Open water swimming is poised to grow with new competitive opportunities for college teams

In Heavy Or Not, #106, we bring a dream into reality for long-time Southern Illinois University Head Swim & Dive Coach, presently retired, Rick Walker. Open Water Festival Sign up at https://swimisca.org/event/east-coast-open-water/   News Release about College Teams at https://read.swimisca.org/courses/open-water/lessons/isca-hosts-open-water-festivals/topic/press-release-college-swimming-gets-an-upgrade-in-september-with-a-5k-and-open-water-knockout/   Coach Walker has been a leading force for USA Open Water Swimming Teams in recent years — and he helps with Pan Am Aquatics and speaks to coaches at WAFSU.org / UCSSC seminars. Let's get to the core of the dream of what Open Water events mean for athletes and coaches. Get the details on the upcoming East Coast Open Water Festival and how a new college and university division is being created. Plus, you can get involved. Open water as an additional collegiate season – benefits for Title IX compliance and athlete counts. East Coast Open Water Festival at Smith Mountain Lake (Sept 2026) is with a new college & university division. Race formats: knockout 1,500 m, 5K, 1‑mile, splash‑and‑dash (swim + run) and more. How open water training boosts pool performance for distance and sprint swimmers. Resources & future events: online prep course (reed.swimisca.org), May Jamestown meet, coach/parent participation. New Open Water Course, for free, for limited time: https://read.swimisca.org/courses/open-water/