GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Thousands of youth swimmers will come to Greensboro for a chance at a National Championship over the next three years.
- The YMCA selected the GAC to host the 2012-2013 Short Course Championship and 2020 and 2021 Long Course Championship
- Those championships are the nation's top youth swimming competition, and come with an economic boost for the city
- The announcement comes months after the completion of construction on the center's fourth pool, which made it the largest indoor aquatic center in the country
The director of Greensboro Aquatic Center, Susan Braman, announced Thursday that the YMCA selected the GAC to host the 2012-2013 Short Course Championship and 2020 and 2021 Long Course Championship.
"We host a lot of national championships that bring in a lot of people, but there's nothing like the YMCA National Championships. The comradely that's here, the amount of spectators, parents, families that come," Braman said.
Those championships are the nation's top youth swimming competition, and come with an economic boost for the city.
"These five meets will bring about 20.2 million dollars to town. Where that goes is people staying in hotels, eating out, renting cars, buying gas, shopping for gifts and seeing our local attractions," Henri Fourrier of the Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau said.
The announcement comes months after the completion of construction on the center's fourth pool, which made it the largest indoor aquatic center in the country.
"I think that this is a prime example of what more can be gained when you have an additional long course swimming pool. So now having two 50 meters, I think we were that much more attractive to get their long course championship," Braman said.