88th CSP Summer Invitational
- June 26-28, 2026
- 50 Meters (LCM)
- Shaw Park Aquatic Center
- Clayton, MO
- Results on Meet Mobile: 88th CSP Summer Invitational
- Results (SwimCloud)
- All photos courtesy of CSP Tideriders
The CSP Summer Invitational isn’t just one of America’s oldest swim meets. It’s more like a living time capsule, where every summer adds a new piece of history.
Since 1938, the CSP Tideriders swim team and its annual meet have shared the same home at Shaw Park Aquatic Center in the heart of downtown Clayton, Missouri. The park itself inspired the club’s name (CSP = Clayton Shaw Park), making the venue as central to the team’s identity as the swimmers who have raced there over the past 88 years.
Before there were electronic touchpads, livestreams or smartphones, the CSP Tideriders took to the water at their brand new pool in Shaw Park. FDR was in the White House, and the Olympic-size pool, the first of its kind in the St. Louis region, was built with the help of New Deal funding.
The sports scene in 1938 looked both familiar and very different from today. The New York Yankees were World Series champions, Italy won the World Cup, and sports fans huddled around their radios to follow the action. Today, families gather on the pool deck, refreshing Meet Mobile!
The same pool that once represented hope during the Great Depression now welcomes another generation of swimmers.
“One of the things that makes this meet unique is that it is outdoors,” said CSP Tideriders Head Age Group Coach Mark Imig. “So often these days, meets in the Midwest are held at indoor facilities. Being in downtown Clayton is also unique,” he added. Few summer swim meets take place in a setting quite like Shaw Park, where a meticulously maintained 50-meter pool sits in the middle of the downtown business district, framed by office buildings and the city’s skyline.
Nearly nine decades later, many of the meet’s traditions remain unchanged. In fact, over the years, the meet has weathered nearly every challenge, including the Covid pandemic.
The CSP Invitational remains committed to single-age competition for 12 & unders, giving younger swimmers the chance to race only athletes their own age. The host Tideriders also continue a longstanding tradition of removing themselves from team scoring, placing hospitality ahead of home field advantage. And when the weather does not go as planned, that’s okay too.
Even with the challenges of summer weather, every session was completed and every event contested, even if not exactly on schedule. “We work hard through all types of weather to make sure we let these kids compete,” Coach Imig said. “In fact, the delays can be fun.” Many swimmers took advantage of the downtime to participate in a pull-up challenge in a tent hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy, as several Tideriders have gone on to compete for Navy. “One of the Navy parents asked if they could be there, and we were excited to have them back.”
Eighty-eight years and counting…
After 88 years, the CSP Tideriders Invitational endures not just because it is old, but because each generation keeps finding a reason to come back.
“We have had coaches who swam in this meet as age groupers, and now they bring their teams to compete,” Imig said. “They fondly remember the meet and want their swimmers to have the same opportunity.”
For longtime CSP swim mom Patricia Kao Theodos, whose five sons have all swum for the Tideriders, the meet’s greatest tradition isn’t measured by records or ribbons, but by the people. Two of her sons have gone on to compete in college, and another will begin his collegiate swim career this fall.
“One of the things that strikes me is how many alums come back to this meet as coaches, officials, or swim parents,” she said. “There are so many adults here who swam in this meet themselves when they were kids. I think that is so fun!”
Over the years, stopwatches have given way to electronic timing as the primary timing method. Wood-paneled station wagons have been replaced by SUVs. After nearly nine decades, the sights and sounds of summer swimming still echo across Shaw Park: the sound of the starter’s signal, the splash off the starting blocks and the cheers of excited spectators around the pool deck.
After 88 summers, the CSP Tideriders Invitational is still making history.
Results and Records: 2026 Edition
Every summer adds a new chapter to the meet’s history, and this year was no exception, with nearly 600 swimmers from 17 teams taking part in the summer classic. “While most teams are from around the St. Louis area, we had some teams from Illinois, including the University of Illinois, and some kids from Iowa and Oklahoma,” Imig noted.
Competitors ranged from 7 & unders to college swimmers, including several CSP Tideriders athletes fresh off appearances at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis. Among the youngest standouts was 6-year-old Callie Mifflin, who finished as runner-up in the 7 & under high point standings. She is proof that the next chapter of the CSP Invitational is already being written.
In all, 31 meet records fell over three days of competition, spanning nearly every age group and a wide range of events.
CSP Tideriders teammates Emma Fouke, 14, and Dylan Deahn, 9, led the way with six records apiece. Fouke swept all nine of her weekend events, building on her strong performances from Indianapolis.
Returning to her hometown pool after competing in Indy, future Texas Longhorn Sydney Schoeck, 17, added another meet record, while her Tiderider teammate and University of Missouri commit Lexi Cook, 18, contributed two more.
Gateway Swim Club’s Ellie Harrison, 8, added three meet records, while two records apiece were set by Illini Swim Club/University of Illinos’ Kayla Duran, 20, Metro East Titans’ Bob Nanney, 13, and Springfield YMCA’s Rolen Totura, 8.
Other swimmers who also set a new meet record include Will Mahorney, 17, of Springfield YMCA; Maggie Adler, 21, of Illini Swim Club; Violet Welch, 15, Connor Muran, 17, and Thomas Doyle, 8, all of CSP Tideriders; and Calvin Wollard, 8, and Luke Morris, 12, both from Columbia Swim Club.
Gateway Swim Club captured the 12 & under team title, while Springfield YMCA edged Illini Swim Club by just four points to claim the 13 & over crown.
I attended many CSP Invites over the years and always thought swimming among the tall buildings, especially while doing backstroke, was so cool. One particular memory–in 2000, the fourth Harry Potter book was released the weekend of the CSP invite. I had gotten a copy and wanted so badly to bring it to the meet to read between events. My mom didn’t let me, because she didn’t want such an expensive book to get wet. I remember sitting on my towel watching other kids read the book being so jealous! It was always such a fun meet and most years, I enjoyed the comradery in the bullpen as much as the swimming.
Being at the meet for the last 31 years as a coach has been an honor. We have seen all different kinds of weather throughout the years and those are the ones that stand out the most. It’s always fun having returning swimmers showing up to check in and seeing old friends.