It seems like most people only pay attention to competition swimming every four years when the Olympics take place. In reality, swimming practices and competitions are taking place in high schools and colleges across the country throughout the year.

If you’ve never attended a swim meet, I highly recommend you go. For three years, my daughter swam for a local team and the competitions are more exciting than you might think. You can’t help but find yourself immersed in the race.

Thankfully, you don’t have to travel far to enjoy a swim meet - the Kingsport Aquatic Center has hosted collegiate swim meets since 2017 and local teams since 2014, including the Barracuda Swim Club (BSC), the Red Piranhas (RP), the Dobyns Bennett High School (DB) and Volunteer High School (VHS).

This month the facility is hosting four collegiate NAIA and NCAA championships - Independent South, Conference Carolinas, Mid-South and the Appalachian Athletic Conference. More than 600 swimmers and divers will go through our facility this month, resulting in nearly $1 million economic impact for the City of Kingsport.

“That means that these sports tourism dollars brought to the area from these meets are going to be flowing into our own hotels, restaurants, and small businesses here in the Model City,” Bradley T. Hoover, Jr., Director of Sports for Visit Kingsport.

The Kingsport Aquatic Center is the largest competition facility in Northeast Tennessee with a 50 meter competition pool with two moveable bulkheads, a Daktronics timing system for both swimming and diving and three diving boards to accommodate high school and collegiate events.

The facility can host both long course meets (50 meters) and short course ones (25 yards) and in the future Kingsport hopes to get more involved in diving and water polo competitions.

“Swimming allows you to be involved in a team sport but also an individual sport at the same time. You can score both as an individual and for your team,” said Aquatics Program Coordinator Madison Gump. “Most people believe swimming is a summer-only sport, but with our indoor facility, we’re able to accommodate swimmers and swim teams year-round.”

For more information about classes, programs and activities at the Kingsport Aquatic Center, please visit www.swimkingsport.com.