Cranston swimmer Stephen Johnson is gearing up for the upcoming Swim Across America RI event in September and is excited to represent the community while supporting the cause.

The 16^th annual open water swim will take place at Scarborough North State Beach in Narragansett and the proceeds will go directly toward cancer research at Rhode Island’s Women & Infants Hospital. The swim will feature more than 700 locals and includes swims of 1 mile, 0.5 miles, 0.25 miles or a virtual “Swim My Way” option.

Johnson has participated in the swim for four years. He is a member of SwimRI and is also the coach of the Cranston YMCA’s Marlins youth team. Johnson brings swimmers from his team and has grown his group from seven swimmers his first year to 23 last summer.

With cancer impacting several of his family members, Swim Across America has become an important date for him each year.

“Cancer is in my family so it hits home. I’ve lost a lot of grandparents, my mom had cancer and thank God it’s in remission and she’s now healthy. Cancer is in my family and a lot of my family members have died across different generations, so that’s why I do it,” said Johnson.

As for the actual swimming, Johnson looks forward to seeing his student test themselves against the rigors of open water swimming versus the typical comforts of swimming in the pool.

“The three big things I tell my students are waves, current and other swimmers. Especially for my younger kids, these college kids swim fast and will trample you. With the waves, it’s hard to see in front of you so I tell them to be careful and to stay on the outside. You have to be careful of rip currents, there are no lane lines and the waves will pull you out of your lane, and there is no wall to do a flip turn,” Johnson said. “Open water, there is no way to rest.”

Johnson has been encouraged to see the turnout each year from the Rhode Island swimming community for the event, especially when considering the various age groups and backgrounds that join the fun.

“It’s amazing to see how many people come to this swim. The event is almost full which is really cool. To see that many people come out and swim, to see so many other teams show up. For a few college coaches, it’s a mandate for their team. It’s really cool and it’s great for the event to have so many age groups,” said Johnson.

To learn more about the SAA-RI event on Saturday, Sept. 6, visit swimacrossamerica.org/rhodeisland.