For nearly two decades, the Vicksburg Swim Association has played host to the Stamm Family Invitational in early June. Now it’s adding another home date to its competitive summer schedule.

The VSA will host a pair of one-day meets next weekend at City Pool as it gears up for the Mississippi Swimming, Inc. state championship. It’s the first time in recent years that the VSA has had a second home meet on the calendar, and coach Mathew Mixon said it’s a sign of the growth and success of the program.

“That shows your program is a healthy program, because it takes volunteers. From timers to concession stand workers, all the way up to meet officials and referees,” Mixon said. “In order for your program to host a meet, it has to be a healthy program with all those factors involved. When you start hosting more than one meet a year, it starts to show that.”

The VSA Last Chance Meet is scheduled for July 15.

It’s essentially a time trial that will offer swimmers from around Mississippi an opportunity to achieve a qualifying time for the MSI Long Course State Championship the following weekend.

“You can have up to seven state times, and a lot of people around here don’t have but a few chances to fill up those spots. So it’s pretty good to have one right before the state meet,” said VSA swimmer Leah Larson, who will use the meet to try and achieve a qualifying time in several sprint events.

On July 16, the MSI 8-and-under Developmental Meet will take place. It’s the equivalent of the state championship for the state’s younger competitive swimmers.

Mixon said about 100 swimmers are expected to compete in the Developmental Meet.

City Pool will be closed to the public both July 15 and 16, and will reopen on Sunday, July 17 at 1 p.m.

“It won’t be a huge meet, but it’ll be a specialized meet,” Mixon said of the Developmental Meet. “We’re going to do the podiums and the medals, and try to make it fun and kid-friendly to get them involved in the sport. We’ve got to hook them for life at a young age.”

The Stamm Family Invitational typically involves about 400 swimmers from around the state. Compared to that, Mixon described next weekend’s meets as “low key,” but added that hosting them is a big step for the VSA as a program.

“I like hosting multiple meets. I’d like for us to have the facility to host meets year-round,” Mixon said. “I think most of your premier teams in the state host more than one meet, and that’s why I put a bid in.”

The two home meets are sandwiched around a pair of road trips for the VSA. This weekend, they’ll head to Pensacola, Fla., for the Greater Pensacola Aquatics Club Summer Finale meet.

Mixon said it’s more of a training meet for his team, and a chance to relax before the summer season hits the home stretch.

After the stress of hosting next week’s meets, the Killer Whales will go to Tupelo for the State Championship July 22 and 23.

“It’s just a good, solid meet for us. Just a midseason meet. We have championship season three weeks away, so this will be our last meet without any rest,” Mixon said. “We’re going to go into it training like normal and not rest for the meet and see where we’re at. After this meet, we’ll start resting up for championship meets.

We’ll put a little more speed work into practice, a little bit more race-related swimming. It’s a midseason check for us. We’ll get some beach time after we swim.”