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:
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 !
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 !
