AURORA | The Colorado High School Activities Association has changed its ticket plan for the upcoming Class 5A girls state swim meet to help lessen some of the problems that arose last season with Missy Franklin in the pool.
With Franklin, a four-time gold medalist at the Summer Olympics and a senior at Regis Jesuit, planning to swim in the state meet, the CHSAA will distribute tickets differently, with no tickets available to be purchased until the week before the Feb. 8-9 5A state meet at the Edora Pool & Ice Center in Fort Collins.
According to a statement from Assistant Commissioner Bert Borgmann, schools will be given the first opportunity to purchase tickets online from 10 a.m. Feb. 5 to 10 a.m. Feb. 6 and only after schools have had their opportunity, the rest of the reserve seating will be available to the general public after noon Feb. 6 on TicketLeap.
Last season, the public snapped up online tickets well before the meet, leaving it impossible for families of swimmers who qualified late in the season to get admission.
This time, each school will be able to purchase 2 adult reserved tickets per swim qualifier — which includes individuals, as well as relay members and alternates according to CHSAA’s Bethany Brookens — for both the 4 p.m. Friday prelims and 2 p.m. Saturday finals. Diving qualifiers can purchase two tickets for Saturday’s session as diving is only a one-day event. The schools will be responsible for distributing the tickets equally among families.
“I think CHSAA is just trying to make sure that parents are able to see their daughters participate,” said Smoky Hill coach Scott Cohen, who currently has three individual state qualifiers in Lizzie Wiley, Julia Song and Gabby Antunez, along with three qualified relay teams.
“Parents want to be able to see their kids swim,” he added. “This isn’t new, either. This is part of the reason why we switched from an all-class meet to separate 4A and 5A meets because parents couldn’t get in. This isn’t a new issue for swimming.”
Cohen also said that selling tickets as reserved seats — as opposed to general admission — will help curtail spectators from lining up well in advance of the meet to fight over the best position in the stands.
Those in the stands at EPIC should be able to see Franklin swim plenty. She qualified for four individual events (50-, 100- and 500-yard freestyles and the 200 individual medley) in Regis Jesuit’s dual meet against Highlands Ranch Tuesday and could expand her number of potential events when the Raiders play host to Cherry Creek in a Jan. 15 dual meet.
Swimmers can compete in a maximum of two individual events and two relays.
Franklin is already a six-time individual 5A state champion, with three straight victories in the 100-yard backstroke, as well as two titles in the 50 freestyle and one in the 200 freestyle.
To help Franklin and her teammates have the ultimate state experience, a press conference will be held following Friday’s prelims and Saturday’s finals.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
