November 11, 2005

Ohio Splash to host
state masters championship

by Anthony Glassman

Columbus--Ohio Splash will host a major meet in April 2006, Aquaphenia, and all indications are that it will be their largest event to date.

?This past summer, a few Ohio Splash swimmers brainstormed for themes and name ideas for our next swim meet,? said Aquaphenia committee member Grant Wilson. ?During our meets in 1999 and 2000, we made efforts to entertain the competitors during the meet, above and beyond the swimming.?

Pointing to performances before, during and after events by the Columbus Gay Men?s Chorus and DJs, he noted, ?In sticking with a music theme, we came up with Aquaphenia as a play on the Who?s Quadrophenia.?

About 110 swimmers attended the last two meets in Columbus. However, since this meet will be in a new venue and will be the 2006 Ohio Masters Championship meet, Wilson expects attendance to increase dramatically.

?The Ohio and Lake Erie Local Masters Swimming committees, the governing bodies for United States Masters Swimming in Ohio, actually approached Ohio Splash to designate Aquaphenia as the state championship after we had already announced our intentions to host a meet,? Wilson said proudly. ?It so happened that the date and location we selected for Aquaphenia also were perfect for this year?s state championship meet.?

The registration packet for the April 2006 meet will be posted on www.ohiosplash.org this month. It will include information on all the social events planned around the competition, as well as the swim meet itself.

?We also will have online registration set up for those wanting to take advantage of the price discount we?ll be offering for on-line registrants,? he noted.

The biggest draw will not be the discounts, possibly not even the social events, but rather the new pool itself.

?Those who have seen in person and swam in the new pool have said that pictures just cannot convey how great it is,? Wilson enthused. ?This pool is absolutely state-of-the-art, from the wave-free edges to the adjustable pool depth to the wide lanes.?

?Ohio Splash has participated in meets hosted in past Olympics in Sydney and Atlanta, and OSU?s facility is every bit as impressive,? he concluded.

Ohio Splash welcomes swimmers from across the state, regardless of skill level. All the group asks for is committed swimmers, which is why in the eight years since its inception, its roster has grown from six members to over 100.

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