2016 Speedo USMS 1-Hour ePostal National Championship

SwimRI is once again helping New England Masters Swim Club defend its title in this national month-long event by running organized heats for 2016 USMS-NEM members. This is a participatory event. You may swim whatever stroke(s) you wish, at whatever pace you wish, continuously or with rest breaks.

January 17th @ St. George's School in Middletown (32 swimmers = 2 per lane x 8 lanes x 2 heats)

SwimRI-South County Y masters swimmers given priority. Other NEM members welcome if/as space allows. Cost is ~$10 per swimmer. Time is TBD but usually between 9:00am and 12:30pm. Swimmers in one heat usually time/count for each other during the other heat. Post-swim luncheon at ~1:00 or 1:30pm at Bike Stop Cafe in Narragansett. For more info contact Fred Bartlett at swimtrirunman@aol.com.

January 24th @ Roger Williams University in Bristol (48 swimmers = 2 per lane x 8 lanes x 3 heats)
Check-in and warm-up open at 8:00am. Heats start at 9:00, 10:20 & 11:40. Cost is ~$13 per swimmer. RWU college swimmers will count/time. RSVP required to douglas.sayles@swimri.org with your prioritized heat preferences (e.g., 2-1-3). Post-swim social gathering at Aidan's Irish Pub.
January 30th @ Community College of R.I. in Lincoln (12 swimmers = 2 per lane x 6 lanes x 1 heat)

The Hour Swim heat will start at ~9:45am, after the regular 8:00am masters practice ends. Cost is $5 to $10 per swimmer. We can ask for volunteer timers from among the practice swimmers but you should arrange your own timer if possible. Please RSVP to douglas.sayles@swimri.org.

Can't join us on any of the above dates? Ask a coach or friend to time for you and submit your results online via the official event website by February 10th. Every yard counts toward NEM Swim Club's total!

Annual SwimRI "Stuffies vs. Steamers" Dual Meet & Party 11/21/2015

On Saturday, November 21st, the rivalry continues between the God-fearing Steamers and the heathen Stuffies at Providence College's Taylor Natatorium. Warm-up is at 3:00pm. Meet runs from 3:30 to 5:30. $20 per person payable at check-in. There is a cap of 40 swimmers. All ability levels welcome. For insurance purposes, all swimmers must be USMS members.

This event is a high-school-style dual meet. Each swimmer will race 1-2 individual events and 1-2 relays. The team lineups and races you swim will be determined by the captains -- Doug Sayles for Stuffies and Trent Theroux for Steamers.

For three years running the winning team has been decided by the final relay. This year's relay teams will include a mix of ability levels, and this year's final relay will be different than any other year. By tradition, the losing team buys the first round for the winners after the meet at Ladder 133 Pub & Restaurant located at 133 Douglas Avenue in Providence. Most people stay for dinner and some bring their families.

Reserve your spot in the meet by emailing trent.theroux@jwu.edu. If you reserve a spot, please honor the commitment as someone else may get shut out. Bring family and friends to cheer you on and help time.

Email douglas.sayles@swimri.org if you plan to bring family/guests to dinner or if you are not dining. Otherwise we will reserve space at Ladder 133 based on the assumption that all 40 meet participants are dining.

SwimRI morning practices at CCRI-Lincoln are back starting 11/7/2015

Back by popular demand! Coached SwimRI Saturday practices at CCRI-Lincoln starting November 7th through mid March. The pool opens at 7:45am. Practice runs from 8:00 to 9:30. Rotating schedule of experienced, on-deck volunteer coaches. These challenging but fun workouts are public and open to anyone who wishes to attend, including USMS and non-USMS competitive, triathlon and recreational swimmers and weekend warriors. $5 per person payable onsite to the CCRI staff (not the SwimRI coaches). More info about the rotating coaching schedule available on the Locations & Schedules page.

SwimRI contact: douglas.sayles@swimri.org or (401) 633-5756
CCRI contact: Gail Steere at gwsteere@ccri.edu

Local open-water events in full swing!

From June into October, the R.I. and S. Mass area is a Mecca of open water swimming. On June 20th the local OW race season got underway on a beautiful sunny morning with the Mashpee Superswim and Buzzards Bay Swim. The popular Narrow River Turnaround on June 27th will be followed by the Save The Bay Swim, The Waterman Eco-Challenge, the Misquamicut Salt Pond Challenge, the R.I. Aquatic Hall of Fame Swim, Swim Across America RI, FIRMman RI, and Newport Sharkfest. Key races further north include the Misery Challenge (SwimRI carpool) and the Kingdom Swim (NEM Championship). And these are just some of the great OW events New England has to offer!

Group OW training swims take place nearly every day in salt and fresh water venues around RI and S. Mass, including Narragansett Town Beach, Second Beach, Mackerel Cove, Barrington Beach, and Georgiaville Pond.

For more info, links and contacts, see Upcoming Races & Events and Locations & Schedules.

Spring Saturday practices at RWU confirmed!

Coached Saturday practices 7:00-8:30am at Roger Williams University have been confirmed this spring through June 13th (no practice on 5/16 and 5/30). Special thanks to coaches Matt Emmert and Colin Fisher for making this happen. Let's show our appreciation by taking advantage of this opportunity for professional coaching in a great 8-lane pool while it lasts. Attendance is usually between 20 and 30 eager swimmers. Early practice also means we can beat the rush at Green Eggs. See you at RWU!

EPB&GC Pool Temporarily Closed for Renovation

As of 3/30/2015, the East Providence Boys & Girls Club pool is closed for renovation until further notice. In light of this development, for the remainder of the spring we will try to offer coached Saturday weekend workouts at Roger Williams University or elsewhere as frequently as possible.

Alternate workout venues for East Providence-area swimmers include coached Mon/Wed/Fri morning workouts at Cumberland High School, some Saturday morning workouts at Roger Williams University, or self-arranged ad hoc workouts during lap swim times at Barrington YMCA (Y membership required), Brown University ($10 drop-in) or CCRI-Lincoln ($3 drop-in). There are also Mon/Wed/Sunday workouts at Newport Athletic Club ($8 drop-in).

For a comprehensive list of organized group workout options and updates, please regularly check the Locations & Schedules section of this website and the SwimRI Facebook page.

SwimRI Repeats as New England Short Course Yards Champions!

On March 15 and 20-22, SwimRI won the overall points competition at the 2015 New England Local Masters Swimming Committee Short Course Yards Championships for the second year running, successfully defending its 2014 team title against 63 other teams from throughout New England and other "LMSCs".

Top 5 team scores (points):

  1. SwimRI -- 6,339.5
  2. Cambridge Masters Swim Club -- 4,654.5
  3. Maine Masters Swim Club -- 3,193
  4. Worcester Area Masters -- 2,663
  5. Great Bay Masters -- 2,433.5

To no one's surprise, SwimRI's indefatigable swimming iron man Tom Manfredi once again won the men's individual high-point competition. Congratulations, Tom!

As is their penchant, many of Coach Fred's South County Y swimmers completed up to 13 individual events plus relays, effectively "carpet bombing" the competition. Coach Albert's and Coach Trent's versatile Triton swimmers combined with the South County morning crew to provide high-place finishes and lethal relay combinations, racking up points in the process.

Newport-area swimmers, Coach Ross's Cumberland-area newcomers and other fresh faces from around the state made key contributions. And Coach Frank traveled up from Florida (sporting a new tan and a new flashy suite) to swim, plan relays with the other coaches, and help rally the troops.

The team held its traditional social gatherings on Friday and Saturday nights. Rumor has it that, afterwards, the usual suspects were spotted around town spreading SwimRI cheer at other local watering holes.

Congrats to all on our big win. More importantly, thank you for your teamwork and camaraderie!