Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Maine LSC Hosts its First LCM Meet
Maine’s Local Swimming Committee (MESI) traditionally held long course meters (LCM) swim meets internationally in St. John, Canada. This past July, for the first time in history, MESI hosted a LCM meet in the state of Maine at a brand-new competition pool located at the Harold Alfond Aquatics and Recreation Center. The state-of-the-art pool is 50-meters long with nine lanes, two diving boards and two springboards. Built at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, this facility has opened a new world for MESI swimmers because now their closest LCM pool is in the same country.
The state’s first LCM swim meet, dubbed the Inaugural Maine Swimming Long Course Meter Championship Meet, was hosted by MESI but had help from Colby College staff to provide lodging and food to attendees and their families. There were 18 USA Swimming member clubs invited, 16 from Maine and two from New England, for a total of 367 athletes. Due to not having the hotels or restaurants larger cities have, nearly 100 participants were lodged in the Colby College dorms and ate their meals in the dining hall.
“Being able to remove the financial and logistical barriers associated with traveling across state or international borders makes our summer championships so much more accessible to Maine Swimming families,” MESI General Chair Taylor Rogers said. “We couldn’t have dreamed of a better host facility than Colby College’s Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center.”
This partnership has been a huge benefit for swimmers in Maine, and Colby College is already working with Maine Swimming to host several LCM events for the 2023 season. Plans include a Memorial Day Invitational, an Eastern Zone Leadership Retreat, and the second annual Maine Swimming Long Course Meter Championship Meet planned for next summer. Colby College hopes to provide additional housing space for more participants in the future, making it an extremely convenient experience for all athletes and their families.
“It was incredible to be able to provide our athletes with an opportunity to experience long course swimming within their own LSC,” Rogers said. “Our athletes who attended are excited at the possibility of expanding our LCM opportunities next season and those athletes who were not able to be there this year are already making plans to attend next year’s meet.”
In addition to providing the first LCM swim meet in Maine, the meet was fast! There were nine MESI records broken throughout the meet, and high scorers were acknowledged for each gender and age group. To view all individual high point winners, please click here.
USA Swimming member clubs were also tracked, with Kennebec Valley YMCA winning both the Women’s and Men’s Team High Point to take home the first place Combined Team Trophy with 3,315 points. Coastal Maine Aquatics took second overall with 2,167.5 points and Westbrook Seals took third with 2,024 points. View all team scores here.
“I strongly believe having access to Colby and these competitive opportunities will elevate the success of Maine Swimming at all levels and will be an integral part of growing the sport in Maine,” Rogers said.
Congratulations to MESI for hosting its first LCM swim meet!
The state’s first LCM swim meet, dubbed the Inaugural Maine Swimming Long Course Meter Championship Meet, was hosted by MESI but had help from Colby College staff to provide lodging and food to attendees and their families. There were 18 USA Swimming member clubs invited, 16 from Maine and two from New England, for a total of 367 athletes. Due to not having the hotels or restaurants larger cities have, nearly 100 participants were lodged in the Colby College dorms and ate their meals in the dining hall.
“Being able to remove the financial and logistical barriers associated with traveling across state or international borders makes our summer championships so much more accessible to Maine Swimming families,” MESI General Chair Taylor Rogers said. “We couldn’t have dreamed of a better host facility than Colby College’s Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center.”
This partnership has been a huge benefit for swimmers in Maine, and Colby College is already working with Maine Swimming to host several LCM events for the 2023 season. Plans include a Memorial Day Invitational, an Eastern Zone Leadership Retreat, and the second annual Maine Swimming Long Course Meter Championship Meet planned for next summer. Colby College hopes to provide additional housing space for more participants in the future, making it an extremely convenient experience for all athletes and their families.
“It was incredible to be able to provide our athletes with an opportunity to experience long course swimming within their own LSC,” Rogers said. “Our athletes who attended are excited at the possibility of expanding our LCM opportunities next season and those athletes who were not able to be there this year are already making plans to attend next year’s meet.”
In addition to providing the first LCM swim meet in Maine, the meet was fast! There were nine MESI records broken throughout the meet, and high scorers were acknowledged for each gender and age group. To view all individual high point winners, please click here.
USA Swimming member clubs were also tracked, with Kennebec Valley YMCA winning both the Women’s and Men’s Team High Point to take home the first place Combined Team Trophy with 3,315 points. Coastal Maine Aquatics took second overall with 2,167.5 points and Westbrook Seals took third with 2,024 points. View all team scores here.
“I strongly believe having access to Colby and these competitive opportunities will elevate the success of Maine Swimming at all levels and will be an integral part of growing the sport in Maine,” Rogers said.
Congratulations to MESI for hosting its first LCM swim meet!