The second annual Wisconsin Invitational is in the books, and chief organizer Jason Verhelst (main swim job: head girls coach, D1 power Madison Memorial) pronounced it a success. The meet featured several top D1 and D2 teams, and was held at the UW-Madison Natatorium, site of the annual D1 and D2 state swim meets. More importantly, it served as a trial for something Verhelst would like to see implemented at the state meet: a preliminary-finals format.
"It's something we've been pushing for with the WIAA," Verhelst told the Wisconsin State Journal. "Thirty-five other states have prelims-finals (state meets) and somehow Wisconsin doesn't. So we're trying to demonstrate that you can run a quality prelims-finals meet in one day at the same venue that we hold state at."
The main argument in favor of a prelims-finals format at the state swim meet (beyond most states doing it) seems to be that it more closely parallels the experience that swimmers have during their non-high-school club seasons. All but the longest of races are swum prelims-finals during the club season, and it's a fair bet that most swimmers who have the ability to qualify for state -- certainly at the D1 level, and increasingly at the D2 level -- are swimming part of the year at the club level.
There are, however, several arguments that have been raised in swimming circles against a prelims-finals approach for the state meet. Chief among them is that is doesn't replicate what swimmers experience at the club level. High school swimming, goes this argument, is by design different than club swimming, and therefore the culmination of the high school season -- the state meet -- ought to be different than what's offered at the club level. In addition, it makes for a very long day for the swimmers, particularly the top swimmers. Madison East, last year's D1 state champs, had four swimmers last year qualify for the state meet in two individual events and two relays. That's potentially eight swims at a one-day meet for those swimmers.
"It definitely pushes your endurance to see how many times you can perform in a row," East staet champ Ruby Martin told the Wisconsin State Journal after the Wisconsin Invitational.
Expect to hear more about this idea at the WIAA level in the coming years.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment