By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
June 3, 2004
Youth swimmers from across the state will get a final chance to qualify for the State Meet on July 8-11 in the youth swimming competition at the State Games of Mississippi.
The three-day swimming competition draws between 10-14 teams totally around 250-300 swimmers to the Highland Park Pool.
"A lot of (swimmers) love coming here to the meet," said swimming commissioner Wade Heggie. "They love competing at Highland Park, they love the city and everything else about it. We get a lot of people who have already qualified (for the State Meet) because they like to come down here. It is also a chance for a lot of people to try to qualify one last time."
Swimmers in the six-and-under class up to 18 years old will participate in the three-day swimming event.
Participants are divided into age groups 6-and-under, 8-and-under, 9-10-year-olds, 11-12-year-olds, 13-14-year-olds, 15-16-year-olds and 17-18-year-olds. The swimmers will compete in 72 different events over the weekend.
The morning sessions on all three days will start with a warm-up at 7 a.m., and the first events will begin at 8:15 a.m.
The afternoon sessions will start at 3:15 p.m., following a warm-up period that begins at 2 p.m.
Short course events will start the State Games' swim competition on July 9. Age groups 10 and younger will begin the day's competition swimming in the 50-meter free style, 100-meter free style, 25-meter breaststroke, 50-meter breaststroke, 25-meter backstroke, 50-meter backstroke, 25-meter fly, 25-meter free style, 100-meter I.M. and the 100-meter frees style and medley relays.
The afternoon session on July 9 will have the 12-and-under, 13-14-year-olds and senior divisions compete in the 200-meter I.M., 400-meter I.M. and the 400-meter free style events.
July 10th's morning session with have the six-year-old to 10-year-old age groups compete in the 200-meter free style, 100-meter free style, 50-meter fly, 100-meter breaststroke, 50-meter backstroke, 100-meter free style and 200-meter medley relay.
In the afternoon session, the 12-and-under, 13-14-year-olds and senior divisions swim in the 200-meter free style, 50-meter fly, 100-meter fly, 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes, 50-meter free style, 50- and 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter medley relay and the 800-meter free style.
The morning session on the final day of the State Games swim meet will have Age groups 10 and younger compete in the 50-meter free style, 100-meter fly, 50- and 100-meter backstrokes, and 200-meter free style relay.
The afternoon sessions on July 11 will have the 12-and-under, 13-14-year-olds and senior divisions compete in the 200-meter I.M., 100- and 200-meter fly, 50- and 100-meter breaststrokes, 100-meter free style, 100- and 200-meter backstrokes and 200-meter free style relay.