The Flowers Sea Swim is always a wonderful experience for first timers, even though they fully know what to expect because of all the hype. The Internet is a great source of seeing, hearing and appreciating the Caribbean’s No.1 open water over which is also the world’s richest, generating over $100,000 in cash and prizes.
One suitably impressed first timer was Liliana Casso, a 16-year-old from Los Angeles. She was second female home, behind fellow American Eva Fabian. Casso came eighth in 18 minutes 56 seconds. She is not part of the US Olympic programme but still harbours hopes of qualifying. She is coached by former Cayman coach Dave Kelsheimer with the Team Santa Monica squad which is how she arrived here for the one mile swim.
American Kelsheimer used to come all the way from Australia with a team until he relocated last year back to his homeland. He maintains links with Cayman because he still has friends here and, anyway, the Flowers Sea Swim is one of the coolest events in the world.
Isabelle Vandenbroucke, 21, is a student at Colombia University in New York City. She was third. “There are a lot of top competitors so I consider myself lucky to be amongst them.
“I’m actually from Mexico so I compete for their national trials and I came third. I was also fifth in the Ivy League mile earlier this year. I actually just came over to visit my friend Brandy Hurlstone and she mentioned that there was this swim. So she told me that I should sign up for it.
“I had great fun and would love to come back and do it again.
That was the first open water swim I’ve ever done so I need to learn more about it so that I can be more competitive.”
Vadenbroucke was impressed with Penny Palfrey’s world record swim. “It was absolutely incredible and amazing.
To think about what she did is so incredible. I think people should make a bigger deal of it because a woman doing something like that should be inspiring to me and other girls. I don’t think anyone ever thought that anyone could ever do that. What she said about believing in yourself is true.”
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