Cayman’s swimming programs emerged as winners with celebrity swimmers arriving for the second annual Splash, Dash and Dine.
Olympians Ruta Meilutyte and Neil Walker, along with acclaimed international coaches Jon Rudd and Dave Kelsheimer and hundreds of members of Cayman’s swim community took part.
Splash, Dash and Dine’s proven combination of technique clinics, a fundraising dinner and open water sea swims was supported by a wide range of swimmers – some of whom swam in the 8 & Unders, while others competed in the 60-69 age category.
“KPMG is proud to support the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association, as they do a tremendous job encouraging people of all ages to stay active, and proceeds from the Splash, Dash, and Dine event will go towards upcoming programs,” said John Ferrari, of KPMG, title sponsor of the event.
“We were pleased to welcome such accomplished Olympians and coaches to the island and enjoyed the events they took part in.”
CIASA president Peter MacKay thanked KPMG and Appleby for their support and also acknowledged the fundraising committee who worked so hard to produce the multiple event weekend.
He said, “This is an annual event which allows CIASA to recognize the swimmers for achievements in CIASA events, members of the community who have assisted CIASA over the past year and previously, and our sponsors.
“We had a tremendous turn out this year and we thank our swimmers, members and supporters for making it so successful.”
Meilutyte was a London 2012 Olympic gold medalist for Lithuania and is the current world record holder in the 50 meters and 100m breaststroke.
American Walker is an Olympic champion who competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and is a former world record-holder in multiple events. He took part in all the events and even demonstrated technique and drills in the clinics and took to the sea in the open water swims.
When not on call they were able to enjoy Cayman, including a visit to Stingray City and time spent soaking up the sun on the beach.
Clinics were capped to ensure that those participating had a quality experience where they were able to listen and learn.
The 10 & Under swimmers attended at the Lions Aquatic Center and the 11 & Over swimmers attended the next day and were hosted at the Camana Bay Aquatic Center. The clinics were conducted by the coaches and techniques and drills were demonstrated by the Olympians.
The Care Pharmacy sea swims took place just off Seven Mile Beach. The sun was shining, the sea was inviting, and in keeping with the previous days’ clinics, coach Kelsheimer provided tips on open water swimming starts before the horn sounded. Care Pharmacy owner Martin Bures swam and even wore one of Neil Walker’s swimsuits that he bought in an auction.
The start and finish were at Royal Palms and, as was the case in the inaugural year, to encourage swimmers of all ages and abilities to take part in the sea swims, there were two distances, 200m and 400m.
Cameron MacLeod won the 200m distance in 2 minutes, 36 seconds; Iain MacRae was second in 2:40 and Corey Westerborg was third in 3:09, while the 400m distance saw Matthew Courtis crossing the finish line first, in 4:33, Cole Morgan second in 4:40, Iain McCallum third in 4:45 and Meilutyte was fourth in 4:48.
Walker finished 14th and resident Olympian and Team TI Coach Darren Mew was fifth. This year there were two dining components. The Friday evening fundraising dinner had a silent and live auction and a post sea swim barbecue for the swimmers and their families.
The dinner was at the Marriott Grand Cayman Beach Resort.
CIASA director Brenda McGrath, along with Dr. Sook Yin and Maria Butler and the members of the fundraising committee, organized the event. Kelsheimer was the emcee and he kept the program moving along in a timely manner. Auctioneer Kim Remizowski took charge of the live auction.
The highest item to go in the live auction was the right to be Richard Hew, CUC president, for a day. This unique opportunity was purchased by Sara MacKay, who is looking forward to learning all about power generation.
Other items in the silent and live auctions, included signed Olympic attire, swim caps signed by top U.S. and U.K. swimmers, and gift certificates for local restaurants, water sports activities and stores.
The dinner was attended by Cayman’s swimming community, representatives of swimming’s major sponsors, Governor Helen Kilpatrick and the chief officer of the Ministry of Sports, Jennifer Ahearn, plus event sponsors KPMG and Appleby.
All funds raised support the swimming association’s many swimming initiatives, including Learn to Swim, CARIFTA and training and further education.
A new component of the fundraising Splash, Dash and Dine with Olympians weekend was the presentation of the inaugural CIASA Awards.
The Community and CIASA Lifetime Achievement awards were presented at the dinner, while the remainder of the performance awards were presented at the barbecue.
The three days of Olympian swimming activity were all positive. With the swimming association’s increased programs, the Cayman Islands has new Olympic fans and the swimming family enjoyed three days of Olympic storytelling, swimming tips, techniques and camaraderie.
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