The 2013 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships will be held in Southern California, it was revealed at the Southern California Swimming LSC Board of Directors meeting last week.
After two straight years in the temperamental temperatures of South Florida, the meet will return to relatively predictable Southern California, and specifically at Castaic Lake and the Canyons Aquatic Club.
The massive water reservoir is located at the Southeast end of Los Padres National forest, and to the Northwest of Los Angeles. The lake is almost iconic as a fishing hotspot, with several state record catches having come from there. Given its scenic views and proximity to Tinseltown, it’s also been the scene of many Hollywood filmings – including Episodes of “C.S.I.” and “Fear Factor”.
Monitoring water temperatures at Castiac will not be difficult – the highly recreational area keeps a constant update of temperatures. Today, the water temperatures were between 74 and 76 degrees; the water temperature drops off significantly in the winter, but in May should be just about ideal.
At that meeting, the selection criteria for the Open Water crew of the 2013 World Championships team was revealed. The top two finishers in the men’s and women’s 10km swim will swim the 10km race at the World Championships. That’s not as significant in the year after the Olympics, as there are no Olympic automatic qualifying spots in play, but the 10km race is still the premier open water event.
The winner of the 10km swim will have the option to swim either the 5km swim or the 25km swim at Worlds. The 5km Champion from the World Championship Trials will swim the 5km at the World Championships, and the runner-up in the 10km swim will add a second race that will depend on where a second spot is still available (either in the 5km race or the 25km race).
Are the specific dates available yet?