Limit Nationals to Within USMS Boundaries?

I voted yes before I read. Bad me. I would have thought that the US boundaries would include places like PR. I think having it there is a great idea. The poll won't let me change my answer, though.

East Coast bias! East Coast bias! Hahaha. Yes. And I actually swim better at non-travel meets, for the most part. Seriously, though, I understand that sometimes Nationals have to be in far flung places. As long as it's spread reasonably evenly in geographic terms, there shouldn't be too many complaints. But, then, unlike some, I don't plan to go to every Nationals every season. If I do, I'd prefer to go to a fun spot. Since Austin and Portland were very well attended, you'd think that would prompt some more bidders ... What is the USMS goal for Nationals? As many swimmers as possible? As many top ten swimmers as possible?

How is PR different that Hawaii (where LC Nats were a few years back), except easier to get to? East Coast bias! East Coast bias! Hawaii isn't difficult to get to for people in the West Coast.

I understand you only have one timely bid for long course, PR. I would think you would rather have the meet in PR than not have the mmet at all or have it in a place that can’t even submit a timely bid.:doh: Your rules say “Prior to the annual meeting, the Championship Committee shall certify each bid for compliance with its policies and procedures” Are these policies and procedures published anywhere?

Maybe we should have a central location for Nats, same place every year. Then meet fees could be on a scale depending on your distance from the pool, and paid into a travel reimbursement fund. Those nearest could pay the most to the fund and those further away would be able to receive some sort of reimbursement for their expense to help level the playing field.

A PR meet sounds great on paper. The big problem would be ensuring that all of the swimmers actually swam PRs. I mean, how do you do that? If just one person swims worse than their lifetime best, it's not a PR meet anymore! :)

I voted no. But wouldn't have a problem if preference was given by the committee for USMS bids over external bids. I'd want to see a more compelling argument about the need to prohibit certain bids. (I have not looked over the rule book. If there is only one bid for a given nationals, is the committee required to accept it, or just encouraged to accept it?)

Puerto Rico is still American territory so that is fine by me. Also, what about the US Virgin Islands. Please, no Nationals in Alaska. Guam is way too far away. Oh, but Guam has such a nice 50m out door pool. (or atleast it did in the 80's.....when I was living there.

I don't think we can afford to ignore the bid for Puerto Rico. We are not getting alot of bids. If we had alot more you could give preference to ones in the boundaries of USMS. It is still close to USMS territory, so alot of people will probably go. Also, it is a vacation spot, and alot of people choose where to go based on that. Furthermore, it is a US territory and you do not need a passport to travel there.

As someone who probably won't be getting NQT's Nats is preactically just a big swim party for me if I go. Hence why I didn't go to Austin. Can't justify the expense to basically swim 3 times, come DFL and get drunk. Putting the trip in PR makes it easy(er) to sell as a vacation trip where there is something /somewhere else the family can go for the first few days--my wife has scant interest in watching her peer-group squeezed into form fitting bodysuits thrashing in the pool. She has less interest in listening to us "talk swim" over dinner and/or beer. I'm just sharing this as a non-qualifier/swim-cation perspective.