This weekend, the Rodney Heights Aquatics Centre will play host to one of Saint Lucia’s most anticipated annual aquatic competitions, the 10th Karen Beaubrun Swim Meet, organized by the Seajays Swim Club. Drawing nearly 200 competitive swimmers across a wide age spectrum—from young athletes under 9 years old to mature competitors 18 and older—the tournament will feature more than 50 individual and team events, with all six member clubs of the Saint Lucia Aquatics Federation (SLAF) sending rosters to compete.
As the host of this year’s meet, Seajays Swim Club enters the competition with an impressive historic streak to defend: the club has claimed the overall team title for eight consecutive years, and is gearing up to secure its ninth straight win. Standing firmly in their path is their long-time top rival, Sharks Swim Club, which has also entered a strong lineup hungry to dethrone the defending champions and take home the 2024 title. The remaining competing squads include Lightning Aquatics, RR Aquatics Rhinos, Southern Flying Fish, and the host venue’s own Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre team.
What makes this year’s anniversary edition particularly exciting is the stacked field of elite talent set to take to the pool, headlined by two Olympians with recent international experience. Mikaili Charlemagne of Sharks Swim Club and Jayhan Odlum-Smith of host club Seajays both carry the distinction of competing at the highest global stage: Charlemagne represented her nation at Tokyo 2020, while Odlum-Smith qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Currently the top seeds in the women’s and men’s sprint events respectively, the pair also hold multiple national short-course records in Saint Lucia, making their races must-watch matchups.
A cohort of standout college swimmers who currently compete at U.S. collegiate programs have also returned to Saint Lucia to join the fray, adding even more depth to the competition’s top tiers. Seajays’ own Tristan Dorville, who swims for Virginia Tech, will go head-to-head against his club teammate Odlum-Smith, while Karic Charles of Lightning Aquatics is projected to be a top contender in his events. Naima Hazell, a sprinter from Lightning Aquatics who competes for Seton Hall University, and Naekeisha Louis, an unattached swimmer racing for the University of North Carolina Pembroke, enter the tournament as top seeds in multiple events, with their showdowns against Olympian Mikaili Charlemagne widely marked as the weekend’s marquee highlights.
Rounding out the field of elite contenders is Sapphire Parks, a rising young star from Seajays who has already made a name for herself across the Caribbean. Parks is a two-time consecutive winner of the high points trophy at the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, and will compete in several of the weekend’s top events alongside the sport’s more established names.
Beyond the on-pool competition, the 10th annual meet carries special commemorative meaning. The tournament is held annually in honor of the late Karen Beaubrun, a beloved Saint Lucian swim coach and sports administrator who played a key role in developing youth swimming across the island. In addition to competitive medals, one swimmer from each participating club will be selected to receive the Karen Beaubrun Award, which recognizes the core values Beaubrun championed throughout her career: discipline, perseverance, and a positive competitive spirit.
For spectators looking to attend the two-day event, ticket pricing is set at $15 for adult admission and $5 for children under the age of 13.