Massive delays at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airport caused travel delays for at least one team headed to the NCAA Championships this week at Georgia Tech.
The Northwestern Wildcats had their flight from Chicago to Atlanta, two major flight hubs, cancelled, so on Monday they flew to Nashville instead. They then stayed overnight in a hotel in Tennessee and the squad of 6 drove from Nashville to Atlanta on Wednesday. That drive is about four hours.
Most teams arrive several days in advance of the meet to settle into hotels and new routines and to account for any possible travel delays. Many arrive Sunday, with some West Coast teams getting there as early as Saturday to adjust for the time zones.
Northwestern sophomore Zoe Nordmann swam in the 1650 free on Wednesday morning. She ranks 11th with one heat to go (in the evening session), swimming 16:10.05. Her season best is 16:04.59.
Nordmann is the team’s only individual entry to the meet, and she will race in the 500 free later in the week. They will also swim a 200 free relay and Isabella Chen will dive on platform.
Northwestern’s NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships Roster:
- Zoe Nordmann (500/1650 free)
- Lindsay Ervin (relay)
- Kat Nikonova (relay)
- Audrey Yu (relay)
- Amy Pan (relay)
Travel delays will be rampant in Atlanta over the next few weeks. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are working without pay due to a government funding impasse. More than a third of security screener’s at Atlanta’s major airport, a hub to Spring Break spots in the Southeast, didn’t show up to work on Tuesday. In Houston, another major hub, more than half of the employees didn’t show up for their shifts.
This is at least the third lapse in funding that has caused employees to miss pay in the last six months. In the prior two instances, employees eventually received back pay, but bills piled up in the mean time and many looked for work elsewhere.
The United States Congress, which funds the TSA, is gridlocked over a funding bill. A Republican-led version would fund all agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA, the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Democratic leadership has put forward a bill that funds all parts of the DHS except ICE and CBP – namely the TSA, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Coast Guard.
The TSA and travel delays have become a common political football because of its wide-reaching impacts on the public, with both parties pointing fingers at the other for not passing the bill.
ICE and CBP activities have been under scrutiny by individuals on both sides of the aisle after Minneapolis became a flashpoint for clashes between ICE and protesters, with two U.S. citizens being killed there by federal agents. Democrats are demanding immigration reforms, while Republic leadership says that the Democratic version of the bill is an attempt to “defund the police” and “reopen our borders to illegal aliens.”
The men’s meet will be back in Atlanta next week.
Thanks a lot, Biden.
IU’s flight out was canceled from Indianapolis. They had to fly out of Louisville.
They tried to fly on Tuesday, when her race was on Wednesday morning? Whose idea was that? Even without all the issues at airports, that would be risky.
Flight was canceled Monday. Also certain schools have rules on how close to the first competition day they can travel.
The original flight was on Monday, probably a morning or mid-day flight, to put them in Atlanta Monday afternoon. That gives all of Tuesday to adjust and prepare.
Great job, Zoe!! Way to push thru and compete so well!!! #grit 👊🏻
Wow. What a mile swim for having driven down the same morning.