Swimming: Ocean event challenge for all-comers

Special Olympics swimmers Cara Rose and Angus Bates are competing in the Surf to Sand ocean swim on Saturday. Photo / Andrew Warner

Cyclone Pam's legacy of pounding surf has eased leaving ideal conditions at Mount Main Beach for one of the highlights of the summer beach programme.

Saturday's Sand to Surf event is the fifth in the nationwide State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series. Four different races will challenge swimmers of all ages and abilities from the 200m kids' swim through to the 2.6km feature race that charts a course through demanding tides and rips around Moturiki and Rabbit Islands back to the beach.

Among the competitors taking on the aptly named Give It A Go race over 300 metres will be three members of Tauranga's Special Olympics group.

Cara Rose, Angus Bates and Ben Motion are looking forward to taking on the surf to see who can win bragging rights for the next year.

Ben and Angus did the swim successfully last year but this will be Cara's first attempt.

She has no concerns about taking on the challenge as she is an experienced competitor and previously represented New Zealand at the World Games in Los Angeles.

Head coach of Tauranga's Special Olympics sport teams Pat Wakelin says Ben and Angus nominated Cara to do it.

"It was part of the deal that if you nominated someone online you got a free drink bottle each. She was very willing and has done more swimming than the others. She has been swimming with Special Olympics for over 20 years, is very competitive and good long distance swimmer.

"She will be giving the boys a run for their money," said Wakelin.

"The great thing about them competing is they are treated as equal.

"They are not only swimming against Special Olympians, they are swimming against everyone else. Doing it in the ocean is quite a bit different for them because most of their swimming is always in a pool."

The three Special Olympic athletes are dedicating their swim in honour of Special Olympics volunteer Gloria Abernethy who passed away on February 21.

-Special Olympics are raising funds to send two Tauranga athletes to the World Games in Los Angeles in July. A quiz and auction night will be held at the Tauranga Golf Club on April 22. Limited tables of eight at $150 per table are available. Contact msenkus@clmlaw.co.nz or phone 927 0564.