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Compromise Reached Over State Swimming Meet

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - Colorado holds the first part of its state championship swim meet Friday night in Fort Collins, and many parents are worried they won't get to see their children compete.

The weekend event is a sell out as people rush to catch of glimpse of Missy Franklin, an aspiring Olympian.

Franklin is a junior at Regis Jesuit High School and has packed competitions all year. She has already broken world records and hopes to make the U.S. Olympic team this summer.

RELATED: Missy Franklin Story/Video Archive

Edora Pool Ice Center seats about 1,000 people. Online tickets for the meet sold out quickly, leaving only a limited number for Friday's preliminary's and Saturday's finals.

In-person ticket sales begin at the pool at 2:30 p.m. and many parents plan to wait in line to try to get their hands on the remaining tickets that will be available. There will be 350 tickets on sale at that time for Friday's preliminaries and 100 for Saturday's finals.

Parent Charity McPike said she and her family will be driving up from Colorado Springs to try to get three tickets. Her daughters will be swimming in the meet.

"We'll be going up there early in the morning to stand in line with hundreds of other parents who did not realize prior to Monday that they were sold out," said McPike.

The Colorado High School Activities Association says they have warned schools since December that such a sellout could occur.

"The schools were notified to tell their parents and coaches that the possibility of this meet selling out," CHSAA spokeswoman Bethany Schott said.

McPike said she didn't know until last Wednesday her daughters would even be in the meet.

CHSSA says it is doing what it can to try to help parents watch their children compete. They announced on Thursday that they can guarantee one parent or guardian from each family will get to see the event the student is in if that family wasn't able to secure tickets.

"We have made arrangements for one parent or supporter to go into the meet during their kids' event and then be escorted out," Schott said.

Two large screen projectors will also be set up for those who can't get in.

"That helps the situation but we're still really disappointed," McPike said. "We want to support our kids, and it all comes down to that."

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