Veteran swimmers affectionately call it “the Big Wet One.” The rest know it as the La Jolla Rough Water Swim, the nation’s premier standard-bearer which is scheduled Sept. 12 for its 80th official start at La Jolla Cove. The major water tests range from a one-mile triangular course to three-mile Gatorman to-and-from Scripps Pier. A 250-yard junior course accommodates the rest. The triangular mile offers arena-like viewing for the spectators and there’s no charge. Although it began in 1916 as a promotional event for the Panama Exposition in Balboa Park, the swim became an annual event until 1931. Seven men took the dip back in 1916. This year, entries should exceed 2,000; a record 2,392 battled the currents last year. There have been three interruptions in the annual classic. It was halted in 1935 because of attention given the second exposition in the park, in 1948 because of polio concerns, and in 1959 because of media warnings of sharks in the area. Swim organizers heard about shark warnings again in August, but the event will go on. Although all the races are popular and well-attended, the Gatorman event is usually the most intriguing. It’s significantly longer and more challenging than the course for masters and amateur swimmers. The Gatorman is by far the most technical. Tides, currents and navigation play major roles in success. Rough conditions, resulting in a number of rescues, hindered last year’s event. Listening to last year’s finishers, the conditions of calm surf to intense waves added at least seven minutes to their efforts. The swells made sighting difficult and the chop filled the mouths of swimmers with salt water. On the Gatorman turnaround point, competition threads out and there is less crush from other swimmers. At the two-mile mark the throat could be raw from water intake and there becomes concern about being slammed against a wall or stairway. Some of the locals said last year’s event was one of the toughest in years. Among past participants, La Jolla’s Courtney Lischke is remembered for her eight victories. In 1994, she was the junior national champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Deni Cullom of Dana Point won last year’s men’s Gatorman with a time of 1:00:03, beating Alex Kostich of Los Angeles by eight seconds. Local Todd Robinson, who previously set a Catalina Channel Crossing men’s record and won the Maui Channel Swim, finished third in 1:01:25. The women’s Gatorman title went to Dawn Heckman of Pasadena in 1:02:58. Lynette Lim of Rancho Mirage and Jaqueline Corcoran of Los Angeles finished second and third. La Jollans Corrie Falcon and Ben Weston captured the masters events over a 1-mile course. For more information about the swim, visit www.ljrws.com. ROUGH WATER SWIM Sunday, Sept. 12 9 a.m. Junior Swim (boys and girls 12 and under) 11 a.m. Women Masters Classic (19 and older) 12 p.m. Men Masters Classic (19 and older) 1:30 p.m. Gatorman Championship (men and women 13 and over) 1:35 p.m. Amateur Swim (Boys and girls 13 to 18 years old)
