The World Championships will be a long meet spread over many days. I have a couple of free days between my races, as I am sure many others do too. Obviously we need to get in the water to practice/warm-up on these days. While at the USMS Nationals in Coral Springs I heard we will not be able to use the facilities at Avery Aquatic Center if we are not racing on that particular day. If that is true, where will we be able to swim (preferably in a LC pool) on our non-race days?
The credentials area will open as soon as the gate opens for warmups in the morning. You will get your picture taken, among other things, so be prepared for not being able to walk up to a table, pick up a goody bag, and walk out in the space of 2 minutes. It may take 5 or maybe more.
Competitors will be called to marshalling area by heats, when the event before it is close to finishing. A certain number of heats will go into the marshalling area, after being checked in by the Clerk of Course (everyone will need to have his or her credentials with them at all times to get into the pool or the marshalling area). There will be 7 or 8 rows of 10 chairs. The competitors will sit in the seat corresponding to each one's lane number and move up a row each time the first row leaves to the rows of chairs behind the blocks - usually 2.
You keep moving up until it's your turn to swim. There will be containers for your gear when you get to the row of chairs right behind the blocks. Fewer heats will be marshalled ahead of time for the longer events than for the sprints. But Frosty is right in that you should prepare to be in the area for about 30 minutes. You will not be allowed to leave to warmup but you may be able to convince the Clerk of Course that a pit stop is an emergency. Add the amount of time that you'll be anxious about not missing when your heat needs to report and standing around so you're there when it's called and you can add even more time to the 30.
International competition is much more structured in ways like this than USMS swimmers are used to. We are definitely more informal and loose about showing up behind the block before it's your turn to compete.
Nancy
The credentials area will open as soon as the gate opens for warmups in the morning. You will get your picture taken, among other things, so be prepared for not being able to walk up to a table, pick up a goody bag, and walk out in the space of 2 minutes. It may take 5 or maybe more.
Competitors will be called to marshalling area by heats, when the event before it is close to finishing. A certain number of heats will go into the marshalling area, after being checked in by the Clerk of Course (everyone will need to have his or her credentials with them at all times to get into the pool or the marshalling area). There will be 7 or 8 rows of 10 chairs. The competitors will sit in the seat corresponding to each one's lane number and move up a row each time the first row leaves to the rows of chairs behind the blocks - usually 2.
You keep moving up until it's your turn to swim. There will be containers for your gear when you get to the row of chairs right behind the blocks. Fewer heats will be marshalled ahead of time for the longer events than for the sprints. But Frosty is right in that you should prepare to be in the area for about 30 minutes. You will not be allowed to leave to warmup but you may be able to convince the Clerk of Course that a pit stop is an emergency. Add the amount of time that you'll be anxious about not missing when your heat needs to report and standing around so you're there when it's called and you can add even more time to the 30.
International competition is much more structured in ways like this than USMS swimmers are used to. We are definitely more informal and loose about showing up behind the block before it's your turn to compete.
Nancy
