YMCA National Champion & Olympic Gold Medalist Charlie Houchin of North Carolina will speak at Good Friday Service Offered at Short Course YMCA Nationals on April 3rd

On Friday, April 3rd, the final day of Short Course Nationals, the YMCA of Greensboro will host a non-denominational service at The Pavilion on the Greensboro Coliseum Campus.  We are pleased to have 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Charlie Houchin with us to share his message. 

Houchin is a Christian who has spoken about his faith, "I like to think I carry a quiet confidence into the water because of my relationship with Christ."  

We will celebrate the Good News through prayer, music and inspirational message.  The service will  begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 400 Free Relay Prelims Friday morning. 

Athletes, coaches, parents, staff, volunteers and friends are welcome to come as you are to this informal 30 minute service!  For your convenience, the Pavilion is part of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex and is #17 on the map located on the website - a short walk from the Greensboro Aquatic Center.   

Houchin was an accomplished age group swimmer from North Carolina and today lives and works in Raleigh.  He enjoyed his greatest international success in freestyle relay events. He won an Olympic Gold medal as a member of the winning United States team in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Houchin retired from competitive swimming following last summer's USA Swimming national championships racing one final time in his signature event, the 200 freestyle.  He wrapped up a career that included extremely successful trips to the London 2012 Olympics and the Barcelona 2013 FINA World Championships representing Team USA.  He won gold medals as part of the 800 free relays in both of those meets, competing in the prelims in London in 2012 and in the final of the World Championships.

Before his Olympic appearance, Houchin was a key player for the University of Michigan Wolverines, swimming under US Olympic coaches Jon Urbanchek and Bob Bowman from 2006 to 2010.  Houchin is 11th all-time among Americans in the 200 long course freestyle with a 1:46.88 from the 2012 Olympic Trials. He's also 12th all-time in the United States in the 400 freestyle.

Houchin is one of the YMCA's most accomplished athletes.  He won YMCA titles in the 200, 500 & 1000 yard freestyle events, the 400 IM, the 4 x 100 yard and 4 x 200 yard freestyle relay representing the YMCA of the Triangle. 

Houchin credits others for his success including his YMCA swim coach.  "I have had the privilege to work with many great coaches throughout my career.  Ron Turner was my coach at the YMCA of the Triangle and served as the catalyst for my Olympic pursuit. His knowledge and ability to execute in developing talent in our sport is extraordinary. I was so grateful that Ron was able to be in the stands for the finals of my 200 free at the US Olympic Trials."

Houchin is transitioning his passion in the pool to HydroXphere, a technology company he founded. 

Houchin's product, Meet Central, is a mobile app that can operate an entire swim meet from smartphones.

Meet Central is "an easy, paperless solution to support summer swim meets" with a "virtual scoreboard" that swimmers can share to compare results with friends.

He's also one of the founders of Seal Innovation Swim Team in Cary, North Carolina, where professional swimmers train under head coach John Payne.

The YMCA of the USA thanks the YMCA of Greensboro and Charlie Houchin for providing this opportunity to our national swim community.

ABOUT CHARLIE HOUCHIN

EDUCATION  --  Houchin graduated from William G. Enloe High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both of his parents were All-American swimmers for North Carolina State University. Houchin attended the University of Michigan, where he swam for the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2006 to 2010. He graduated from Michigan with a bachelor's degree in sports management in 2010.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER  --  Houchin created a swimming timing system called Meet Central, a system that helps swim meets go faster and have more accurate times. This allows swim teams to use mobile devices to start, time, judge, and score very quickly.  Houchin used the money he earned from his gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics to found HydroXphere and to create Meet Central.  Adamant about increasing the value of participation for young swimmers, Houchin innovated a better swim meet experience for athletes, parents, and coaches. Meet Central operates an entire swim meet from iPhones and iPads, creating a more relaxing environment for parents, volunteers, and officials. Using Meet Central, swim clubs can operate a meet in less time, with fewer volunteers, and less complexity.

SWIMMING CAREER

At the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships, Houchin won a silver medal in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay for his contributions in the heats.

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, Houchin competed in one event, the 400-meter freestyle. Houchin posted a time of 3:48.80 in the heats but did not advance to the final, finishing fourteenth overall.

At the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Houchin won two gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay.

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, the qualifying meet for the 2012 Olympics, Houchin made the U.S. Olympic team for the first time by finishing sixth in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:46.88, which qualified him to swim in the 4x200-meter freestyle as a member of the U.S. relay team. Houchin also competed in the 400-meter freestyle at the trials, and finished fourth overall (3:48.32). At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Houchin earned a gold medal by swimming for the winning U.S. team in the preliminaries of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Houchin combined with Conor Dwyer, Ryan Lochte, and Ricky Berens in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, with the team finishing in first place for the gold medal. Swimming the third leg, Houchin recorded a split of 1:45.59, and the team finished with a final time of 7:01.72.

Y NATIONALS 2015

THE NIGHT LIGHTS UP LIKE A ROCKET INTO SPACE

Y NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, GREENSBOROS THE PLACE !

BRING GAME AND YOUR TEAMMATES, YOU KNOW WHAT WE MEAN

IT'S GREENSBORO IN APRIL 2015 !

THE WEATHERS BEEN HOT THERE AND EVER SO COOL,

BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT, ITS A FABULOUS POOL

GATE GUYS SEND THIS MESSAGE FOR YOU ALL TO GET READY,

FAST SWIMS AND SOME FUN , WE'LL HELP KEEP THE MEET STEADY

ITS THE BEST OF OFFICIALS, FACILITIES AND CREW

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL IS YOUR FAMILY AND YOU

HARD WORK PAYS OFF IN IN THE CLASSROOM AND POOL

STAY FOCUSED AND COMMITTED TO YOUR SWIMS AND YOUR SCHOOL

WHICH Y'S WILL IT BE ON THE PODIUM THIS YEAR

WHO WILL BE VICTORIOUS AND CONQUER THEIR FEAR

EVERYONES A WINNER IN THIS WONDERFUL GAME

AFTER Y NATIONALS YOUR NEVER THE SAME !!!

GATE GUYS SEND BEST WISHES TO ALL THE SWIMMERS AND CREW

FIRST WEEK OF APRIL THATS WHEN WE'LL SEE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

US Olympic Gold Medalist Josh Davis on hand to present awards at YMCA Nationals

Josh Davis IS swimming.  On any given day, whether he's commentating a swim meet, relating his relay team experience to corporate executives, or encouraging school children to pursue excellence, he is talking about the swimming experiences that changed and defined his life.  That's where he really shines!

Josh is a Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder having represented the USA at two consecutive Summer Olympics.  At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, he won gold medals by swimming for the winning U.S. teams in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and 4x200-meter freestyle relay and earned a third gold medal by swimming for the first-place U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the 4x100-meter medley relay.  One of his proudest moments:  "Being the only male athlete in the world to win three gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia"

Four years later at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he served as the captain of the U.S. swimming team. At the 2000 Olympics, he won silver medals swimming for the second-place U.S. teams in the preliminary heats of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, and the final of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. He placed fourth in the 200-meter freestyle.

He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he swam for coach Eddie Reese's Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition.

Today Josh is also a masterful swim clinician - he's the founder and the CEO of the Mutual of Omaha Breakout! Swim Clinic.  Josh is not just somewhere, but seemingly everywhere in the country where he impacts thousands of swimmers and their parents as he reaches out to teach, encourage and inspire everyone to be the best they can be.

Good Friday Service Offered at Short Course Nationals On Friday, April 3rd

On Friday, April 3, the final day of Short Course Nationals. The YMCA of Greensboro will play host to a non-denominational service at the Pavilion on the Greensboro Coliseum Campus.

The service will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 400 Free Relay Prelims Friday morning. We will celebrate the Good News through prayer, music and inspirational message.

We are pleased to have Josh Davis, 1996 and 2000 Captain and Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist with us to share the message. Athletes, coaches, parents, staff, volunteers and friends are welcome to come as you are to this informal 30 minute service! For your convenience, the Pavilion is part of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex and is #17 on the map located on the website -- a short walk from the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

YMCA of the USA thanks the YMCA of Greensboro and Josh Davis for providing this opportunity to our national swim community.

YMCAs selected for Proof of Times - FOR COACHES ONLY

Individual YMCAs have been sent an email with details on the specific times that must be proved.  If you are on the list and have not received the email, look in your spam folder. 

SPEEDO is pleased to present Ryan Lochte at YMCA Nationals

Meet Ryan Lochte on Monday, March 30th adjacent to the SPEEDO booth at Noon

Ryan Lochte lives by the motto "go big or go home." He is an 11-time Olympic medalist with a total of 70 medals in major international competition, including 45 first place finishes. Ryan holds world records in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay, the 100-meter individual medley, the 200-meter individual medley, and the 400-meter individual medley.

Ryan's dynamic swimming led to many numerous media appearances on television and in magazines, but at the end of the day, Ryan is a fiercely competitive, hard-working professional athlete who is most focused on touching the wall first.

Three time Olympic Gold medalist Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines at 4 pm in spectator stands

At approximately 4:00 pm on Monday, Ryan will be introduced and interviewed by NBC's swimming analyst for the Olympic Games in the spectator stands prior to the first session of the meet.  The YMCA of the USA is pleased to have with us in Greensboro three time Olympic Gold medalist Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines.  Gaines is the Vice President Aquatics of the YMCA of Central Florida and serves as ESPN's swimming expert for the men's and women's NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.  The legendary Gaines is a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member and also the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

At Auburn University Gaines became a five-time NCAA champion and would later set 10 world records. Had the US not boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics, he would have been a favorite to win multiple medals in Moscow.  At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Gaines won the 100 meter freestyle and swam the anchor leg for both the winning U.S. teams in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay and 4 x 100-meter medley relay.  At the age of 35, became the oldest swimmer to qualify for the trials for the 1996 Summer Olympics but chose to cover swimming for NBC at the Games instead of competing.  Gaines still holds masters long course world records in several freestyle events and trains every day.

The Greensboro Coliseum and Ovations Food Service are offering a dinner buffet on Tuesday through Friday evening immediately after the conclusion of Finals.  This is a great opportunity for teams to provide dinner to their swimmers so that they can quickly return to the hotel.

The buffet will be located in the Special Events Center.  Cost is $14 per person per night.  There will be healthy options each night.

Teams must pre-register for the Buffet by Wednesday March 25^th by sending an email to David Hoover at David.Hoover@greensboro-nc.gov.  Reservations will be taken on a first come-first served basis and will be limited to the first 250 individuals.  The email should provide the name of the team and the number of people attending.

The buffet will not accept walk-ins nor will reservations be offered at the meet. 

1. Sunday, March 29 - Facilitation Skills -1:00 - 4:00 PM - Sheraton, Only for existing Trainers, contact Ed Miller
2. Sunday, March 29 - Trainer Training - 4:00 - 6:00 PM - Sheraton, By Invitation Only, Contact Ed Miller
3. Monday, March 30 - FST/Trainer Training 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM - GAC, By Invitation Only, contact Ed Miller
4. Monday, March 30 - Level I Training - 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM - GAC, contact Eddie Hughes
5. Monday, March 30 - Level II Training - 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM - GAC, contact Ed Miller

GENERAL INFORMATION: The YMCA National Championship Meet Committee is proud to support the entry of Athletes with a Disability who meet the YMCA Eligibility requirements and the Can-Am Para Swim time standards.

CLASSIFICATION: What is your athlete's disability classification? If your athlete has not been classified they are not eligible to enter.

ENTRY:When completing your entry for this individual and your team (if you have other qualifiers) you will submit your entry using the National YMCA Online Meet Entry. You will get an error message saying that your athlete's time does not meet the time standard. There will be a comment box and you can note that you are entering an athlete with a disability class ie. S7. The entry chair WILL get your entry. Your athlete will be seeded in the first heat of the event - so the order will be SCY, SCM, LCM, Athletes with a disability with non conforming standards.

COACH CHECK-IN: When at the meet, It is your responsibility when registering your team to let the registration volunteer know that you have an athlete(s) with a disability on your team.

COACHES MEETING: After the Coaches Meeting on Monday, you and other coaches with athletes with a disability will meet and discuss with meet officials to make sure your athlete has a great meet.

RECORDS: If your athlete has a chance to set an American Record, note that there is a possibility and to work with meet management and the announcer to let them know that a record attempt is possible and to follow up with paperwork. 

Athletes would be able to break an American Record at the meet without any additional paperwork other than the record form completed and the results verified.

This is the link:

http://www.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics/Sports/Swimming/American-Records 

They would not be able to break World or Pan Am records because that would require IPC approval and we are not allowed to run IPC meets and YMCA or USA Swimming meets under the same approval.  The meet has to be run under IPC rules in order to get a meet approved by the IPC.

If your athlete needs additional support - ie. S4 or lower - with warm up space or other accommodations when racing, let the officials and meet management know what and how they can be helped.

Available Practice Pool Time

Greensboro Aquatics Center

• The GAC will be open to YMCA SC Nationals participants during Staurday and Sunday March 28th and 29th as follows:
• 12:30-4:00PM- two 8 lane courses and the Dive Well 7 lanes.
• 6:30PM-8:30PM -  6 lanes of the comp pool and 5 lanes in the dive well
• The cost is $5 per participant per visit and all lanes must be shared.
• Beginning Monday, March 30^th- the GAC will begin Exclusive Use for YMCA SC Nationals participants . The doors will open at 6:30AM and warm ups  begin at 7:00AM in all three pools.
• Note: Saturday and Sunday March 28^th & 29^th the GAC is host to the NC Tar Heel Meet. This is a Prelims/Finals event.  Only the times above will be available

 Duke University

• Pool time available on Sunday
• Steve McCune
• 617-894-4397
• Smccune@duaa.duke.edu

Bryan YMCA

• Contact: Jamie Wright, 336-478-9622
• 8 lane 25-yard pool with starting blocks
• Pool address: BRYAN YMCA
• 501 West Market Street
• Greensboro, NC 27401

RAGSDALE YMCA

• Contact: Justine Intisio, 336-882-9622
• 8 lane 25-yard pool with starting blocks
• Pool address:RAGSDALE YMCA
• 900 Bonner Drive
• Jamestown, NC 27282

Greensboro College  

• Kathryn McNerney
• 815 W. Market St  
• Email:  kathryn.mcnerney@greensboro.edu  

North Carolina A&T University

• Shawn Hendrix
• 1601 E. Market St
• Email: Shawn.Hendrix@ncat.edu

The Club at Oak Branch

• Blair Coltrane
• 21-A Oak Branch Drive
• Phone:  336-478-2660
• Email:  bcoltrane@theclubsofgreensboro.com

• March 28&29  City of Greensboro Smith pool is available 7am-12pm 
• 2407 S. Holden Rd
• Contact: Coach Griffin, Pool Manager @ 336-708-6776 Or Charles Jackson 336-708-4631 to make a reservation*
• Lifeguard: $14 per hour
• Lane rental: $2 per lane/ per hour ( 8 lanes available)
• *The pool will only open if there has been a reservation made for lane rental. Please call  ahead if you want to reserve  space 

Countdown

Index

Display All Postings

 Athlete Volunteer Application Form

 Athletes with a Disability

 Available Pool Time

 Championship Commemorative Apparel

 College Admission Process

 College/University Coaches - Invitation

 Dinner Buffet Option

 Event File - Main Events

 Event File - Time Trials (updated 1/17/15)

 Event Order - New for 2015

 Gate Guys 2015 Song

 Good Friday Service

 Greensboro Attractions

 Greensboro Coliseum Map

 Handbook and Schedule

 Hotels

 Insurance Expiration and Faxes Received

 Key Information For Coaches

 Lyrics For the Gate Guys Theme Song

 Moment of Remembrance

 Officials and Timers Invitation

 Officials Training Classes

 Olympian - Josh Davis

 Olympians - Ryan Lochte and Rowdy Gaines

 Olympic Gold Medalist Charlie Houchin will speak at Good Friday Service

 Online Meet Entry (Main Events)

 Online Meet Entry (Time Trials)

 Online Meet Entry Extra Forms

 Outstanding Athlete Scholarship Award

 Photographers Needed

 Pool Map

 Proof of Time Selection

 Psych Sheet

 Qualifying Time Standards

 Qualifying Times - 2016

 Results, Video, Pictures

 Sample Insurance Form

 Spectator Tickets - Purchase Online

 Spectators Seat Saving Guidelines

 Survey - Help us improve this YMCA Championship

 TeamUnify Orientation Offered

 Time Trial Qualifying Time Standards

 Travel Assistance

 Video Review of Races for Coaches and Athletes

 Warm-up Schedule

 YMCA 2015 Short Course Nationals

Contacts
(Click name to email)

Coaches Representative
 Chad Onken

Insurance
 Robin Lee

Insurance
 Robin Lee

Meet Director
 John Mendell

Officials
 Jim O'Neill

Online Entry / Team Check-in
 Tom Warrick