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Overview
Open Water Swimming
Open Water
Introduction to open water swimming
Open water swimming reached a new level of international exposure by becoming an official event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Open water swimming offers the purest form of racing, where athletes are racing against their fellow competitors and not the clock. Race strategies, along with the conditions, are constantly changing which makes adaptability a key skill. Each race varies in length and course design, especially at the local level. USA Swimming’s Zone Championships feature a 5K and our national and international level events feature a 5K, 7.5K, 10K, and a 25K.
GETTING STARTED
Open water is a unique a part of our sport and an experience that swimmers should try once!
- Discuss your interest in open water with your coach.
- Open water and distance swimming have a good amount of crossover. Taking an interest in pool distance events can benefit your open water.
- Open water is not a different sport, but another distance event that requires strategy, which can be finely tuned to match an athlete's skill set.
- Check out local open water races within your LSC and enter. Start with shorter distances and work your way up to longer distances to build confidence!
SWIM WHEREVER LIFE TAKES YOU
Whether you’re a long-time open water enthusiast or looking to try it for the first time, open water swimming offers new and exciting challenges. Read more about them, below.
ARTICLE
2019 World Championships Flashback: Men's 10k Open Water Race
openwaterJUL 15, 2020
ARTICLE
Catherine Kase shares Open Water Workouts and Open Water Tips
openwaterJUL 8, 2020
ARTICLE
Building Champions: Ashley Twichell
openwaterJUN 24, 2020
ARTICLE
Coach Bruce Gemmell shares Intermediate/Advanced Level Open Water Workout
openwaterJUN 24, 2020
ARTICLE
Twichell Shines at Open Water National Championships Finale
openwaterMAY 5, 2019
ARTICLE
Becker, Travis Earn Junior 5k Titles at Open Water National Championships
openwaterMAY 4, 2019
ARTICLE
Four National Team Athletes Punch Tickets to Open Water World Championships
openwaterMAY 3, 2019
ARTICLE
Open Water National Championships Preview
openwaterMAY 2, 2019
VIDEO
Off the Blocks, S2, Episode 3: Open Water with Haley Anderson and Jordan Wilimovsky
openwaterMAY 2, 2019
Off the Blocks, S2, Episode 3: Open Water with Haley Anderson and Jordan Wilimovsky
FEATURED ATHLETE INTERVIEWS
2018 National Open Water Select Camp Recap
1:41
Oct 10, 2018
2018 National Open Water Select Camp Recap
1:41OCT 10, 2018
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MEET MANAGEMENT RESOURCES
Helpful resources for facilitating an Open Water meet.
Emergency Action Plan Checklist
2020 Open Water Meet Application
Open Water Meet Announcement Template_2020
NATIONAL TEAM RESOURCES
All information regarding swimming on the Open Water National Team can be found here, including selection procedures, athlete assistance, international meet schedule and Junior Team information.
VIEW ALL RESOURCES
Upcoming Events
Western Zone Open Water Championships [CANCELED]
September 12-13, 2020
Coronado, CA
Silver Strand State Beach-Bayside
TYR Pro Swim Series Richmond
November 05-08, 2020
Richmond, VA
SwimRVA
TYR Pro Swim Series Irvine
November 12-15, 2020
Irvine, CA
William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center
Toyota U.S. Open
December 02-05, 2020
Atlanta, GA
Georgia Tech McAuley Aquatic Center