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By Christian Avard
GOFFSTOWN, N.H. — Good news: Super Bowl Sunday mini-meets are back.
If you’re a long-time New England Masters swimmer, you’ll probably remember going to the Roger Nekton Championship Pool every year on Super Bowl Sunday at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. Hosted by the Great Bay Masters Swim Club (GBM), the mini-meet was a popular one for New England Masters swimmers. It was always that last tune-up meet to squeeze in before the New England Short Course Yards Championships at Harvard University. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and Phillips Exeter decided to no longer host the annual meet. Thankfully, a new team and new facility will be keeping that tradition alive.
The Granite Y Masters Swim Team (GYM) and the YMCA Allard Center in Goffstown, N.H. put on a great meet on Feb. 12 … and afterwards, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35, to win their third Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
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Forty-seven swimmers from nine clubs and workout groups competed, according to meet organizer and Granite Y Aquatics Director Adam Gaulin. GYM had the highest number of number of swimmers competing: 14. Other teams that showed up were Boston Masters Swimming (BOSMS), Boston University (BUMS), Charles River Aquatics (CRA), Granite State Penguins (GSP), Connecticut Masters (CONN), Maine Masters Swim Club (MESC), Upper Valley Rays (UVRA), New England Masters (NEM), and unattached swimmers.
“It was suggested that we try to keep this meet on Super Bowl Sunday going forward and I am going to do my best to make that happen,” Gaulin said after the meet. “We have a lot of demand for meets between having essentially five teams that swim out of the facility (Granite YMCA Masters, Tiger Sharks (a USA Swimming team), Goffstown High School, Bedford High School, and Bishop Brady High Schools. We also have played host to the Manchester High School Swim Teams for a meet as well. I will be doing my best to juggle and make sure that every team and group get the usage that they need from the competitive side of things.”
The YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown is part of the Granite YMCA, the largest YMCA in Northern New England. The Granite YMCA comprises six facility branches in Manchester, Concord, Londonderry, Rochester, and Portsmouth, N.H. Located just 13 miles northwest of Manchester, N.H., the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown pool is 25 yards with six lanes and it has stadium-like seating to watch the action. It’s a nice facility and plans are also in the works to build a five-lane 25-yard outdoor pool. It is scheduled to be completed this summer, according to Gaulin.
“Masters and adult swim meets are a relatively new concept here at the Granite YMCA Allard Center,” Gaulin said. “(We have) one of the nicest pools in the area in my personal opinion and we hope to host at least one masters-type meet in the summer as well. Whether you are just starting or an Olympian we would love to have you participate in one of our meets. I never want to turn away anyone that wants to swim.”
