Returning to the National Meet format was exciting, yet I had some trepidations. Mainly, there was the unknown factor of not having many races in recent history under my belt to help bolster my confidence!
The meet was at Greensboro Aquatic Center (GAC). Several changes in format were in place due to COVID precautions. Spectators were not allowed, and the meet was divided into age group swim times (60+ was 8AM to 11AM, 18-59 from noon to 3PM). In between swim times the facility was emptied and cleaned. If you did not have credentials to enter during your allotted time period, you were not allowed on deck or in the water. Warmups were monitored to help with social distancing. The facility has the competition pool, diving well and a new 50-meter pool that had 20 additional warmup lanes. A very impressive facility! The meet itself was extremely well-run and you could almost set your watch by the timeline, yet there was not a hurried feel to the meet pace.
Seeing the other swimmers was a delight, competitors who I had not seen since pre-COVID was fun, getting to talk with coaches, USMS people and officials was great! The only downside was being unable (in my case) to watch and learn from the younger swimmers. But I understand that with the LCM meet in October that may not be an issue. Moving forward I hope that we will see more local, regional meets, and I would encourage those who can to attend the LCM meet in October.
Happy swimming and stay safe!
