August 17, 2002

Perry wins Disabled Open-Water 5K

By BILL LeCONEY Staff Writer, (609) 272-7187, E-Mail

VENTNOR - As a reward for finishing first in Friday's Disabled Open-Water Swim, Jarrett Perry gets to swim the opening leg for his team in today's relay version of the Atlantic City Around the Island Swim.

"I'll get to see most of the jellyfish," said Perry, 15, of Wichita, Kan. "I'll clear the way for everybody else."

Of course, jellyfish are a minor concern for Perry, who lost his left leg to a congenital birth defect. Friday was his first try at open-water swimming, a quick dip compared to today's 221/2-mile relay.

"The saltwater was a little different for me, but I got used to it," he said. "I saw a big fish out there, and I was like, 'I'm not staying out here.' That's when I started swimming faster."

Perry finished the 5K swim in 1 hour, 1 minute and 16 seconds. He said his goal was to finish in less than an hour.

"I've been swimming since I was 3 years old, competitively since the age of 5," Perry said. "It's just fun. It's something that I can do pretty well. I like to compete."

Perry was one of 11 swimmers who took part in the seventh annual Disabled Open-Water Swim, sanctioned by USA Swimming and Mid-Atlantic Swimming. Cindy Simons was the top finisher in the 2.5K race, with a time of 54 minutes, 7.2 seconds.

The Egg Harbor Township Seahawks swim team paddled kayaks to guide the disabled swimmers.

Kathleen Dwyer, a physical therapist for Bacharach Institute of Rehabilitation, said the Ventnor 5K could become a national Paralympic qualifier. A 5K open-water swim will be contested at the World Championships in Argentina later this year, with the hope that it will be included on the Paralympic program for 2004.

Perry and five other disabled athletes - Mike Doyle; David English; Travis Mohr; Rich Domotor; and Mindy Murzda - will swim the marathon relay today, beginning at 8 a.m. at Gardner's Basin. The team is sponsored by USA Swimming and Bacharach Institute.

"We'll have three fast pool swimmers and three seasoned veterans like myself," said Doyle, an amputee who will tackle the marathon relay for the second straight year. "It should be a good mix."

Other relay teams include Longport Beach Patrol; Maryland Masters; Brigantine Beach Patrol; Garden State Masters; Camden County; and Florida State University Alumna.