Sarasota to Host 2013 Pan American Masters Championship

U.S. Masters Swimming is pleased to announce that it will partner with the Sarasota Family YMCA to host the 2013 Pan American Masters Championship. The Championship will be held at the Selby Aquatic Center, part of the Sarasota Y’s Evalyn Sadlier Jones branch in Sarasota, Fla. USMS, the national governing body for adult swimming, bid for and was awarded the Championship by the Union Americana de Natacion, an organization that oversees amateur aquatic sports competition in the Western Hemisphere.

This will be the first time the USA has hosted the biennial event. The 2013 Championship will include synchronized swimming, Masters swimming, and open water swimming. To be held May 31-June 10, 2013, the Championship is expected to attract up to 2,000 swimmers from around the Western Hemisphere.

“The Sarasota Family YMCA has one of the most respected aquatic programs, and certainly Masters swimming programs, in the country,” says USMS Executive Director Rob Butcher. “They have experience hosting large events and have the facility, volunteers, and community support to showcase this international event.”

“It is an honor for the Sarasota Y to host the Pan American Masters Championships,” says Sarasota Family YMCA Executive Vice President Jim Purdy. “We recognize the prestige of hosting this international event and our Sarasota Y Sharks Masters team, Y Synchro team, Sharks age group team, and volunteer support team are excited for the opportunity.”

“My kids grew up swimming with the Sarasota YMCA and I swim Masters,” says PGT Industries CEO Rod Hershberger. “To be awarded this international event is a testimony to our community, swimming program, and supporters.”

“The 2013 Pan American Championships will span 10 days, bringing adult participants and their families from South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Canada and the USA,” says Jason Puckett, director of the Sarasota County Sports Commission. “Nearly 90% of the participants will come from outside the State of Florida, and more than half from outside the USA. The economic impact to Sarasota County is going to be in the millions. We will host the open water event at Siesta Key, recently voted the best beach in the United States. The hospitality and experience we offer to these guests will have a long-lasting benefit to Sarasota County.”

“Our aquatics programs are a treasured resource,” says Nora Patterson, Sarasota County Commission Chair. “We have nationally respected swim programs, we have existing events that draw significant tourism, we have organizations such as the Sarasota Family YMCA that teach thousands each year to be water safe, we have U.S. Masters Swimming headquartered here, and now we have a prestigious international event coming to Sarasota County!”

2013 Pan American Masters Championships Schedule

Masters Synchro:            May 31-June 2
Masters Swimming:            June 5-8, 2013
Open Water:                        June 10, 2013

About U.S. Masters Swimming

U.S. Masters Swimming, founded in 1970, is a membership-operated national governing body that promotes adult health, fitness, wellness and competition through aquatics. It does so by partnering with more than 1,000 adult swim programs across the country that offer swimming and fitness programs, promotes information via a bimonthly member magazine and usms.org, and sanctions and promotes pool, open water and virtual competitions. More than 55,000 adults are registered members of USMS. For more information, contact us at 655 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236 or by phone at 941-256-USMS (8767).

About Union Americana de Natacion

UANA is a sports organization representing the Western Hemisphere, including South America, Central America, Canada and the USA, with the purpose of organizing, supervising and controlling the amateur aquatics activities of Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Synchronized Swimming, Masters Swimming and Open Water. For more information, visit uana-aquatics.org.

About Sarasota Family YMCA

The Sarasota Family YMCA is a charitable nonprofit organization in good standing with the national organization, the YMCA of the USA. The YMCA of the USA exists solely to serve its member associations, currently totaling 2,575 nationwide and in over 120 countries around the world. The Sarasota Family YMCA is home to the nationally recognized age group swim team, the Sarasota YMCA Sharks; and Masters swim team, Sarasota YMCA Sharks Masters.

About Sarasota County Sports Commission

The mission of the Sarasota County Sports Commission, a division of the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau, is to position Sarasota County as the must-experience sports destination on Florida's Gulf Coast through quality events and initiatives. For a list of upcoming events, visit sarasotafl.org/sports.