Last summer was a long and busy season in terms of major championship swim meets, with the Commonwealth Games, European Championships, U.S. Nationals, Pan Pacific Championships and Asian Games spread out over the summer and early fall.
But 2015 sees those months of swimming condensed down into just about two weeks of major overlapping championship meet action, beginning in early August.
The perfect storm of world swimming will begin on August 2nd, when the FINA World Championships kick off in Kazan, Russia. That meet, bringing together the top international contenders from around the world, will run from the 2nd through the 9th of August.
Midway through that meet, the FINA Masters World Championships join the schedule, beginning August 5th. That meet, also held in Kazan, runs from the 5th to the 16th.
And one day after that, both major U.S. National Championships open – the Phillips 66 National Championships in San Antonio, Texas and the U.S. Masters Summer National Championships in Geneva, Ohio. The Phillips 66 Nationals, which have the draw of Michael Phelps, run from the 6th to the 10th, while the Masters meet ends one day earlier.
That’s going to make the month of August a very chaotic time for both swimmers and swimming fans, two categories that very often overlap. Swimming has a unique appeal in that it’s such a lifelong sport that a large percentage of swimming fans still compete themselves, and many more coach. The major issue next summer will be the number of swimming fans who find themselves torn between competing in their own events and following the others around the world.*
*Maybe you’re a swimming reporter who will also be swimming at U.S. Nationals in San Antonio. It sounds crazy, but it could happen…
Add in U.S. Junior Nationals, which start on July 30th and run through the first two days of Worlds, and you’ve got yourself one jam-packed end to the summer.
The plus side, of course, will be roughly two weeks of constant earth-shattering swimming action from all sides, so much so that obsessed fans will be able to bask in the saturation of never-ending breaking swimming news. (It’s like hosting the Super Bowl, the BCS National Championship Game and the CFL Championship all at once.) The downside will be information overload.
We at SwimSwam will do our best to keep you updated with breaking news and deeper analysis of all the action, and swimming fans would do well to circle the entire month of August on their calendars, because it will come and go like a whirlwind.
Here’s a quick look at the major meets and their overlaps during the ‘perfect storm’ window:
Don’t forget about Pan Ams July 14-18!
Pan Ams and World University Games will both be major events in July. They weren’t included here because this piece is specifically about the multiple overlapping meets in August, but they will definitely be a big part of our summer coverage.
What? No mention of the Pan Am games in Toronto in July? That hurts. “You cut me deep Shrek.”
What? No mention of the Pan Am games in Toronto in July? That hurts. “You cut me deep Shrek.”
The Pan Am Games and World University Games are the other two major international competitions this summer, but given that they don’t overlap with any of the meets mentioned, they didn’t really have a bearing on this story about overlapping meets and therefore weren’t included.
Both will absolutely be major events for swimmers and swimming fans this summer, though.
Love this!
Jared, there may be a FEW people watching Mr Phelps’ results in San Antonio, but your fans here at SwimSwam will be watching yours too! We expect to see pb times from you to kick off the OT training season!
Thanks, DanJohnRob!