2004 FINA Masters Championships

2004 FINA World Masters Championships will be in Riccione, Italy, but I have heard of no specific date. I asked June Krauser at Convention and she did not know of a date. Riccione is a seaside resort on the Adriatic Sea. It is on the East Coast of Italy, SE of Bologne.

I found the answer to my question at the FINA website: June 3 through 13, 2004.

Hi Ken, I copied the following information off of the Sun Devil Website. They are so informed! June 3rd - 13th - 2004 FINA World Masters Swim Championships - Riccione, Italy The city of Riccione is on the Adriatic Sea about 200 kilometers south of Venice. For information on the area, email their Tourist Bureau - Comune di Riccione at iat.riccione@iper.net For a look at the pool, go to www.polcomriccione.com. Click on chi siamo or piscina. Of course, everything is an Italian on this site. As we get closer to the meet, addition information will be posted on the FINA website. FINA.org has this info as well. I have been inquiring about the depth of the competition pool since it appears to be shallow in the picture (the water color is much lighter than the dive pool). Fast pool or not???? A long way to go to find out! Take care! Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen

For anyone interested in looking for an "excursion" meet such as Italy, you may also want to check out the Australian Masters Games November 1-3 (swim events) at: www.amg2003.com in Canbeera. I've wanted to visit Australia for many years, this may make a good vacation/swim meet trip. Karlyn, I've got the same concerns about the facility in Italy and am trying to reach and old friend who might have swam there.

Karlyn, Good to hear from you. Thanks for the info. Have you heard from June, or anyone else, what will be the process to set qualifying times? Maybe Philipp meant to say there are no "meaningful" qualifying times, or that they are not verified, but I can assure everyone that they did in fact have QT's, and no freebies for showing-up. In my age group, I made the cut in the 400 free, and nothing else. (And I had plans to go, too, until the Navy moved me one year earlier than scheduled.) So, I am interested in knowing what the QT's will be since I am on the bubble. Matt

Hi all, Thanks for working together on this. The more information we can gather from a variety of sources the better! I have to admit that the thought of ~4,000 swimmers at this type of meet scares the heck outta me. While a "carnival" type atmosphere may be fun, it may not be the best place to swim fast times. I know that in Munich the organizational skills of the meet directors created a very efficient event. I am not so sure this will be the case in Italy... I also am not a big fan of one event per day. I would rather swim two events per day. This allows for less time at the pool and more time to see the area. Does anyone know what the policy will be in 2004? I am excited about Tempe! I think Mark Gillis is going to provide us all with a memorable meet. Take care, Karlyn

Hi Tall Paul, I used to swim masters in Australia, and any swimming competition the Aussies put on will be top notch. As you're aware, they take swimming very seriously down under - it is considered a major sport there. I was in my twenties when I lived there, I'm now in your age group, but I didn't swim for 15 years in between. After five kids (and about 40 pounds!) over those 15 years, I started back at it a few years back. You actually provided some encouragement to me at Santa Clara in 2001, in a very brief conversation just prior to one of our events. If you want any tips about visiting Australia, find me with the Illinois Masters group in Tempe. Jim

Hi All, Thanks for the link to the site. There are some free translation websites (babblefish, etc.) but there is a english language translation on the "piscina" page - click on the english flag. I've copied the english translation (below). The translation does not say how deep the pool is or what kind of gutters they have. But, since they claim that the pool has been used for some high level competitions, I would guess that it is on an equal footing with other world class competition facilities. The FINA Masters meets are very big meets - almost 4,000 swimmers in Munchen, Germany. This is because there are no qualifying times - and just about everybody and their uncle goes. For example, there were about 48 heats of the men's 200 fly! They started at 8 am sharp and usually finished by 10pm. So if you go, be prepared for a long meet. In Munchen, the warm-up pool was wall-to-wall with swimmers (30-50/lane), so it is almost impossible to get a decent warmup before your race. But I do have to compliment the Germans - they did a great job regulating and running the meet. I did not go to NZ, but heard it was a pretty well run meet. On the other hand, I have heard that some of the other FINA meets were very disorganized and took even longer to run. Philipp Djang Here is their translation: The "Stadio del Nuoto", Ricciane is a completely modern sports complex thanks to its up to date services and equipment including three pools: one covered and two open air. All of this can be found in idyllic surroundings of a large park, just a few minutes from the sea and easily reached from both the motorway (A14 exit Riccione) and the airport at Miramare di Rimini (just 5 mins). In summer the swimming pool is open to the public seven days a week from 10.00 to 18.00 including holidays. The complex is made up of an ten lane Olympic-size swimming pool (50m x 25m) and a diving poal which measures 24m x 1 8m and is 5m. deep at all points. The diving pool has a diving tower with fixed diving boards at heights of 5m. and 10m. and approved springboards at heights of 1 m. and 3m. These pools are surrounded by an area of park which is equipped for the welcome and comfort of the users of the pool. Sun beds and sunshades are available in the area around the pool. In the park, which surrounds the pool area, there are grass volleyball courts, shaded areas, stands with space for up to 2000 spectators, and a sandy area for beach volleyball displays. There is also a friendly and efficient bar for refreshments. The "Stadio del Nuoto" is a sports complex that meets all the necessary requirements far the holding of nationai and intemational meetings. In the past the complex has been host to a number of extremely important events such as The European Masters Swimming Champianship, The World Military Championships of Swimming, Water Polo and Diving, Nazionali Assoluti FIN, Italian Diving Championship FIN. Lanes may be booked in the complex, from June to September, far the purpose af courses, training or graups, with the possibility of special prices for Italian or foreign clubs and associations.

Jim, Thanks for the offer, it's looking more and more like we may try to make this trip so I may take you up on your offer (I remember our meeting, I was a little freaked out at the time having just come off shoulder surgery!). I actually did get some additonal info on this event froma friend in Melbourne that did the triathalon (it's an Olympic type of format with multiple sports, swimming is only 3 days of the whole thing). Apparently the pool is at the Australian Insitute of Sport where quite a few of their top swimmers train, and is very fast. So Jim how you feeling for the 500 this year?

I have prepared a set of proposed time standards for the 2004 Championships per the direction of the FINA Masters Commission. They will be reviewed and perhaps revised at the upcoming FINA Masters Meeting May 30, 31, June1 in Riccione. My instructions were to make them slightly more strict than Munich. Both June Krauser and I will be attending this meeting. The Masters Committee will meet with the organizating committee and they will have an on-site visit of the venue. We should have more info after the meeting. Walt Reid FINA Masters Recorder