Promoting Excellence by Providing Resources to Support and Empower the North Carolina Swimming Community.
North Carolina Swimming was one of nineteen Local Swimming Committees (LSCs) that were awarded LSC Select Camp Grants from USA Swimming. NCS will receive the $3500 grant thanks to the efforts of NCS camps committee chair, Jonathan Watson. In a continued effort to provide resources for more locally driven efforts, these grants allow age-group athletes an increased opportunity to attend a camp while not requiring them to travel too far from home.
Thanks for making it happen, Jonathan!
Following new CDC recommendations and the North Carolina Governor’s latest Executive Order issued May 18, 2021, North Carolina Swimming has revised guidance on the use of face coverings at USA Swimming activities as follows:
These are North Carolina Swimming’s recommendations and guidelines going forward. If your club or the facility chooses to enforce more stringent requirements, please include those in your upcoming meet sanction requests. A revised meet sanction template that includes these changes will be posted and distributed in the next few days.
USA Swimming COVID-related precautions rules amendments were recently extended by the USA Swimming Board of Directors.
With the upcoming amendments to articles 202.4 and 202.6 of the USA Swimming Rules set to expire, the USA Swimming Board of Directors has reconvened and voted to further extend the initial action taken in October 2020, for an additional three months, through July 31, 2021.
The Board of Directors had previously voted to amend the articles to require certain COVID-related precautions in order to issue meet sanctions and approvals, including a safety plan, assumption of risk, and release of liability.
The Board of Directors will continue to reconvene prior to the expiration of each extension, to assess whether these precautions remain necessary.
As always, USA Swimming, Local Swimming Committees (LSC) and club activities must also follow state and local health guidelines.
USA Swimming Return to Competition Plan
USA Swimming Return to Competition LSC Sanction Requirements
Below is a list of North Carolina Swimming-registered athletes who have achieved qualifying time standards for the Olympic Trials in Omaha. NCS currently has 58 swimmers qualified for WAVE I beginning on June 4 and 65 swimmers qualified for WAVE II beginning on June 13. The list was last updated on May 26, 2021.
Congratulations Swimmers!
The following travel fund program was approved by the NCS BOD on April 17, 2021 for Olympic Trials Wave 1 and Wave 2. The current NCS Travel Fund eligibility criteria (Article 211, NCS Rules) remain in effect.
Olympic Trials Wave 1 (new)
Olympic Trials Wave 2 (no change from current)
Funds will be automatically paid to NCS member clubs after the competition based on published meet results. No application is necessary.
The 2021 North Carolina Swimming Senior Long Course Sectional meet will be held at the Fort Mill YMCA Aquatic Center in Fort Mill, SC on July 22-25, 2021.
The 2021 NCS Select Camp was held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center and Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday, April 25. It was a full day of activities for campers ages 9-14. In addition to in-water training, campers had underwater videos made, using special underwater cameras, that they and their coaches can use to evaluate technique. Campers also had a chance to hear their guest speaker, former NBA player Wayne Robinson, discuss some of the positive habits, values, and attributes that help athletes maximize performance…and eliminating the negative or “junk in the trunk” as he calls it.
Congratulations to the following athletes who attended this year’s Select Camp.
2021 NCS Select Camp attendees
Thank you to the following NCS coaches and senior athletes who volunteered their time to make it happen.
| STAFF | ATHLETES | |
| Amy Faulk- Camp Director | Jordan Browning | |
| Katherine Holian | MaKayla Ciancanelli | |
| Jonathan Watson | Anna Gagnon | |
| Mark Franz | Isabella Anton | |
| Blake Addison | ||
| Pierce Bradshaw | ||
| William Keith | ||
| Cora Dodson | ||
| Jack Eichenlaub | ||
| Kristina Bond | ||
| Yvonne Wilkins | ||
| Rebekah Allen |
The Carolina Crown Swim Challenge was held at the Fort Mill YMCA Aquatic Center in Fort Mill, South Carolina this past weekend. 250 swimmers from North Carolina and South Carolina competed in the event, which saw several records fall. It was an exciting, fun-filled meet from start to finish, with the outcome decided in the last event. Team Sapphire was the eventual winner, with blue-clad swimmers bringing home the championship towels. Sapphire coaches were treated to a celebratory dip in the pool by excited team members.
Alex Ayers (Swim MAC), representing Team Sapphire, broke three meet records. His Sapphire teammate, Crow Thorsen (Blues Aquatics) also set three new meet records. Keelan Cotter (TAC Titans) of Team Ruby led the women with two new meet records. Below is a list of those who broke meet records.
NEW MEET RECORD HOLDERS
| Men’s | 200 Free | Alex Ayers | MAC |
| Men’s | 100 Breast | Tucker Valliere | BAQ |
| Men’s | 200 Fly | Crow Thorsen | BAQ |
| Women’s | 100 Back | Taylor Morris | TAC |
| Men’s | 200 IM | Crow Thorsen | BAC |
| Women’s | 400 Free | Keelan Cotter | TAC |
| Men’s | 400 Free | Alex Ayers | MAC |
| Women’s | 200 Breast | Sofia Plaza | ATOM |
| Men’s | 200 Breast | Ben Delmar | MAC |
| Men’s | 100 Fly | Crow Thorsen | BAQ |
| Men’s | 200 Back | Alex Ayers | MAC |
| Women’s | 100 Free | Keelan Cotter | TAC |
| Men’s | 100 Free | Cohen Bruner | H2A (SC) |
The 2021 ESSZ Senior Long Course Sectional meet hosted by STAR Aquatics will be held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, NC on July 15-18, 2021.
