Right now there is a lot of talk about bids for Nationals and proposed rules changes on where Nationals can be held.
Why not discuss good places to have Nationals in the future?
For fun, what pool would you suggest as a great place for Nationals? This may help prime the pump with more pools that can/will bid on future events.
I will start things off with my submission, University of Minnesota for LCM.
Why?
I am from MN and have swum in it many times during college and in Masters. It is a great facility and is fast. Plus I have family in the Twin Cities and know my way around.
It is indoors and as anybody from the Midwest knows, the weather can get unpredictable in August.
They did a great job in 1999 for LCM, very well-run meet.
An open water swim could be run at Lake Hariett or one of the other metro lakes.
Airport is a hub for NWA (soon to be Delta) and is accessable from any major metro area.
Location is in Central US, meaning flights from anywhere in the US won't take all day.
Pool is on the U of M campus with lots of places to eat, hotels, and parking.
There have been many meets run at this facility since it opened and I think that the hosts would do an excellent job. I don't know why they have not submitted a bid but would love to vote for it if they ever did.
Just my opinion, go ahead and share yours.
I think the Championship Committee has a list of the "desired" locations (the best pools in USA) for our USMS National Championship. The USMS Championship Committee then annually mail bid packets to them, and hopes at least a few return them.
For any facility that has not hosted, I think USMS Championship Committee should assign a mentor to faciliate more bids and to support efforts by LMSC to get these facilities to bid.
The approach that USMS should use in the future is a more active one. Hope is a town in Arkansas, it is not a strategy or plan. The "hope" route is inferior to the "take charge" route along with active engagement of all parties. Mailing a bid packet out is a waste of resources if there is nobody on the receiving end that will own the bid.
The word I get is that the USMS process is needlessly difficult, hence teams/pools don't bid. This happens even when there is a successful event at a venue.
My point is that USMS should look at a way of actively engaging facilities. The idea of having a mentor is a great one, but the overall mindset should be on taking the initiative and actively seeking out locations. Having only one or two bids for a given National Championship Meet is a sign that something is broken. We should have places beating down the door to host our events.
I think the Championship Committee has a list of the "desired" locations (the best pools in USA) for our USMS National Championship. The USMS Championship Committee then annually mail bid packets to them, and hopes at least a few return them.
For any facility that has not hosted, I think USMS Championship Committee should assign a mentor to faciliate more bids and to support efforts by LMSC to get these facilities to bid.
The approach that USMS should use in the future is a more active one. Hope is a town in Arkansas, it is not a strategy or plan. The "hope" route is inferior to the "take charge" route along with active engagement of all parties. Mailing a bid packet out is a waste of resources if there is nobody on the receiving end that will own the bid.
The word I get is that the USMS process is needlessly difficult, hence teams/pools don't bid. This happens even when there is a successful event at a venue.
My point is that USMS should look at a way of actively engaging facilities. The idea of having a mentor is a great one, but the overall mindset should be on taking the initiative and actively seeking out locations. Having only one or two bids for a given National Championship Meet is a sign that something is broken. We should have places beating down the door to host our events.
