OK, it may be over a year away but why not start a thread on 2011 Short Course (Spring) Nationals? This meet will be held at the newly-renovated Kino Aquatics Center in Mesa, which is just east of Phoenix. So go ahead and pipe in, I'm sure we will get some good conversation flowing.
With absolutely no locational bias on my part (:)), this was an inspired choice! Seriously, though, this is a sweet, new, fast pool in a metro area that will offer everyone something to meet their needs in terms of housing, food and entertainment.
I had a great time in Phoenix last time I was there, but I suppose mountain biking at North Mountain would not be a great idea during the meet :)
Good mountain biking (after the meet) can be had at McDowell Mountain Park just outside of Fountain Hills. They have some competitive loops of varying degrees of difficulty but the Pemberton Loop is a treat. That goes for 15.4 miles and is fairly moderate. Beautiful scenery and late spring is a great time to get on the wheels.
South Mountain is a but further away but offers the Desert Classic, which is a VERY popular trail. Its a bit more challenging than the Pemberton Loop but has a lot of character.
That said, I'm staying off my bike for most of Spring 2011 :)
I had a great time in Phoenix last time I was there, but I suppose mountain biking at North Mountain would not be a great idea during the meet :) Nice town and I remember great outdoor places to eat.
There's excellent, excellent hiking, too ... again, after the meet.
Great ideas to extend the visit- cycling and hiking. Heh- South Mountain is what I meant- great place to mountain bike and was able to rent a bike easily at a bike shop in Tempe. With all of the outdoor stuff to do in addition to the meet there will be no excuse not to have fun.
I had a great time in Phoenix last time I was there, but I suppose mountain biking at North Mountain would not be a great idea during the meet :) Nice town and I remember great outdoor places to eat.
Looking forward to a bit cooler weather than Tempe (ASU) had in 2003, since it's a few weeks earlier. :cool:
It should be cooler but still expect temperatures in the 90's. Sometimes April can be toasty but generally it is VERY nice. Early May is normally OK too, its when you get to the middle to end of the month that Summer arrives with a vengeance.
There is a lot of shade at Kino and there is grass on two sides of the pool. As long as we don't have a hot April, conditions should be outstanding. I think visitors will be pleasantly surprised and enjoy swimming outside in sunny weather.
The pool is turning out to be VERY fast,, last week at the 1A, 2A, #a HS championships 21 records fell out of 24 evetns. 4A finals are tonight and 5A next week...check out the action (and the pool) at:
www.swimmingworld.tv/.../
