Pirates week meet remembers Mike Lockwood

(Stingray Swim Club): The 2013 Mike Lockwood Memorial Swim Meet takes place November 14-17th at the Lions Aquatic Centre and is hosted by Stingray Swim Club.This meet take place over four days, offers an array of events from the traditional 50m sprints to the longer 100m, 200m and 400m events and it is the first meet of the season which affords swimmers, between the ages of 11-17 years, the opportunity to make qualifying times in all of the possible events which will be part of the 2014 CARIFTA Swimming Competition. Previous meets held locally did allow for qualifying times to be recorded, but not in all the possible events.

Lion Winston Hayle, President of the Lions Club of Grand Cayman said: “Mike Lockwood was a Lions Member who embodied the ethos of service which is such a significant part of the Lions Club. He was an original visionary of Pirates Week, and he also believed passionately in the power of the sport of swimming. This event brings these three things together and the result is an incredible community event which sees young athletes at the centre of our attention.”

The two longest events, the 800m and 1500m events take place on Thursday 14th – as do the first two Masters events. After that the meet takes place Friday 15th, starting at 5:30pm and then Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th starting at 8:15am. An enhanced club commitment to healthy, nutritious, athlete focussed food will see the concession stand offering healthy food options, developed in conjunction with Kirk Market and nutritionist Andrea Hill.

Everyone attending the Meet is encouraged to visit the Concession Stand and to get some ideas on what you might want to add to your weekly shopping list as well.

President Brenda McGrath encourages everyone to come out and support the swimmers who will be competing over the four days: “We encourage everyone to come down, take in the racing action in the pool, buy something to eat and support our youth. Competitive swimmers train year round, putting in hours of training every week while still keeping up with school – they deserve your support and we look forward to seeing you on deck at the Lions Aquatic Centre.”

Registration closes at Midnight on Friday November 6th and there will be no deck entries. Swimmers should either register online through their club or visit the Stingray website www.caymanswimming.com to print the forms, complete them and then drop them off in the box at the Stingray Shed at the Lions Pool with payment.

Son of Lion Mike, Michael Lockwood, continues the family legacy of community involvement and is this year’s Vice-President of CIASA. “My father was a strong believer in keeping children at the centre of our community and always encouraged sport clubs, especially swimming, to host specific events for them. CIASA continues to encourage this message by building up the learn to swim and development programmes to ensure that every child in the Cayman Islands knows how to swim sothat they can make a choice to continue to the age group and elite levels."

Admission to watch the meet is free; and four sessions means there are four opportunities for you to come out and support Cayman’s youth. Meet sessions are on Thursday 15th from 6:00pm; Friday 15th from 5:30pm; Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th from 8:15am.