In the most recent Nationals e-letter, there was information on reserving shade. Will there be any shade available to those of us who would rather not pay for it?
There are only three people traveling to the meet from our team, so $200 is not reasonable (we really don't need that much space either). I can see how large teams would benefit from reserved space and easily be able to spread out the cost, but what about the little guys?
All of the most desirable areas are open seating. The areas that teams can reserve will be behind the bleachers. It is still close to the pool, but will not provide a direct line of sight to the pool. Of course, it will be closer to the tennis center where the bar is located.
Here is a reply that Mark Gill (meet liaison) sent to another swimmer:
The meet host is providing all the shade outlined in their bid (and
more) at no charge. The shade that is being rented is in addition to
that. It grew out of the need to organize the set up of the pool area
and assist teams that wanted to ship their shade structures to the
venue. Rather than have teams bring in shade and put them up anywhere,
the meet host offered to set up tents in a team areas for the interested
clubs. Rather than just offer this for the ones that asked, they wanted
to open it up to all teams that wanted their own tenting. The team
tents are being provided at cost. The meet host is offering this as a
service, not as a way to make money off of us. And yes, you are
correct, it is expensive. It costs thousands to put up shade for events
like this.
The main area for team tents is behind the grandstand. The free shade
is provided for all participants and not allowed to be reserved by
individual teams. While the grandstands will not be shaded, a large
amount of shade is provided on the raised terrace by the pool. Since I
first visited the pool last year, they have doubled the size of this
area. I think USMS swimmers are going to enjoy this facility.
