Hello all,

Attached are the qualifying times for YMCA Districts and the new meet format. The dates are March 11, 12, 13 at the Graham Aquatic Center, York YMCA. Please read the, "What can we do?" section at the bottom. 

This season, PA YMCA decided to go with a prelim/finals format for 11/above swimmers. It is still timed finals for the 9/10 age group. It's the first time we, as a YMCA region, are trying this format for age group swimming. Currently, I see a couple of potential advantages and disadvantages. Although I understand the advantages, as a team we definitely need to plan for the disadvantages early this season to minimize their effects.

Advantages

1. Gives more YMCA swimmers the experience of a true championship style meet. A prelims/finals format is what many top competitions, some high school, and all college championships are. It's not just the "feel" of a champ meet which will make it more exciting, but swimmers will gain experience in how to manage themselves in these types of meets earlier in their swimming life (food/drink intake, sleep, race anxiety, etc.).
2. "Bubble" swimmers (those close to a top 6 finish or next top 6 fastest times) who swam in earlier heats in the old format, will now be pushed more in the finals. That is, rather than cruising to an easy win in Heat 2 and missing a State champ berth by a small amount, they now get the chance to face the swimmers they are actually competing against for that State berth in the finals. 
3. In the old format, if you had a quick time but swam in an outside lane, that was the only time you had. Whereas now, you might get the chance to swim for an even faster time in an inside lane in the finals. 
4. For older and/or more experienced swimmers contemplating their competition strategies for District place finish, States, and Nationals, being able to see what your competition may be during finals may change how you swim your race, or even what you swim.

Disadvantages: Logistically a huge challenge.

• With three sessions instead of two each day, it undoubtedly will be a longer meet...ugh. I think I'll bring a cot and sleep in-between session at the pool. :)
• Friday is now a full day of competition instead of just a PM session. Which means it's more of a challenge for many parents and coaches to have to take off from work and get kids out of school.
• Most 11+ aged swimmers will be competing on Friday. Most 11+ AND most 9/10 aged swimmers will be competing Saturday AND Sunday. Even if they successfully move people around for seating during and between sessions, it is likely to be very crowded.  
• More people attending each session probably means more issues with reserving hotel rooms.
• Likewise, if all age groups need to be there the whole weekend, there is the chance that some families will not attend all days. Which means, swimmers may be limited to what events they can swim,  which is not good. Also, logistically this is not so much a headache for parents, but potentially a big headache for coaches trying to plan for relays held on different days in the same age group.

Neutral:  Advantage to more consistent, talented, and in-shape swimmers. That is, swimmers need to be able to repeat high performance levels multiple times per day across all days. So, for some swimmers this is a distinct advantage, for others it is a definite disadvantage.

YMCA States is still a timed finals meet format. 

What can we do?

1. Look at the qualifying times, if you KNOW your swimmer meets these times, reserve a hotel room now.
2. If you're not sure, as soon as they do, plan to go and reserve a room.
3. Parents, please start talking to each other about car pooling and hotel room sharing for kids if feasible. Not all families are that close, but if you are please consider it. 
4. Be prepared to look for hotels further outside of York, but plan for the longer trips to the aquatic center each day and session. 
5. Consider bringing breakfast and lunch in coolers, rather than fighting for restaurant space during a limited travel time window.   

See you on deck,

Coach Drake