I survived my first USMS Nationals meet!! This photo of me was taken just after I swam my last event of the meet, the 100 Free.
Since this was my first big meet, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but my expectations were exceeded in a good way. The meet was run so well and everything ran just like clockwork. Mesa Aquatics (i.e., MAC) did such an outstanding job.
I swam two personal bests (100 IM and 100 Free) and had such a good time. I met up with some people I've gotten to know through the USMS forums and met so many other great people over the 4-day event. I am so glad I did it and can't wait to do it again. Here are some photo highlights of the experience.
Here's a nice overhead shot looking towards the North. The Kino Aquatic Center served the meet very well.
This picture shows one of the two warm-up areas. I had heard horror stories regarding how difficult warming up could be at a Nationals event due to the sheer number of people, but frankly, I had no difficulty and everyone was very courteous.
This image shows the competition lanes. This part of the pool was broken up into two 9-lane competition sections, dubbed the "South" and "North" pools.
