Swimmers Face-Off at Five Borough Championship Meet, 8/7

On Saturday, August 7th, more than 500 swimmers from Parks & Recreation's eleventh annual Swim Team Training Program will compete in teams by borough, in various swimming events at the Five Borough Swimming Championships.

The meet will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Hamilton Fish Pool, located at Pitt Street and Houston Street in Manhattan.

Since July 8th, kids and teens, ages 6-18 have been honing their swimming skills in Parks' outdoor swim team training classes in preparation for this citywide meet. Athletes will compete in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and relay events for individual swimmer awards and the Five Borough team championship. Brooklyn is the defending borough champion.

Constructed by the Works Progress Administration, the pool at Hamilton Fish Park was one of 11 that opened throughout New York City in a single summer during the Great Depression. The Pool was so highly regarded that the U.S. Olympic Team used it for practice sessions on their way to the 1952 Helsinki Games.

Parks & Recreation offers a variety of free, water-based programs for all ages and levels, ranging from swim lessons to recreational swimming to training for swim team competition. For more information on Parks' free aquatics programs, visit www.nyc.gov/parks or call 3-1-1.

Photo Credit: NYC Parks website. Championship photo, 2007.