

Swimmers competed in a number of heats and sterling competitions from ages 6 and unders to the over-15s.

Lions Club of Grand Cayman president Carmin Godfrey welcomed the turn-out for the event.

“The Lions Club of Grand Cayman started the swim meet over 45 years ago and I’m pleased to see that the swim meet is still going strong here in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac,” she said.

With the Carifta games recently having been cancelled, top swimmers brought out many personal bests in the full range of strokes in the pool, Havlin said.

Speaking at the event Havelin said since 1985 Lions have been hosting the Sprint Meet in the pool.

“Previously, in our early days as a club, we pushed our learn to swim programme forward with events off Seven Mile Beach. We would like to again publicly support the initiative to move forward with the new Cayman Islands Aquatic Centre in which many more swimmers can show off their prowess in a world class facility,” he said.

Havelin pledged that the Lions Club of Grand Cayman will continue to support the islands in developing as many swimmers as possible.

“We are surrounded by the sea and, therefore, we should all be, not necessarily technical, but certainly competent in the water,” he added.