Ocean Swim Clinics Offer Help for New Triathletes

Preparing for her first triathlon, Jodi Woods of Irvine knew only enough about ocean swimming to know she needed help.

So Woods, who had never done much more than wade in the ocean, signed up for a clinic to help her conquer the half-mile swim at Crystal Cove State Beach in time for next month’s Pacific Coast Triathlon.

Training in a pool, Woods said, didn’t prepare her for the shock of the Pacific.

“It’s bloody cold, salt water is going in your mouth and nose and people are bumping into you,” Woods said. “And all these things are slamming you at once. It’s a whole new thing for me. It’s kind of bizarre.”

But Woods said this after the clinic Saturday, after finishing the half-mile swim--and she was smiling. She and 25 other people at the clinic came away with information and experiences that should help on race day.

The Pacific Coast Triathlon started the swim clinics--there are four more scheduled before the race on July 23--last year to address a safety issue. About 20 people had to be rescued by lifeguards in the inaugural event in 1998. “Last year only a few had to be rescued,” said Nan Platto, who runs the clinics with David Light. “We just want to minimize it.”

Platto, a triathlete and former ocean lifeguard, and Light, a former professional triathlete, teach the basics of open water swimming, concentrating on how to safely--and quickly--get in and out of the water.

They also invite a few guest instructors. Saturday, two experienced ocean swimmers--Craig Taylor and Jim Fitzpatrick of Laguna Niguel--made an impressive appearance, swimming into the cove after a three-mile swim from Laguna Beach.

Taylor and Fitzpatrick helped demonstrate the proper way to dive through the waves on entry and body surf to get back to the beach.

Most of the advice dealt with swimming issues--being aware of changing ocean conditions such as water temperature, currents and riptides--but there was plenty of triathlon-specific help sprinkled in.

Wetsuits are recommended and free demo suits are provided in the clinic. Even though the water is relatively warm--it was 69 Saturday--triathlon wetsuits provide helpful buoyancy. They are, however, tough to wriggle out of on the way to the bike transition zone.

Spraying yourself with Pam before donning the suit will help it slip off, clinic goers were told.

“And the sharks,” joked a voice from the group, “like that butter flavor.”

The clinics--July 8, 9, 15 and 16--are $35 each. Register at https://www.pacificcoast triathlon.com or by calling (714) 297-9119. The public is welcome to join the group swimming the half-mile course at 9:30 a.m. on clinic days.

ADVENTURE PEOPLE

Four local athletes--Jonathan Williams of Laguna Beach, Karen Stokes of Aliso Viejo, James Wells of Newport Coast and Ara Papazian of Newport Beach--finished second in the Catalina Island Adventure Challenge this month.

The four are all Ironman-caliber triathletes who have grown to love adventure racing.

“It’s so much more fun than a triathlon,” Williams said. “It’s the whole team thing and not knowing what’s coming around the corner. They show you the course on the map but you don’t really know.”

The 67-mile course included mountain biking, kayaking, swimming, running, scrambling over rocks and orienteering and took Williams’ team--Team Black Rhino--11 hours 3 minutes 23 seconds to finish, fewer than six minutes behind first-place Team Kool Tie, which included Davor Novoselec of Costa Mesa.

It was the second consecutive year that Team Kool Tie narrowly beat Team Black Rhino in the race.

“The course was just brutal,” said Stokes, a former pro triathlete. “The hills were unrelenting. It was the hardest race I’ve ever done.”

MOUNTAIN PEOPLE

Laguna Beach mountain bike professional Brian Lopes won the dual slalom in the NORBA National Championship Series event at Mt. Snow, Vt., Saturday. Lopes defeated Eric Carter of Temecula in the final. Tara Llanes of Newport Beach finished fourth in the women’s dual slalom.

Llanes finished third in Sunday’s women’s downhill.

SURF UPDATE

* The Assn. of Surfing Professionals moves to Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa for the Billabong/MSF Pro, one of the four Billabong grand slam events, beginning today and continuing through July 9.

Cory Lopez of San Clemente is ranked third in the ASP’s World Championship Tour rankings and San Clemente’s Shane Beschen is tied for 10th. Sunny Garcia is still top ranked.

* Greg Long finished fifth and helped San Clemente win the high-school team title in the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. National Championships Monday at Church’s, south of San Clemente.

Joel Centeio of Hawaii won the individual championship. Edison’s Timmy Reyes was third.

Shorecliffs of San Clemente won the middle school team title, with Patrick Gudauskas winning the individual title and his twin brother, Dane, finishing second.