THANK YOU to USMS, the University of Maryland, and all of the volunteers who did an OUTSTANDING job on the 2014 LC Nationals. :applaud: You all were a class act in making this a fantastic meet!
First of all, the facility was amazing. Compared to Worlds, this was the Rolls Royce in aquatic facilities. The parking was a piece of cake and free during the weekend! In the aquatic center, there were plenty of places to sit, relax, and stay cool while still getting to view the action. The "Energy Zone" was such a comfortable place to pull a chair up to the windows and see the races and warm-up pool below. On deck, the air was perfect quality, too.
As for the warm-up pool, I kept wondering where everybody was! I never saw more than four or five people in a lane, and there were 10 lanes available. In addition, the outdoor pool was open for those who preferred that instead. I never went, but Jayhawk said it was great.
The locker rooms were amazing! I didn't think anything could top UGA; but this did. There were plenty of showers and lockers, and it never got crowded.
Today, the meet was running 35 minutes ahead of schedule before my breaststroke race. That's amazing! All of the deck crew from the officials to the volunteers were fantastic (that is, once they dismissed Ms. DQ from the deck and overturned the five women's 200 fly DQ's.) A special thanks to Ed Saltzman and James Carey for addressing that matter- you guys are the best!
Even though I was exhausted from Worlds (and too much sightseeing) and did HORRIBLE in my first couple of races, this was my favorite Nationals of all. I will always remember today, though, because I was finally rested up (thanks to a 10-hour crash and burn last night) and swam a personal best time EVER in the 200 LC breaststroke. At Worlds, I came in 2 seconds OVER my seed time in that exhausted effort, and here at Nationals, I came in 12 seconds UNDER my seed time. WooHOOOO! :ohyeah:
Thank you, USMS and University of Maryland staff and volunteers for a memory I will never forget. Believing in your dreams can be far more rewarding than living by your limitations. :bliss:
Absolutely second everything Elaine has posted here! I was able to have a quick word with Rob today, but didn't get to meet Jeff and thank him too. The best part was the friendly staff and officials who made everyone feel welcome. And I can't omit the thrill of seeing 98-year old Ann Dunivin steal the show!
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And glad you had the DQ overturned, Elaine! I didn't catch that in the results!
THANK YOU to USMS, the University of Maryland, and all of the volunteers who did an OUTSTANDING job on the 2014 LC Nationals. :applaud: You all were a class act in making this a fantastic meet!
Hear! Hear! 100% agreement! Fantastic facility, and impeccably well-run. An excellent swimming experience!
Compared to Worlds ...
Now I can say, been there, done that, it's off the bucket list. It was a culturally terrific, but relatively poor athletic experience. Anecdotally, some rare & special people seemed able to swim fast under those conditions, but most, it seemed, had a tough time hitting their seed times. It was a lot of walking & quite tiring! It would be interesting to know what fraction of people swam equal to or faster than their seed times.
:applaud: Bravo, USMS LCM nats! :applaud:
It was great to meet you on Sunday, Swimosaur. You guys are such an inspiration to newbies like me. And congratulations on crossing one more thing off of your bucket list.
I'll add my congrats to the mix, it was a well run meet.
About DQs, I have to say that I've never seen any false start DQs in a masters meet before...and I saw two on Sunday, one of which was in my heat. (Not necessarily that the DQs weren't deserved -- honestly I'm not even sure how they make that decision, instead letting them back up on the blocks to continue -- just making an observation.)
It was indeed a mellow meet! I enjoyed every moment! Everyone was so very friendly and helpful all the way around! It was an amazingly positive experience from start to finish! I'm sad that it's over.
Absolutely second everything Elaine has posted here! I was able to have a quick word with Rob today, but didn't get to meet Jeff and thank him too. The best part was the friendly staff and officials who made everyone feel welcome. And I can't omit the thrill of seeing 98-year old Ann Dunivin steal the show!
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And glad you had the DQ overturned, Elaine! I didn't catch that in the results!
Thanks, TRYM!
Queen Anne is my teammate and seeing her compete is always a highlight of a meet for me. :agree: I love her dearly and had the honor of celebrating her 96 birthday with her when she was in a rehab hospital recovering from surgery on a bone fracture. We had a great time that day, and she still remembers everything we talked about! She also remembers the chocolate shake I brought her. :D That lady is sharp as a tack! At Nationals, I interviewed her for an article I will be writing for the Georgia Masters Newsletter. She was a hoot!
Now I can say, been there, done that, it's off the bucket list. It was a culturally terrific, but relatively poor athletic experience. Anecdotally, some rare & special people seemed able to swim fast under those conditions, but most, it seemed, had a tough time hitting their seed times. It was a lot of walking & quite tiring! It would be interesting to know what fraction of people swam equal to or faster than their seed times.
Ditto on the bucket list! Montreal and Quebec City were both on mine, and they were terrific cities (especially QC!).
Most of the people I talked with were disappointed with their times, but King Frog was definitely one of those "rare and special people" who rocked the pool at Worlds and broke a World Record! :bow:
:applaud: Bravo, USMS LCM nats! :applaud:
It was great to meet you on Sunday, Swimosaur. You guys are such an inspiration to newbies like me. And congratulations on crossing one more thing off of your bucket list.
Denise, it was great to meet you! Thanks for making the effort to come meet all of us at the pool!
It was indeed a mellow meet! I enjoyed every moment! Everyone was so very friendly and helpful all the way around! It was an amazingly positive experience from start to finish! I'm sad that it's over.
:sad:
What an amazing event! I'm so proud of my team for organizing such a great event AND incredibly proud of all the participants, from athletes to coaches to supporters to volunteers. The Nationals truly represents what masters swimming is all about. We (Swimspire) did a photo gallery with over 2000 photos, and an accompanying write-up about the event if you want to check them out: www.swimspire.com/2014-usms-summer-nationals-inspiring-swims-inspirational-swimmers/
Thanks again for a wonderful meet and hope to see you all again soon!
What an amazing event! I'm so proud of my team for organizing such a great event AND incredibly proud of all the participants, from athletes to coaches to supporters to volunteers. The Nationals truly represents what masters swimming is all about. We (Swimspire) did a photo gallery with over 2000 photos, and an accompanying write-up about the event if you want to check them out: www.swimspire.com/2014-usms-summer-nationals-inspiring-swims-inspirational-swimmers/
Thanks again for a wonderful meet and hope to see you all again soon!
I just returned home from Maryland and can't wait to get the chance to look over all of your dad's photos. Please give him a big hug for me; what a great guy! :D
Thank you so much, Elaine - we are both thrilled that you enjoyed all of the photos and the write-up! I would be more than happy to provide the originals for free; anyone who needs them can just PM or email me with the photo titles.
The only thing I have been asking in exchange is if folks could consider making a donation to the Ocean Games, which is an annual open water event that takes place in Ocean City, MD to benefit the Johns Hopkins Brain and Stroke Rehabilitation Program. There are 1, 3 and 9 mile swims and SUP races. I'm part of the organizing team and we just finished our 2nd year. Since we're a non-profit we rely on donations to help the event grow! Here is the link to the donate page on the website: www.oceancityswimevent.com/donate/
If you want some of the back story to the event, I wrote an article about it: www.swimspire.com/2nd-annual-swim-ocean-city-rough-conditions-warm-hearts/
It is a very inspiring story and a cause I really care about!
How wonderfully generous of you! :angel: When I get my list organized, I will send you an e-mail.
I enjoyed your write- up about the event, and I agree it is a cause very worthy of our donations! Count me in !
