It’s February – and many of us are cold and knee deep in snow. Winter Olympics are on TV showing us snow sports – and it is hard to reprogram our brains for SPRING.
With that said – the Spring Nationals are only 3 months away. We have secured the pool in Fort Lauderdale and are making arrangements to bring you a fantastic meet experience.
The Fort Lauderdale Aquatic center is scheduled to be razed to make way for a new pool and tower complex. The US Masters Championships will be the last major Championship held here before it is shuttered. This pool has a long history of of hosting divers from all over the world. It is fitting that we celebrate its history with our Spring meet.
We are stepping outside the box this year.. Many of our activities will be away from the Host Hotel(s). Our athlete meeting will be held at the International Swimming Hall of Fame adjacent to the pool. Instead of our usual meet banquet at the host hotel – we are going to take a River Cruise with dinner and entertainment on the JUNGLE QUEEN. I am looking forward to the change of venue and I suspect all of our athletes will appreciate the creativity.
Courtyard by Marriott is our “Host” hotel. It is directly across the street from the Pool. Its proximity to the pool may alleviate the need for a car. A taxi from the airport to the hotel should cost approximately $30. We have also secured an additional block of rooms at the Best Western Hotel. Though it is about 1/2 mile from the pool – it is still walkable. It is about $50 cheaper a night than the Marriott and it includes BREAKFAST.
Headquarters: Courtyard by Marriott [across the street from the pool]
954-524-8733 $166.88 [includes taxes & fees]
440 Seabreeze Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale FL 33316
Valet Only Parking $20/day/group rate
marriott.com/hotels/travel/fllco-courtyard-fort-lauderdale-beach/
Additional: Best Western Plus Oceanside Inn 954-525-8115
Breakfast included [1/2 mile from pool]
$117.60/night & $15.90/day parking [includes taxes & fees]
1180 Seabreeze Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale FL 33316
bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.10212.html?groupId=5R8GN9X9
We have already obtained the sanction for our event from USA Diving. We have just sent the meet information over to DiveMeets – and expect to see it posted within the next 10 days.
There have been a lot of people behind the scenes working very hard to make this meet possible. We had a bit of a SNAFU with trying to book the pool at SMU – and our folks in Fort Lauderdale pulled a rabbit out of a hat to find us an alternate facility.
Thank you – Thank you – Thank you to Lisa Mitrani and Joan Chalkley. They have been instrumental in making this meet happen. Lisa was able to secure a grant from Fort Lauderdale to help pay our pool costs and Joan was able to secure the Marriott across the street from the pool as our host hotel. It takes a lot to make these events happen. Please take a moment to thank them when you see them. Better yet – consider volunteering. We can always use the extra help.
Thank you as well to Cathryn Capelle for helping to reformat our Meet Information sheet. Over the years it has become corrupted with mismatched fonts and type sizes. The newest version is much easier to read and has an updated USA Diving watermark. Thank you Ed Richmond for helping Cathryn add the watermark and necessary hyperlinks! Thanks to Terry Powers and USA Diving for providing the updated stationary!
Upcoming Events
We have been invited to participate in the Colombian National Championships being held in Santa Marta, Colombia on April 5th through 8th. We were invited by Delsy Alejandra Tejada – one of our diving friends from Colombia as well as Antonio Valderrama – Head Coach at FECNA.
The last meet we had in Colombia was a fantastic experience. Beautiful city, beautiful people and wonderful hospitality. The pool in Santa Marta is only a year old – and should be a fantastic venue.
Good morning Mr. Gerry Dunn,
I´m Antonio Valderrama, diving head coach of Colombian swimming federation (FECNA)
The International Master championships will be:
LOCATION:
Complejo Acuático – Parque Deportivo Bolivariano
Piscina, pozo de Clavados 30×25
Cra 19 x Calle 20, Santa Marta – Colombia
DIVING
The delegations arrivals will be on April 4.
Competitions:
5 to 8 April 2018.
Technical meeting:
April 5 at 18:00 h.
Competitions
Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 April.
CLOSURE: Sunday April 8 at the end of the competitions.
CATEGORIES: It will compete in the following categories:
In the Master categories defined by FINA starting at +35 and every 5 years.
REGISTRATION FEES IN US Dollars:
Entry Fee: 40 US
Per Event: 15 US
Entry and Registration fees can be paid upon arrival to Santa Marta. Some of our divers have already let me know they plan to attend. To do so – we will need a letter from USA Diving stating we are members in good standing. Anyone that has interest in competing – please e-mail me so I can be sure to secure the necessary permissions and documentation from USA Diving. E-mail gerry@mypotomac.com
PAN-AMERICAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Pan-American Masters Championships are being held this year in Orlando, Florida. The format is a little different than our normal WEEKEND meets. The meet will take place July 22nd, 23rd and 24th, 2018. This is SUNDAY, MONDAY and TUESDAY.
This meet is being hosted by UANA. Meet information and registration details can be found on their website: http://www.2018panammasters.com/diving.html This competition is governed by FINA rules. There are not any category requirements for your dive list.
US MASTERS SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS
I am very excited for our Summer Championships. They are scheduled for August 24th, 25th and 26th in Inianapolis, Indiana. We will be diving at the IUPUI pool – a legendary facility that has hosted our Olympic Trials and National Diving Championships.
We will also be honoring some legends of our sport. Hobie Billingsley, Dick Kimball and Ron O’Brien will be honored for their contributions to the sport. Stay tuned for details. It is going to be an exciting weekend!
USADIVING.COM
Cool huh? We have a new website. After so many years of running our website and giving us a web presence – Ted Witte is retiring. When setting up our original website Ted used a program that has since become obsolete. Rather than reinvent the wheel – he passed the reins. Thank you Ted – for all you have done (and still do).
Thank you Rich Wasson who stepped in to take the reins and transition us to a new website. It has a different look than what you are used to – but will serve the same purpose. The user name and password: ( User Name = Masters – Password = List ) have remained the same. Check out the new site – and be patient as we update and integrate the data from our old system.
Who’s a New Daddy?
Congratulations to Ron Kontura our Vice-Chairman! He and his wife are expecting a baby in the next few weeks. Ron will be on pins and needles – and on Baby alert while coaching Kenyon Diving. Please keep Ron and family in your thoughts and prayers. He may be off the grid while attending to his new addition.
In conclusion – look for our Spring Championships to be up on DiveMeets in about 10 days. It is going to be a fabulous meet – so register early.
When getting back on the boards to train – be safe. Start slowly and listen to your body. I want HEALTHY divers not injured divers.
I am so excited to see everyone again this spring!
Until then – I am at your service! LET’S DIVE! GERRY DUNN – Chairman