The articles in our “Shouts From the Stands” series are not written by SwimSwam and are not necessarily our opinions, however we believe they are well argued points from our readers. If you have a Shout you would like to share, please send them to [email protected].
I am an American and would like to see my own country host the event in the nation that is mine. I believe there are many others that feel in their hearts the same way. This is a moment of adversity that could be transformed into a great opportunity.
A race is a race no matter where you compete and a champion is a champion with money never a factor when it really comes down to it.
Call Obama, tell him the situation and ask him if we can put it in Washington DC or Hawaii or where ever the best place in America is for this.
Who ever said it was impossible to host the Championships in the United States needs to remember along with everyone else that the word impossible spoken is only a word and does not define pure truth with the elements of the situation and the “Clocks tickin.”
The leadership of USA Swimming, ASCA, and ISCA should all try to learn something more from each other, share ideas, and approach FINA with the right mentality for victory, managing the element levels of business, tradition, and performance, with an acurate perspective and raising the bar.
I believe the best thing about hosting the 2017 World Championships is that it creates a great opportunity for our country to build the greatest pool facility in the world.
A competition pool that is 50 meter by 33 and 1/3 meter by 20 feet deep running 12 lane heats has many benefits. It’s the next step because it gives more excitement and options in a race. The huge volume of athletes at meets will also give a better managing capability for the facility and timelines. The main competition pool can host swimming, diving, polo, and synchro in an outdoor arena having over 25,000 spectators seating capacity and retractable roof for weather conditions. Also having retractable diving platforms and boards for spacing as needed.
We could have the warm up pool be perpendicular to the race pool with a skybox between and above both having a tunnel connection to each pool. From above the pools will appear as a T shaped complex and the arena C shaped around the competition pool connecting into the sides of the skybox.
Have a couple helicopters flying above and 200 Marines on the ground if safety is an issue. If money is an issue call Wells Fargo or Donald Trump.
A gas price going up or down is nothing but an excuse. Get in your car or van and pay the price like everyone else at the station then go where you need to go. If you are over the ocean then buy a plan ticket or hop on a boat.
These kind of events boost economies in the right area far beyond the last races. The facility can be a huge asset for training, camps, future meets, clinics, meetings, and pay for its function to be built and operate year to year re-shaping competitive swimming sports standards at a high level. ASCA, ISCA, and USA Swimming could each own 1/3 of the facility.
By my rights as an American Citizen living in a free country I nominate Chuck Wielgus, John Leonard, and Randy Reese as leaders of the building committee for the pool. I believe that these men have the experience needed to get the job done the right way. I also believe that all this is new and can reshape and adjust as needed to be a great success for American Swimming. I finally believe that many other coaches, athletes, and supporters in our country and others will also support this mission.
Surely you are not really a PAC 12 backstroker! If you are my gut tells me you are not man enough to state your full name and the name of the team you represent, but I could be wrong. You might have the courage or you might be a woman. I suggest that you and the rest of your conference read every word of what has been written and if you have something to say about it then have the courage to say who you are in the process.
For the Bay Area, Stanford already has a suitable facility for Water Polo. An event-specific indoor pool could be built at the Colliseum or even Levi’s stadium for the swimming portion (they just did a similar thing for an outdoor hockey event in 70 degree heat this past week). The Bay would make an easy, non-turbulent venue for the Open Water. The only challenge would be finding a suitable diving venue, but I’m sure something could be built. It’s not like the money isn’t there.
The pools suggestion didn’t make too much sense. FINA and IOC have specific guidelines for a championship pool. 50m x 25m x 2-3m deep, 10 lanes (about 8 feet wide each). I don’t get the whole 12 lane suggestion at all, and 33 1/3 m across is an ocean for officials to look across.
Also, this is the World Championship for ALL FINA disciplines we’re talking about. It’s a two-week aquatic festival that requires facilities for water polo (30m x 20m, plus pool time to play group and elimination games), diving (25m x 25m x 5m with towers and dual 3m springboards), open-water (10km, 25km, and team pursuit), as well as synchro and perhaps the high diving. So, say… Read more »
I haven’t still understood why it would be impossible.
Simple: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I know a new facility is not needed BUT….Arlington County VA literally right across the Potomac River from DC has been debating developing a Olympic Level Rec Center for the last 5 years or so. This might entice them to actually build it. Not to mention DC and Northern Virginia have over 100,000 hotel rooms and the second most used mass transit system in the US…things that were highlighted in DC’s failed Olympic bid
There’s “Olympic Level” and there’s Olympic Level (FINA requirements). While it’s great to build a 50m pool, this pool has to conform to FINA specifications: 50m (164′) x 25m (82′), 10 lanes wide, with a minimum 2m depth. Additionally, the facility needs to have a 25m x 25m x 5m deep diving well with towers and dual 3m boards for synchro diving. And then there’s the seating: it must be able to seat at least 10,000, either in a permanent configuration or with temporary renovations. No one builds a pool to have that many permanent seats: think Georgia Tech, London Aquatic Center and Sydney Aquatic Center: none of those three have the same seating as when the Olympics were there.… Read more »
Hold on – our area (D.C.) doesn’t need to build a 50-meter pool with seating for 10,000 – why not do what Omaha does for Trials – install a 50-meter temporary pool in an arena? Maybe the Verizon Center – but I don’t know if there is nearby space for a 50-m warm-up pool. So how about this – a temporary 50-m pool at the Xfinity Center at the University of Maryland, which seats about 17,000 or so? The school’s current 50-m indoor pool is about a 7-minute walk from Xfinity, so that could possibly be the practice pool (a shuttle bus could drive competitors between pools so they didn’t have to walk). Other large pools in the area –… Read more »
I dont know the specifics of the plan or FINA requirements but i will say that was the site they identified to host swimming and diving during DC’s failed olympic bid.
DC does not have any tower diving facilities with sufficient seating. The MAC in North Bethesda has the towers but seating for maybe 300 people. USNA not a quick trip from DC.
So, build a 50m FINA pool? Technologically that is easy, even with a training pool attached for warm up, as in Omaha or Barcelona. Maybe a training pool outside in a parking lot.
The real issue is Diving. No one has built a temporary diving pool, though I ssupect that could be done. But, where? Where in DC or any other place? The only possible solutions are to build a pair of temporary 50m pools in a city that already has access to a diving facility… Read more »
The author lost me at the following illogical point in the article and I stopped reading: “Call Obama, tell him the situation…”
We have to look at this realistically and understand exactly what we’re talking about here. First, let me make it clear that I agree with your sentiment – I want nothing more than for the United States and our swimming federation to host the world championships. However, when we look at the overall picture with a realistic approach, we can see just how difficult, and thus unlikely, it is for the World Championships to be hosted in the United States.
I understand your desire to overlook the issue of funding for the benefit of competition, but in this situation it is a problem that cannot be ignored. We are talking about a major international competition that sets a precedent for… Read more »
There’s a ton of misconceptions regarding your argument. I’d love to see the United States host the World Champs – but looking at it from a realistic point of view there is absolutely no chance of it happening – at least for 2017. Mexico was a location decided on most likely to not only spread the geographic diversity of the event – but also because the organizations in charge were ready and willing to host the event. Furthermore, there’s a reason that FINA nominates and selects these nations years in advance – funding and planning demands are IMMENSE and require extreme amounts of coordination and time.
Additionally, although I understand your desires to overlook the funding factor – money… Read more »