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CHAMPAIGN – At 8:30 a.m. on May 29, the state's newest swimming meet began accepting entries electronically.

By 8:31 a.m., the Illinois Open reached capacity.

"The first time doing this, we certainly didn't anticipate the response that we got," meet director Tommy Lockman said. "There has been interest from all over the place, which for a new meet like this we couldn't have asked for a better response."

When the Illinois Open takes its maiden plunge this weekend, more than 700 swimmers – as young as 6 to college age – from Illinois and Missouri will be on hand at the University of Illinois Activities and Recreation Center. Organized by the Champaign County YMCA Heat swim club, the meet fills a community void that has existed since 2006, when the Champaign Park District's Sholem Pool was converted into a recreational aquatic center.

In the process, the site's 50-meter pool was replaced by a 25-yard pool. The ripple effect? The decades-old Heartland Heritage meet was disbanded after 2005 for lack of a suitable competition venue. Other Illinois Swimming, Inc.-sanctioned meets that periodically were held at Sholem also left the community.

Now, however, Champaign-Urbana once again is a destination for Midwest swim clubs, thanks to the initiative of Heat officials and the cooperation of UI Campus Recreation. The latter operates the newly renovated ARC. And with its 50-meter indoor pool again accessible, Campus Rec has opened its doors to the Heat for what both sides hope will become an annual event.

"We saw this as an opportunity," said Lockman, a Heat assistant coach.

"The number of 50-meter pools is declining so the opportunities to have these meets are, as well. There's no indoor 50-meter pool between Chicago and Carbondale other than this one."

Why the emphasis on a 50-meter venue? Because USA Swimming traditionally divides its calendar into two seasons: short-course (25 yards or meters) and long-course (50 meters).

Since there are far more outdoor 50-meter pools in the United States than indoor 50-meter facilities, weather dictates the scheduling of the two swim seasons. Thus, almost all USA Swimming-sanctioned meets held in the winter are short course and in the summer are long course.

Of course, weather will not be an issue for the Illinois Open. The ARC Pool offers the best of both worlds for a summer meet: a 50-meter venue that is enclosed.

"One of the problems you run into in the summer time ... you could get weathered out of two or three sessions," Lockman said.

During his own club swimming days, the Champaign Central graduate recalls, one state meet in particular at Sholem Pool was disrupted to a major degree by inclement weather.

"One year, half the sessions got rained out," Lockman said. "If the finals get rained out, what do you do? Make the preliminary heats timed finals? It's kind of a mess."

For the Illinois Open, ARC's indoor pool makes weather a moot point.

"To have the security of not having to worry about weather cancellations and things like that are a big draw," Lockman said.

Timing's right

Heat officials first approached UI Campus Rec in December about renting ARC's indoor pool for its new meet. The major question was settling on dates.

UI students, faculty and staff receive priority on use and scheduling of ARC, so hosting a non-UI event like the Illinois Open during the school year would have been problematic. Not so during the summer, when most UI students are on break and those who aren't gravitate to the ARC's outdoor pool.

"(The Heat's) timeline fit into our schedule because the outdoor pool is open and the (Illini) swim camp was done," said Kristin Duitsman, UI Campus Rec's lead assistant director-Facility Operations.

Since ARC completed its $54 million renovation and expansion project in August 2008, the 340,000-square-foot facility has been the site of several non-Illini athletics events. Among them, the Justin Spring Invitational youth gymnastics in December; a USA Volleyball Junior Nationals state tournament in November; and a Special Olympics basketball tournament in January. Later this summer, a USA Junior Nationals state basketball tournament will hit the courts at ARC.

"The space that we have allows us to do a lot more of these events than we ever have been able to do before," Duitsman said.

As long as such events don't conflict with student usage of ARC, Duitsman foresees continued outside bookings of its gyms and courts and pool.

"You want to bring groups like those back and showcase this beautiful facility," she said.

Observation deck

For years, Sue Novitsky enviously watched from afar as Big Ten rivals hosted major youth swimming meets – and potential future recruits – at their pools.

"A lot of them in the summer, most every weekend or every other weekend, their facilities are being used to run meets of this type," the Illini women's swimming coach said.

Why not the UI, too, she wondered:

"I've wanted them to try to open up the pool before and just make use of it. That's what it's here for."

Novitsky finally gets her wish this weekend with the arrival of the Illinois Open at ARC.

"This is our first time hosting a meet of this size," she said. "It's great to get people on campus and take a look and see what a great school and great facilities we have to offer."

The timing won't allow Novitsky to speak with any pre-college swimmers. NCAA recruiting rules prevent her from contacting prospective student-athletes before July 1. But she can observe swimmers from the 24 clubs headed to the ARC Pool this weekend. And she knows those swimmers will be exposed to her team's facility and to the UI campus.

"It's a great opportunity for a lot of swimmers around the state to get to swim here for the first time in their careers," Novitsky said. "It's always good to have people take a look at what the program has to offer and what the school has to offer.

"Maybe it will pique some interest along the way. ... Hopefully they have a good experience."

Campus connection

Novitsky will have other reasons to keep her eyes on the water this weekend. Twelve members of her team have entered the meet unattached. Several incoming Illini freshmen swimmers also will be on hand with their swim clubs.

Among them is Kathleen Knight, a recent graduate of Normal University High and a member of the Bloomington-Normal Swim Club.

"I think it's really exciting," the four-time IHSA sectional champion said. "Sue will be there. Some of her girls that are already on the team will be there. Other girls that will swim for Illinois are coming with their swim clubs.

"It's going to be a great opportunity to have a fun meet with girls that you know are going to be teammates within a couple months"

If Knight needs a campus guide, she need look no farther than her club coach and father. Rob Knight is a 1982 UI graduate who routinely visited ARC as a student – back when it was called the Intramural and Physical Education Building. He might be looking forward to this weekend more than his daughter.

"I don't get to campus much anymore so this is a great opportunity to get back,' the elder Knight said. "It will be fun to see what changes they've made in the (ARC) facility. It was always great to go to that huge outdoor 50-meter pool and get a few laps in.

"I've already mentioned to my daughter I plan to take her to some of my old stomping grounds."

For this agricultural major, likely destinations include the South Farms and the Ag Library.

"There were a lot of places I used to hang out," Rob Knight said. "So it will be fun."

Lockman suspects the quick popularity of the Illinois Open is at least partially tied to its location. For UI alums who are parents of club swimmers, the meet offers an opportunity to return to their college campus and share memories with their children.

"Or maybe brother or sister is interested in looking at U of I so, 'Hey, we'll go to Champaign for the weekend for the meet and we'll have the kids come and look,' " Lockman said. "This is a great opportunity to do that.

"So it's a win-win for everyone. The U of I gets to show off the ARC, and Sue and (associate head coach) Steve (Farnau) get to look a lot of older female swimmers."

And a Heat team that does plenty of traveling throughout the year gets to stay in town. Lockman is making no promises, but there could be at least one home meet for years to come if the inaugural Illinois Open avoids choppy waters.

"For right now, we're going to try to get through Round one of this meet as smoothly as possible," he said. "Then we'll have the opportunity to revisit some of that."

Versatile venues

The Activities and Recreation Center Pool isn't the only University of Illinois athletics venue hosting non-Illini events. Here are other examples of UI facilities that have been similarly utilized in the past year:

SITE SPORT EVENT

UI Arboretum Boys', girls' cross-country IHSA regionals

UI Armory Boys', girls' track Gene Armer Invitational

Assembly Hall Boys' basketball Shootout at the Hall

Eichelberger Field Softball IHSA super-sectional

UI Golf Courses Girls' golf Illinois State Jr. Championship

UI Ice Arena Speedskating Land Of Lincoln Championships

Illinois Field Baseball IHSA super-sectional

Khan Tennis Complex Boys' tennis IHSA sectional

Memorial Stadium Football IHSA state championships

UI Track & Soccer Stadium Boys, girls' track News-Gazette Honor Roll Meet