Cold weather puts many outdoor activities on hiatus, but that doesn't mean participants stop preparing for next season.

Many area recreational sports organizations keep busy through the winter by planning and conducting benefit events to raise funds to pay for equipment, facilities, travel, entry fees or any of the many expenses affiliated with their activities.

Here are three fundraisers coming up over the next three weekends:

The Marlins of Raleigh-Wolfpack Aquatics, the YMCA of the Triangle Area and the New Wave Swim Team swept the top three spots in the N.C. Swimming Senior Championships held Thursday through Sunday at the Triangle Aquatics Center in Cary.
 

Led by the North Carolina Aquatic Club, teams from the Triangle swept the top six places at the Tar Heel States Swim Meet held July 30 through Aug. 1 at the Triangle Aquatic Club in Cary. NCAC, the host team, took first place with 3,070.50 points. Second place went to the Raleigh Swimming Association (2,808). Duke Aquatics (2,712.50) was third, followed by YMCA of the Triangle Area (2,280), the Marlins of Raleigh Swim Team (2,337) and Wake County's New Wave Swim Team (1,439). More than 600 athletes from 20 teams from across the state competed, assistant meet director Jack O'Donnell reported. (Team scores and high-points scorers are below.)

Two and a half years ago the Triangle Aquatic Center (TAC) opened the Curran Aquatic Center to the Triangle community.

Olympians and Navy SEALs will be among the guests this weekend as more
than 700 swimmers from around the nation converge at the Triangle
Aquatic Center in Cary for the eighth annual National Black Heritage
Championship Swim Meet.

2008 Olympic gold-medalist and former N.C. State swimming star Cullen
Jones will sign autographs on Sunday, and he also will swim two
50-meter freestyle exhibitions with 14 meet participants whose names
will be drawn on Friday, according to an event news release.

2004 Olympic silver-medalist Maritza Correia will host a clinic at 7:30
p.m. Friday and will hold three mini-clinics for meet participants on
Saturday. She also will be the keynote speaker at Friday's community
breakfast honoring minority swimming pioneers. The 9-11 a.m. breakfast
is open to the public.

Marlins of Raleigh swimmers led the Triangle contingent, breaking
one state record and four meet records in finishing second at the N.C.
Aquatic Club's Josh Weaver Memorial Meet Near the Hill held Friday
through Sunday at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary.

The powerful NOVA swim club from Northern Virginia, ranked No. 4
nationally, ran away with the title, compiling 4,612 points against
teams from North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina and Pennsylvania,
Marlins coach Paul Silver reported. More than 700 swimmers competed in
the long-course meet for "A" classification competitors. 

Triangle teams took second through fourth places.