Let me first say that I had a blast in Atlanta and enjoyed every minute of it (even the last minute of the 1000), so this list is somewhat tongue in cheek:
10. No Starbucks within walking distance of the Hampton Inn.
9. The taste of an Italian soda called "Beverly" at the Coca Cola Museum; it reminded me of viscous lidocaine--what is with that?
8. The stairway access to the pool deck from the stands.
7. Missing out on a medal in the 200 free relay because eight of the teams finishing ahead of us were from "regional" clubs representing entire states.
6. Two swimmers from TXLA trying to recruit my 87 year old father to join their team instead of swimming for Nitro.
5. No Starbucks within walkiing distance of the pool.
4. Turning at the bulkhead, although I nailed all of mine.
3. That one starter who shall remain nameless.
2. Not getting to meet Rich Abrahams, among others.
1. It ended.
I actually loved Atlanta and thought most everything was great and the hosts were thorough and fantastic, so maybe this post doesn't really belong on this thread.
But I do have one suggestion about warmup pools. One thing future hosts might consider is including in the pre-meet info a list of other pools that are open to the public and either reasonably near the competition venue or accessible by public trans. At this nationals and other big meets (worlds at Stanford, IGLA in DC) I've driven or walked to other pools to warm up when my events fell later in the day, and that has worked out well.
Although you can often find info about pools online, the local hosts are in a better position to know where such pools are located relative to the competition venue, and which ones are really viable (water temp, crowdedness, lanelines, etc) for serious swimming. I think the Stanford organizers provided us with a list of nearby pools. And while this might not significantly cut down on crowdedness in the warmup area, it would at least provide an option for those who really want to get in a nice long warmup or warmdown swim (and have the time to do so before or after their events.)
The same solution might also work for massages, if they're not provided on-deck. I'm guessing there were places in midtown that offered massages, and probably plenty of swimmers who would have been willing to schedule and pay for them. A listing of such places in the meet program could help match up these two groups, to everyone's advantage. (That's obviously not as convenient as having them free and on deck, but certainly better than nothing.)
Nationals are often held in cities that have plenty of resources away from the competition venue. As the number of us attending nats continues to grow, it might become necessary to look outside the box/natatorium to find everything we need. :)
I actually loved Atlanta and thought most everything was great and the hosts were thorough and fantastic, so maybe this post doesn't really belong on this thread.
But I do have one suggestion about warmup pools. One thing future hosts might consider is including in the pre-meet info a list of other pools that are open to the public and either reasonably near the competition venue or accessible by public trans. At this nationals and other big meets (worlds at Stanford, IGLA in DC) I've driven or walked to other pools to warm up when my events fell later in the day, and that has worked out well.
Although you can often find info about pools online, the local hosts are in a better position to know where such pools are located relative to the competition venue, and which ones are really viable (water temp, crowdedness, lanelines, etc) for serious swimming. I think the Stanford organizers provided us with a list of nearby pools. And while this might not significantly cut down on crowdedness in the warmup area, it would at least provide an option for those who really want to get in a nice long warmup or warmdown swim (and have the time to do so before or after their events.)
The same solution might also work for massages, if they're not provided on-deck. I'm guessing there were places in midtown that offered massages, and probably plenty of swimmers who would have been willing to schedule and pay for them. A listing of such places in the meet program could help match up these two groups, to everyone's advantage. (That's obviously not as convenient as having them free and on deck, but certainly better than nothing.)
Nationals are often held in cities that have plenty of resources away from the competition venue. As the number of us attending nats continues to grow, it might become necessary to look outside the box/natatorium to find everything we need. :)
