2009 Boy's MN State Swimming & Diving Championships

I just returned from 2009 Boy's State HS Championships. More on the Swimming & Diving in the next blog, but I wanted to comment on the meet itself. It was a great meet to be a part of. After doing both the Girl's and the Boy's state championships this year, I am hooked on wanting to go back and referee them each year.

They differ so much from the club meets we attend as parents. The team aspect of the meet makes it almost electrifying. First the pageantry, the swimmers & divers entries to music, the swimmer introductions for each event , it is truly unique as far as swimming experiences go. The teams AND crowd screaming for their teammates, children, relatives, classmates as they get up on the blocks, and then without more prompting than a raised arm, the crowd quiets to dead silence, you hear the starter speak, the starter tone and then the arena erupts into a deafening combination of screams, cheers and yelling. Before we got under way, I had noticed some of my veteran officiating compatriots had ear plugs with them when we started. I chalked it up as old guy conservatism, wearing them out of common sense or something. But I learned that ear plugs, for some, are not a bad idea. I enjoyed the noise, but if you are walking the sides of the pool, you have teams, managers and coaches screaming one foot behind your ears and they actually do begin to ache.

In the prelims, as in most big prelim/finals meets, the events are seeded so that the top seeds are spread out over the top three heats. In effect the top seed is in Lane four of the final heat, the second top time is in Lane 4 of the second to last heat, and the third top time is in Lane 4 of the third to the last heat. Then they go back to the fourth fastest seed is in Lane five of the final Heat, next in Lane 5 of the second to last heat, etc. until all the top 24 times have been spread out over the final three heats, Any remaining seeds are spread normally within a heat and are the first to go. The gist of all this is that typically, unless you are laboriously keeping track through the heats, you do not know who has made finals, consolation or been eliminated until it goes up on the big display screen for all to see at once. The drama and excitement, accompanied by yells and screams are another part of the enjoyment these meets offer.

Then there is the awards ceremony after each finals event. Where consolation places are announced, and then the finals heat swimmers are sent out onto the podium in their finishing order. The look on their faces cover the gamut of emotions and watching them receive their finishing metals is almost as much entertainment as the racing and diving itself.

So, that is the excitement and pageantry that awaits the swimmer and diver that works hard, follows direction and coaching, and wants it bad enough.

I was honored to be a part of that experience for those athletes and look forward to repeating it over and over.