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YMCA To Hold Virtual National Swimming Festival In 2021

Swimming at the YMCA level will include a ‘National Swimming Festival’ with regional competitions compiled together for national rankings.

The YMCA announced the plans today with a short press release. There are few details revealed at this point, with more information expected early next year.

The 2021 YMCA National Swimming Festival should work a lot like USA Swimming’s Winter 18&Under Championships and U.S. Open series. Local and regional events will have a specific time-frame to host meets and submit results. The combined results of all qualifying competitions will be compiled to come up with national rankings and national awards that would have been finalized at YMCA Nationals in the spring.

The qualifying period will end on April 15, 2021. There’s no opening date yet announced.

The YMCA already canceled its 2021 spring short course national meet as of last month. The 2020 short course YMCA Nationals meet was one of the first to be canceled at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic also canceled the 2020 long course YMCA Nationals set for summer of 2020.

The full YMCA press release is below:

A collective of coaches and volunteers is organizing a spring competitive opportunity for YMCA swimmers who have achieved 2019/2020 Short Course YMCA National Championship time standards.
Competitions may be held locally or regionally based on existing health and safety regulations. Results will be compiled for national rankings and awards.  All competition to be completed by April 15, 2021.
The Festival will include special celebratory features, similar to YMCA Nationals, to be offered virtually.
Further details to be refined in early 2021.

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Mark
3 years ago

Will there be a virtual summer nationals as well?

Last edited 3 years ago by Mark
Steve Patton
3 years ago

Do you know if National ymca records can be broken and set at this meet?

Jim
3 years ago

Anyone know how to contact the national YMCA swimming office to file a complaint about a team entering swimmers who have not met the 90 day Y requirement?

Admin
Reply to  Jim
3 years ago

The national YMCA Swimming Office is not running this event, so the national YMCA Swimming Office would probably not have much to say about it.

Jim
Reply to  Braden Keith
3 years ago

True. But it is a ymca certified coach breaking ymca rules. And not the first time. Any suggestions on who to contact

Jim
Reply to  Jim
3 years ago

Plus forged times to qualify swimmers.

Amy
3 years ago

Any update on where and how teams can participate?

FormerYHeadCoach
3 years ago

…well, because of the cancellations, my Y team was disbanded and the 9 kids I qualified last spring have all moved on to other club teams. I gotta be honest…this came too little too late. And I’m not the only Y coach to experience this.

PA Swim Fan
3 years ago

Finally, some people in Y leadership listening, thinking and moving forward for the good of the athletes (and their brand).

Guerra
3 years ago

Great!

Last edited 3 years ago by Guerra
Guerra
3 years ago

Sounds like a neat idea under the circumstances. I’m glad that the National YMCA is allowing this.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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