Greensboro To Host 2012 U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championships

U.S. Masters Swimming, the national governing body for adult competitive and fitness swimming, has awarded its 2012 USMS Spring National Championships to Greensboro, North Carolina. The event will be hosted by the Greensboro Sports Commission in cooperation with North Carolina Masters Swimming, the Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The four-day U.S. Masters Swimming Spring Nationals competition will take place in the brand new Greensboro Aquatic Center. The swimming will begin on April 26 and conclude on April 29, 2012. Nearly 2,000 adult swimmers are expected to participate in the four days of swimming competition, including many Olympians.

“While North Carolina has a long tradition of supporting Masters swimming, Greensboro is a new destination for our Nationals,” commented U.S. Masters Swimming Executive Director Rob Butcher. “The renderings for the new Greensboro Aquatic Center are spectacular. We know that Masters swimmers will enjoy racing in the new venue.”

“Landing this prestigious event was a true team effort by North Carolina Masters Swimming, the Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Greensboro Sports Commission and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex,” said Don Gilchrist, who will serve as the meet’s co-director along with Hill Carrow. “We look forward to this being the beginning of numerous national meets coming to Greensboro on an annual basis.”

The 2012 USMS Spring National Championships is the first swim meet booked in the Greensboro Aquatic Center, which is scheduled to open in July, 2011.

“For the Greensboro Aquatic Center to be awarded an event like the USMS Spring National Championships prior to completion of construction is an incredible achievement,” said Greensboro Coliseum Complex managing director Matt Brown. “This is an outstanding indicator of how the facility’s state-of-the-art design and versatility will be highly sought after by top level national swimming and diving meets.”

Said Greensboro Sports Commission president Kim Strable: “Bringing this event to Greensboro only enhances our city’s ‘Tournament Town,’ reputation. Having the U.S Masters Spring Nationals already on our calendar will allow us to attract even more meets in the future.”

The Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau projects an estimated economic impact of more than $5.8 million for the four-day meet.

“We looking forward to bringing a true sense of ‘southern hospitality’ to this event and making the thousands of competitors, their families and spectators feel like they will want to return to Greensboro as soon as possible,” said Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau president Henri Fourrier.