Given the extensive discussion on the Nationals Discussion Forum regarding Gold Medal Sponsorship, I thought it might be helpful to provide accurate information on the Sponsorship directly from the source:
We readily acknowledge that the price went up dramatically this year for Short Cours Nationals. Typically Gold Medal Sponsorship has included food and beverage and has run around $75.
The reason for the increase by $100 to $175 is because for the first-time ever, Nationals are being held in an aquatic center that is a part of a major sports & entertainment complex, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. As such, the management of the complex runs the Aquatic Center similar to the arena, convention hall, ACC Hall of Champions, and other destination attractions at the site. That includes requiring that all catering and food services utilize the onsite professional catering services of Ovations. Ovations charges every user group at price levels that would be similar to those at a major convention hotel in your community.
Initially, those of us responsible for running the meet didn't even want to have a Gold Medal Sponsorship that included food, because we knew the higher cost would give people pause. However, in discussions with the USMS Championship Committee it was felt that Gold Medal should still be offered.
Gold Medal Sponsorship at this year's Spring Nationals, even though priced at $175, will not contribute a dime to the meet. That $175, due to the higher catering/food costs, is a breakeven price (at best--we may still go in the hole a little bit even at that price). While this defeats the original purpose of Gold Medal Sponsorship, which was to benefit both the swimmer (with a good onsite food option) and the meet (with some of the funds left over to contribute to the meet bottom line), at least it will provide the food option for those desiring that.
Because we realized that price point might be tough to digest for some, we created a Silver Medal Sponsorship for $50. This is especially designed for those who did the Gold Medal Sponsorship previously, primarily because they wanted to contribute financially to the meet. While the Silver Medal Sponsorship does include the nice Officials Reception on Thursday evening, there should be a little $$ left over to help the meet funding.
Finally, for those who want their food, a more visible sponsorship, and to help the meet financially, too, we created the Event Sponsorship at $300. We have had several takers on this already.
Just so all USMS swimmers know, we fully understand and agree with you that this is not ideal, and we'll be working with the Coliseum management with a goal to try to come up with a more desirable and affordable arrangement going forward, but at least for this first major Masters meets (and all other meets this year, including Synchro Olympic Trials, Y Nationals, Diving Nationals, etc.), the system as I've described above is what we are dealing with.
And it might be helpful to know that Greensboro is not the only meet venue in this situation. Omaha, site of Long Course Nationals, is wrestling with this same issue. Tom Boak, Meet Director, for Summer Nationals, and I have been emailing back and forth on this. Because the summer championships are in an arena complex in Omaha, they are experiencing very similar pricing as we are experiencing in Greensboro. We will be watching them closely to see if they can work out an improved system, that maybe we can convince Greensboro facilities to follow in the future.
I'd like to end by saying that we are dedicated to having an excellent Nationals at an outstanding new venue, and we invite each and every one of you to come to Greensboro for some great times. We want to host future Nationals there, so perhaps if you come and give us some valuable feedback and good ideas for enhancing future meets, it will help us, the venue, and Masters swimming for many years to come.
Hill Carrow
Co-Meet Director, 2012 USMS Spring Nationals
I also tend to think the louder we get with this tremendous inquisition the more likely we'll get what we fear (random bag checks, food sniffing dogs, xray machines...
Could be!
Love it, tacit mass defiance followed by loud mass compliance (anthem).
I think that people are making too much of this situation. This is a small bump in the road (if that), all things considered.
Yes, there was sticker shock for the Gold Medal sponsorship, but people were swimming fast at nationals long before there was such a thing. The "no outside food" rule is not all that uncommon; at many of the meets I have been to I see a similar sign on the outside of the facility, or one that prohibits food on pool decks. Most people happily ignore the signs, or just use the concession stands or make other arrangements.
More generally, I would encourage people to adopt a flexible attitude in approaching swim meets. Routines are psychologically comforting but physically I think they are barely a step up from mere superstition. Things don't always go as planned; be adaptable. I promise you'll be a better swimmer for it.
Also -- and I say this with the utmost fondness for all of you :) -- you won't sound like such crotchety old geezers. Or worse yet, diva sprinters.... :bolt:
The "no outside food" rule is not all that uncommon; at many of the meets I have been to I see a similar sign on the outside of the facility, or one that prohibits food on pool decks. Most people happily ignore the signs, or just use the concession stands or make other arrangements.
That's certainly what I was planning to do! But I'm a diva sprinter and natural born rule breaker. I would suppose others are less comfortable with breaking rules or may want some certainty about the situation. For those with food allergies and intolerances, certainly about what they are ingesting is likely a way of life and necessity for good health.
...The "no outside food" rule is not all that uncommon; at many of the meets I have been to I see a similar sign on the outside of the facility, or one that prohibits food on pool decks. Most people happily ignore the signs, or just use the concession stands or make other arrangements.
More generally, I would encourage people to adopt a flexible attitude in approaching swim meets. Routines are psychologically comforting but physically I think they are barely a step up from mere superstition. Things don't always go as planned; be adaptable. I promise you'll be a better swimmer for it...
Chris, I'll concede the point about seeing those types of signs and not having problems with them in the past. However, after I noticed the line in the meet announcement for G'boro, I actually went back and looked at other years' announcements to see if I could find anything similar for prior meets. And I didn't. Which, to me, indicated that there was going to be a change in policy.
For some of us, just using the concessions available aren't an option. I unfortunately have some foods that are known triggers for causing a nauseatingly severe case of acid reflux, even at practice. And also unfortunately for me, these tend to be the kind of things that are readily available at the average concession stand. This is also without having any food intolerances/allergies, so I can't even imagine how hard it would be for folks who have diagnosed problems.
I'm constantly trying to expand what I can consume before workouts and races, but nationals is not the optimal venue to try new things. My adaptation? Bringing in outside food and beverage. Hence the :worms: I opened by asking a simple question.
I unfortunately have some foods that are known triggers for causing a nauseatingly severe case of acid reflux, even at practice. And also unfortunately for me, these tend to be the kind of things that are readily available at the average concession stand. This is also without having any food intolerances/allergies, so I can't even imagine how hard it would be for folks who have diagnosed problems.
If anyone gives you a hard time (which I doubt) then I think all you would have to do is explain this. I bet the worst thing they would do is insist that you don't eat on the pool deck.
These are North Carolinians, after all, and inherently nice. I watched my son swim at the Triangle Aquatic Center (Cary, NC) a couple weeks ago, and they had menacing signs prohibiting outside food and drink in the entire facility. I waltzed in with my McDonald's cup of coffee without anyone giving me a glare.
I've been to four USAS meets at the GAC. The "no food or drink on deck" notices are scattered around the place, and the "no outside food or beverage" has been mentioned in the information for those meets. However, I've never seen it enforced- participants have been bringing in whatever they want. It'd be very interesting if they all of a sudden chose the USMS event to start enforcing the rule.
And the bolded was all I was looking for. I had no idea a simple question like that was going to get to this point...
If anyone gives you a hard time (which I doubt) then I think all you would have to do is explain this. I bet the worst thing they would do is insist that you don't eat on the pool deck.
These are North Carolinians, after all, and inherently nice. I watched my son swim at the Triangle Aquatic Center (Cary, NC) a couple weeks ago, and they had menacing signs prohibiting outside food and drink in the entire facility. I waltzed in with my McDonald's cup of coffee without anyone giving me a glare.
Not eating on the pool deck is a fine compromise, if that's what it comes to. I was just looking for clarification to know if I was going to run the risk of getting booted from the facility. Also, I was definitely banking on the "inherently nice" North Carolinians angle as my backup plan ;)
I think that people are making too much of this situation. This is a small bump in the road (if that), all things considered.
Yes, there was sticker shock for the Gold Medal sponsorship, but people were swimming fast at nationals long before there was such a thing. The "no outside food" rule is not all that uncommon; at many of the meets I have been to I see a similar sign on the outside of the facility, or one that prohibits food on pool decks. Most people happily ignore the signs, or just use the concession stands or make other arrangements.
More generally, I would encourage people to adopt a flexible attitude in approaching swim meets. Routines are psychologically comforting but physically I think they are barely a step up from mere superstition. Things don't always go as planned; be adaptable. I promise you'll be a better swimmer for it.
We all need to look up to Chris both in the pool and outside of the pool. His comments above are well stated.
I also tend to think the louder we get with this tremendous inquisition the more likely we'll get what we fear (random bag checks, food sniffing dogs, xray machines... before you know it they'll ban Wookie for having too much hair and Paul Smith for being too tall LOL). Just go about with your normal business using common sense without bringing attention to yourself and you should be fine.
As swimmieAvsFan would say, "relax, breathe, this is supposed to be fun..." :bolt:
