May 18, 2024

Changes affect spectators at girls’ state swim meet

By Jocelyn Sheets

NCMP senior Erika Van Sickle will be swimming in her second straight state meet on Saturday as a member of the Aquagirls' 400-yard freestyle relay. The 2019 state diving and swimming championships are Friday and Saturday in Marshalltown. (Jocelyn Sheets)

Competitors and coaches know how the Iowa Girls State Swimming and Diving Championships after the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union changed the state meet format. The 2019 season is the second state in the new format of a two-day event.

There are swimming preliminaries and finals for all individual races. In the individual and relay races, there are 32 qualifiers for the 2019 state meet Friday and Saturday at Marshalltown YMCA/YWCA. The state diving meet, which also has 32 qualifiers, begins at 11 a.m. Friday.

NCMP’s Aquagirls have one individual qualifier for the 54th annual Iowa Girls State Swimming and Diving Meet. Sophomore Hannah Nedder will be competing in the preliminary round in the 100-yard butterfly.

The swimming preliminary meet begins at 5 p.m. Friday. There are four preliminary heats for each individual swim event. The eight fastest swimmers from Friday’s preliminaries advance to Saturday’s finals in each event which begin at noon Saturday.

The ninth-through-16th fastest swimmers from the preliminary meet will swim in the consolation heat on Saturday evening. The consolation heat of each event swims first then the championship final.

Relays will be in four timed-final heats in Saturday’s session. NCMP will have three relays swimming at the state meet — the 200 medley, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle.

Spectators know of the three sessions but there is another change for them in 2019 — no long early lines.

The IGHSAU staff has been analyzing the spectator lines in the last few years. In that time, there have been issues with spectators in the lines, culminating in fights that have required police assistance.

Because of these issues, spectators will no longer be allowed to camp, set up tents or form lines before the start of Friday and Saturday’s meets. All placeholders, such as chairs and tents, will be confiscated if found on the YMCA/YWCA grounds.

Spectators can begin lining up for admission into the natatorium 20 minutes prior to the admission gates opening. Campers/RVs will be allowed to park in the lot east of the electronic message center at the YMCA/YWCA.

A reminder that the IGHSAU will be using GoFan Digital Huddle for spectators wishing to purchase tickets in advance. Spectators utilizing GoFan will be able to enter the natatorium 30 minutes before fans purchasing tickets on-site. The timeline for lining up for all three sessions will be as follows:

Friday: 11 a.m. state diving — there will be a single line that opens at 10:00 a.m. Spectators may get in line at 9:40 a.m. for admittance. The natatorium will be cleared of all spectators after the diving meet.

5 p.m. state preliminary swimming meet — there will be two lines. Spectators with GoFan tickets may begin lining up for entrance at 3:10 p.m. with admittance at 3:30 p.m. Spectators purchasing tickets on-site may begin lining up for admittance at 3:40 p.m. with doors opening at 4 p.m.

Saturday: noon state swimming finals — there will be two lines. Spectators with GoFan tickets may begin lining up for admittance at 10:10 a.m. with doors opening at 10:30 a.m. Spectators purchasing tickets on-site may begin lining up at 10:40 p.m. with admittance beginning at 11 a.m.

Tickets for each session are $10. There are two ways to purchase tickets. Tickets may be purchased online at the GoFan State Swimming and Diving website and also on-site at the natatorium entrance located on the north side of the complex. All tickets purchased at the YMCA/YWCA must be paid in cash.

Tickets are now on sale by clicking on the GoFan website. By ordering tickets online, the state swimming and diving tickets are delivered to your mobile device and validated onsite at the Marshalltown YMCA/YWCA. Y

Those purchasing tickets online will be able to enter 30 minutes earlier than other spectators for Friday’s swimming preliminaries and Saturday’s finals. GoFan ticket holders for the Saturday finals will be provided with free heat sheets.

There will be no spectator access to the YMCA/YWCA gymnasium as in the past. The additional qualifiers in each event has meant moving the teams into the gymnasium to headquarter during the meet.

The IGHSAU said the move of all swimming teams to the gymnasium will allow more seating in the competition pool for spectators.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com