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WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

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October 10, is World Mental Health Day, a reminder that mental health matters every single day. Whether you are a coach, athlete, parent, or friend – you can make a difference.

  1. Be Gentle with yourself and others. Let us choose connection over silence.
  2. NCSBetter2Gether : Together, we can create a culture where it is okay to not be okay.
  3. NCS CHALLENGE (Athletes, Coaches, Officials, and Beyond): Check in on your friends, teammates, coworkers, and loved ones. Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can mean the most.

NCS Let’s break the stigma. Let’s Talk about it. #WorldMentalHealthDay #YouAreNotAlone #NCSVillageStrong #NCSBetter2Gether

Mental Health Awareness Communication

Mental Health Guide for Coaches

Team Meeting Support After A Loss

If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is available 24/7/365.

At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life’s challenges can sometimes be difficult. Whether you’re facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone.

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2026 ALL STAR WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

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Congratulations to all of our 2025-2026 NCS All Star athletes, Coaches, Clubs, and Award winners this past weekend. Check out the highlights of all of our Award winners in the link below. A Special Thank You to the Greensboro Aquatic Center, OVG Catering, Olympians Josh Davis and Katharine Berkoff, USA Swimming, USA Swimming Staff Eric Stimson and Leland Brown for being a part of our All Star weekend, to our Sponsors Southern Branded Textiles, Carolina Sports, Cheerwine, and to the entire NCS Village for being a part of a successful weekend. #NCSBetter2Gether #WEARENCS

Check It Out: 25-26 Highlight Video

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2027 SCY CHAMPIONSHIP TIME STANDARDS

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North Carolina Swimming has set the 2027 NCS Age Group Championship Time Standards for the 26-27 swim season. SCY Championship Time Standards are listed for SR and AG Meets below. *LC Time Standards are being evaluated by Task Force soon to be posted.

2027 SENIOR SCY Champ Meet will be February 25-28, 2027 at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, NC. The 2027 SENIOR LC Champ Meet will be July 8-11, 2027 at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, NC

2027 AG SCY Champ Meet will be February 18-21, 2027 at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, NC. The 2027 AG LC Champ meet will be July 15-18, 2027 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, NC.

SC 14U AG CHAMPIONSHIP TIME STANDARDS

SENIOR SCY TIME STANDARDS

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2026 ALL STAR BANQUET & CLINIC

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NCS All Stars – It’s Your Time to Shine!

Olympians, Josh Davis and Katharine Berkoff, will be at the Greensboro Aquatic Center from 10:15am – 12:00pm on Saturday, October 3, 2026.  You must pre-register to attend.  To register for the All Star Clinic your name must appear on the list of 2026 NCS All-Star swimmers. The deadline to sign up is Wednesday, Sept 16, 2026.

Josh Davis is an American former competition swimmer who competed for the University of Texas, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a former world record-holder. He represented the United States at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics where he won three gold medals and at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics where he won two silver.

Katharine Berkoff is an American female swimmer who competed for North Carolina State University and won a gold medal in the 4×100 medley relay and a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

After the clinic, there will be an All Star Banquet Saturday evening where several awards will be presented. Those on the NCS ALL STAR list will be recognized, along with male and female swimmers of the year in the 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18 age groups. In addition, Franke Bell Senior Coach of the Year, Kathy McKee Age Group Coach of the Year, Jon Jolley Distance Swimmer of the Year, Team of the Year Awards, NCS Coach Leadership Award, and the USA Swimming Outstanding Service Award will be presented.

Josh Davis and Katharine Berkoff will have a meet & greet/autograph session for those attending the banquet on Saturday evening from 5:15 – 5:50pm.

2026 NCS ALL STAR LIST

1. REGISTRATION FOR THE ALL STAR CLINIC

2. REGISTRATION FOR THE ALL STAR BANQUET 

*NOTE: Those who complete Registration for the 2026 All Star Banquet – Banquet tickets are to be picked up at the check in registration table in the lobby of the Greensboro Coliseum when you arrive at the event. All Stars on the list and their guests must register to attend.

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2026 NCS ALL STARS

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Congratulations to the 2026 NCS All Stars! Below is the list of North Carolina Swimming athletes who achieved NCS All Star status during the period beginning on Sept 1, 2025 and ending on Aug 31, 2026 (athletes are listed by club code). The colored bars next to each swimmer’s name indicate the age group, qualifications for which the athlete achieved All Star status, and whether All Star status was achieved in multiple ways.

Those achieving All Star status will be invited to the All Star Clinic Saturday October 3 at GAC from 10:15-12:15pm. NCS All Stars are also invited to attend our Carolinas Swimposium (open to Athletes, Coaches, Officials, Parents, and Volunteers of the Swim Community- See schedule of educational opportunities and Please register to attend).

To finish out an exciting day, the All Star Banquet Dinner will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum will begin at 6:00pm where All Star recognition and towels will be presented. All Stars MUST Register to attend both events. (Banquet info will be emailed to all All Stars in the near future)

The NCS All Star list includes swimmers who achieved All Star Status in at least one of five ways.

  1. NCS Top Five short course times in at least two strokes (must be AAAA or better) as of Aug 31, 2026
  2. NCS Top Five long course times in at least two strokes (must be AAAA or better) as of Aug 31, 2026
  3. National Top Ten achievement in short course by individual age group as of Aug 31, 2026
  4. National Top Ten achievements in long course by individual age group as of Aug 31, 2026
  5. Open Water All Star recognition

2026 NCS All Star List and Top 5 List

  • Each NCS swimmer who achieved NC Top-5 “AAAA” times in two or more of the following categories: distance freestyle, sprint freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, or individual medley in Short Course Yards is a NCS All Star upon verification by the NCS All Star Committee. The recognition period began September 1, 2025 and ended August 31, 2026.
  • Distance Freestyle and Sprint Freestyle are considered distinct ‘strokes’ along with Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Individual Medley. Distance Freestyle include freestyle events 400 and longer for 17-18, 15-16, and 13-14; 200 and longer for 11-12 and 10&Under. Sprint Freestyle include freestyle events 200 and shorter for 17-18, 15-16, and 13-14; 100 and shorter for 11-12 and 10&Under.
  • Each NCS swimmer who individually achieved at least one USA National Age Group Recognition Top 10 Time in either short course or long course is an All Star. Season-ending USA Swimming National Top Ten rankings by individual age as of August 31, 2026 determine achievement. USA Swimming rankings by age include ages 11,12,13,14,15,16,17, and 18,
  • Swimmers are recognized as an NCS Open Water All-Star based on the Open Water All Star selection policy.

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NCS POOL PARTY INFO

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NCS Pool Party meets are one-session meets for developmental 12&U swimmers or intrasquad or dual meets for 18&U swimmers. NCS Provides a quicker sanctioning process and reduced meet fees to support teams who host short, fun meets to introduce swimmers and their families to competition. Meets that comply with NCS Pool Party rules will have meet results uploaded to SWIMS and the session credited to participating officials. For more information, see the full program description below or contact sanctions@ncswim.org

NCS POOL PARTY MEET REQUIREMENTS

NCS POOL PARTY MEET REQUEST

*All NCS POOL PARTY Information stated below is located under the MEET ADMIN Tab

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2026 NCS Club Development Incentive

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The 2026 North Carolina Swimming Club Development Incentive Program is now live.

Clubs can access the Online Application Form here.

All NCS clubs are eligible to participate in the Club Development Incentive Program.

Clubs can claim achievements that occurred between September 1, 2025 and August 31, 2026. Clubs can select the points that are most relevant to them and are not required to answer all questions. The max payout is $1,000 and will be calculated for all eligible clubs submitting online applications by October 15, 2026.

Questions? Contact Trish Martin at adminchair@ncswim.org

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2027 OPEN WATER ZONE TEAM: Application Open

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OPEN WATER ZONE TEAM: 

APPLICATION NOW OPEN until September 14, 2026

The NCS Open Zone Team will be selected through a combination of the NCS Open Water Zone Team Selection Meet (Carolina Cup) and an open application process. The top three finishing applicants in each age-group event at the Carolina Cup will receive automatic bids and first right of refusal.

*NOTE: When entering athletes in the Carolina Cup, please note that the NCS Zone Team selection will be based on each athlete’s age as of April 23, 2027. Please enter athletes in the correct event for their age group: 12 & Under should enter the 2K, and 13 & Over should plan to swim 3K. *Entries for Carolina Cup are due Wednesday, September 2, 2026 by 6:00pm

All remaining team spots and up to two alternate positions will be selected through the application process, with priority given to Open Water results during the qualifying period (September 6, 2025-September 12, 2026), 1500 LCM time, 1500 SCM time, and 1650-yard time, in that order using the points system shown in the NCS policy here (2.6).

Note: All athletes must apply to be considered for selection to Open Water Zones 2027 – April 23 – 25, 2027.  Selection will be based on the age of April 23, 2027. Applicants can apply here. The application will close on Monday, September 14, 2026

For more information contact OW Chair, Rachel Muller – rachel.muller@ymcatriangle.org

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2027 LC MEET BID PACKET

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MEET BID PROCEDURE: Please use the form below to submit your 2027 Long Course meet bids by 10/4/26.

Here is the bid packet for submitting meet bids for the 2027 long course season. It includes both the Meet Bid Framework and the Meet Bid Form.

Meet Bid Framework

The meet bid framework provides dates of notable meets, including sectional and national events, and indicates closed weekends during the 2027 long course season.

Meet Bid Form

The meet bid form is the method for submitting your meet bids to the meet scheduling committee. Simply complete and submit a form for each of your club’s meet bids.  Please note the closed weekends when submitting bids.

Completing the Meet Bid Form

The meet bid form allows the Meet Scheduling committee to gather and provide clubs with complete and consistent meet information. The form is divided into three sections:

  1. Basic Meet Information (dates, host club, meet name, location, etc.)
  2. Meet Type (meet type, course type, meet category, age group)
  3. Meet Fees (individual fees, relay fees, facility fees, travel fund, parking, other)

Click the link to the Meet Bid Form to get started. After completing all required fields (identified by an asterisk) in a section, click NEXT. After completing the entire form, click SUBMIT.  You will be asked if you want to submit another response.  If you do, click “submit another response” and repeat the process for your next meet.

Meet bids submitted will automatically populate the 2027 Long Course Bid Schedule posted on the NCS website. Here, you can view what you’ve submitted. (The spreadsheet does not automatically sort by date, so the most recently submitted bids will appear at the bottom but will be sorted periodically as bids come in.)

Meet Bid Deadline:10/4/26
Schedule Planning Meeting:10/4/26
Meet Calendar Approved:10/4/26 *HOD
Approved Calendar Posted:10/6/26

If you have any questions on the Meet Bid Form contact Lisa Olack – olack.lisa@gmail.com

REMINDER:

Clubs must be Safe Sport Recognized to bid on NCS Championship meets. 

Meets will not be sanctioned unless the host club is Safe Sport Recognized.

NOTE:

Pending legislation may open the closed weekends in April, July (Fall HOD, Open Water Champs, Age Group Champs, and Senior Champs). Please bid your meets assuming these weekends are closed but note on the bid form if you prefer to change your bid date if the legislation passes.

Thank you,

Kevin Thornton
Scheduling Coordinator

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2026 FALL HOD – SWIMPOSIUM

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North Carolina Swimming will be hosting a Swimposium Saturday, October 3, 2026 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center and Special Events area located by the pool. Everyone is invited Athletes, Coaches, Officials, Parents, and the Swimming Community. Register for the Swimposium below to join us. One Community.  One Purpose. Championing Excellence Together.

The 2026 NCS Fall House of Delegates meetings, in conjunction with Swimposium, will be held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center / Coliseum in Greensboro on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, 2026. Below is the preliminary schedule of HOD weekend events. The schedule is subject to change so check for any updates as it gets closer to the date.

2026 FALL HOD WEEKEND SCHEDULE

2026 SWIMPOSIUM Registration Link

2026 Fall HOD Proposed Legislation

HOTEL INFORMATION:

NCS has limited blocks of rooms at the following hotels for Friday and Saturday night for those who will be staying over. Call or click the reservation links below to reserve your room

HOTELADDRESSPHONELINK
Hampton Inn & Suites Greensboro Coliseum Area3033 West Gate City Blvd, Greensboro, NC 27403336-553-1818*Call to reserve under NC Swimming
Group Code (NC Swimming)(Limited Room Block)$189 / night
Courtyard Greensboro4400 W. Wendover Ave336-294-3800Booking Link HERE
Group Code (North Carolina Swimming)(Limited Room Block – call for reservation)$149 /night*Must Book before 9/11/26
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott4308 Big Tree Way, Greensboro, NC 27403336-369-1300Book your group rate for N.C. SWIMMING ALL STAR
Group Code (NC Swimming)(Limited Room Block until 9/11)$ 139 /night
Holiday Inn Greensboro Coliseum3005 West Gate City Blvd, Greensboro, NC 27403336-294-4565*Call for rate
Hilton Garden Inn Greensboro4307 Big Tree Way, Greensboro, NC 336-369-1300Book Your group rate for N.C. SWIMMING ALL STAR
(Limited Room Block available through 9/11)$164/ nightBooking Link

#NCSBetter2Gether #WEARENCS

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