Letter from the General Chair to Iowa Swimming Members
Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving, and the snow hasn’t affected you too badly.
Well, we are about half through our 25-26 Short Course Season, and we are all already seeing some great swims and new activities throughout the LSC. The Iowa Girls High School season finished early November with an exciting and fast meet in Iowa City at one of the incredible swimming venues in the country – the University of Iowa Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. If you haven’t had a chance to see the deck, have a look at some of the events on YouTube! Kudos to the swimmers, coaches, IAGHSAU, and the pool staff. We are planning to add some “pizzazz” to our championship meets next year with banners, flags, and, hopefully, lighting. We want to make our meets more enjoyable and memorable.
Hopefully, you have noticed a small benefit from our reduced splash fees. The income is down from this, but not as much as expected, as our number of competing athletes is up compared to the same time last year. The Age Group Committee, under Greg Morse’s leadership, is looking at different approaches to meets, activities, and meet planning. That committee is also planning clinics for age-group swimmers next year, so keep an eye out for information. The senior athletes will also have a summit next year (scheduled for the Waukee Natatorium). More information will be forthcoming soon.
The Disability Committee, under the leadership of Ben Colin, has been working to incorporate disability time standards and scoring formats for our championship meets. The first implementation is now in place for the 2026 short course championship meets, which will take place in the new facility in Cedar Falls (Age Group) and at the Des Moines YMCA next February. The committee also has money set aside for grants to support disabled participants (athletes, coaches, and officials) – for example, remote strobes to help hearing-impaired swimmers, and tapper poles for sight-impaired swimmers. Please get in touch with Ben if you have any questions or would like to apply for such a grant. Along the same lines, we do have money set aside for club
development in the Senior Division budget. Please contact Melissa Woltz or Bobby Kelley if you believe your club could benefit from LSC financial assistance.
Every year, the LSC awards scholarships to swimmers graduating from high school and moving on to college. Information about this can be found on the LSC website on the Athlete Page (under Iowa Swimming and Judy Hoffman Scholarships heading). To help with this, we need some volunteers (parents, coaches, and athletes) who would like to serve on the Scholarship task force,
which reviews applications and recommends the awards to the Board of Directors. Please get in touch with me if you’re interested in working on this task force.
Twice a year, the LSC offers some reimbursement to swimmers who attend national meets (zones, sectionals, and above, including open water). Details can also be found on the athlete page of the LSC website. Please note that there are some requirements before the application can be considered for reimbursement – in particular, participation in a minimum number of IASI
sanctioned meets and events during the season.
The Age Group Committee has been working to revamp Team Iowa for applications, selections, and communications. The All-Star meet to be held in Des Moines in January has another LSC participating (Ozark), and the event order has changed. Information is now available on the Team Iowa website. The Central Zone has also just changed the 14&Under Zones Championship meets from 2027 – there will be three regions with a zone meet in each area. Updates should be available on the Central Zone website shortly. There will be a Zone Multicultural meet this coming June to be held in Madison, Wi from June 19th – 21st. The Age Group Committee is working to ensure that the qualifications, sign-up, and travel arrangements for Team Iowa events are clear and communicated to avoid the issues families faced at the Zones Championship meet this year. The LSC apologizes to all the families and swimmers who were adversely affected at the Zones meet in Rochester – this, for many, is their ultimate meet, and it should be enjoyable and memorable (in a good way) for all those who participate. We are working to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Phil Barnes | General Chair
