DATES
Competition: Thursday, July 5 - Sunday, July 8
Pool available for warm-ups Tuesday, July 3 from 4 - 7 p.m. and Wednesday, July 4 from 3 - 7 p.m.

LOCATION
CenturyLink Center Omaha
455 N 10th Street
Omaha, NE 68102
402-341-1500

FACILITIES
Please see the first page of the Summer Nationals Preview for a detailed description of the competition facilities.

ELIGIBILITY
Participants must be registered USMS swimmers (for international entries, see below) and at least 18 years of age as of July 4, 2012. Eighteen-year-olds must enter the meet by the entry deadline and only 18-year-olds may register with USMS on July 4, 2012, at the venue. International entries must include a copy of the swimmer’s Masters swimming registration card and fees in U.S. dollars.

AGE GROUPS
Age for the meet is determined as of December 31, 2012, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by July 4, 2012. Age groups for individual events are 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 … (fiveyear increments as high as necessary) and for relay events are 72- 99, 100-119, 120-159, 160-199, 200-239, 240-279, 280-319, 320-359, 360-399 … (40-year increments as high as necessary). The aggregate age of the four relay team members determines the relay age group.

REGISTRATION
Prior to warm-ups or competition, all participants must register at the meet by signing an emergency card, safety information statement and liability release. Registration will be held at the CenturyLink Center Omaha on July 4 from 3 to 7 p.m., and on all other days from 6:30 a.m. through the end of that day’s competition.

SEEDING
All events—with the exception of the 1500, 800 and 400 freestyles and 400 IM—will be preseeded unless meet management determines that the meet cannot be completed in a timely manner. A decision regarding preseeding and deck seeding for all 100-meter and 200-meter events will be announced at usms.org by June 22. All 50-meter events will be preseeded. One course will be used for all events. Women’s heats will precede men’s heats for each event, except that men’s and women’s heats may be seeded together for the 1500 and 800 freestyles. A decision regarding this will be announced at usms.org by June 22. The 1500 and 800 freestyles and 400 IM will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 400 free and all 200 events (if deck seeded) may be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. All other events will be seeded by age group, with the oldest age groups first, slowest to fastest within each group.

EVENT CHECK-IN
Coaches or teammates may check in online or in person for swimmers whose travel plans do not permit check-in by the deadlines. Any swimmer failing to check in will be scratched from that event and will not be permitted to swim that event at another time.

HEAT AND PSYCH SHEETS
Psych sheets for all individual events will be available at usms.org around June 15. Heat sheets for preseeded events will be available online around June 22. Heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be posted at various places around the pool deck for swimmers after the check-in deadlines.

WARM-UP TIMES
The competition pool will be open for warm-up on July 3 from 4 to 7 p.m. and on July 4 from 3 to 7 p.m. On competition days, both the competition pool and the warm-up pool will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:50 a.m. and the warm-up pool will be available from 7:50 a.m. until the conclusion of the day’s final event. The competition pool will be open for at least 30 minutes following the last event each day and until at least 7 p.m. on July 5.

MEET START TIMES
The competition will start at 8 a.m. every day unless it is determined that the timeline will go too late into the day; then competition may start as early as 7:30 a.m. on any day. Meet start times will be announced at usms.org by June 22. Warm-ups in the competition pool will be shortened if necessary to accommodate an earlier start time.

WARM-UP PROCEDURES
Swimmers must enter the pool feet first in a cautious and controlled manner. No diving or backstroke starts will be allowed, except in designated sprint lanes. One or two lanes will be designated as one-way sprint lanes during the pre-meet warm-up sessions in the competition and warm-up pools and in supervised lanes in the warm-up pool during competition. Any swimmer who acts in an unsportsmanlike or unsafe manner in the swimming venue may be considered for appropriate action or penalty by the referee (rule 102.13.3). Pull-buoys, kickboards, fins, hand paddles and snorkels are not allowed in either pool during warm-ups.

SCRATCHES
Any swimmer failing to report to the proper lane in the correct heat of an event will be scratched from that event and not permitted to swim that event at another time.

GENERAL MEETING
All swimmers, coaches and officials are encouraged to attend or be represented at a general meeting at the CenturyLink Center Omaha on July 4 at 6 p.m. in the stands adjacent to the competition pool. Matters pertinent to the operation and conduct of the meet will be discussed.

FRIENDS OF SUMMER NATIONALS
U.S. Masters Swimming has made a major financial commitment in order to bring our Summer Nationals to this facility. You can provide additional support by becoming a “Friend of Summer Nationals” for $50 when you enter. “Friends” will be recognized in the official program as supporters of Masters swimming.

HOSPITALITY VILLAGE
A pass to the Hospitality Village may be purchased at the time of entry for $175. This will entitle you access to the hospitality area adjacent to the warm-up pool. It will include all-day food and beverage service plus full breakfast (7–10 a.m.) and lunch (11 a.m.–2 p.m.).

EVENT SPONSORSHIP
An individual or club may sponsor an event for $200. Event sponsors will be listed in the official program and on a banner at the pool. Contact Kyle Deery by email or by phone at 941-556-6274.

ONLINE ENTRIES
Online entry is encouraged and provides immediate entry confirmation. Online registration will close at midnight CDT on May 31, 2012. The meet surcharge increases from $50 to $60 on May 9 (see Entry Deadline/ Variable Surcharge/Mail Entry for dates applying to both online and paper registration).

PAPER ENTRIES
Use official entry form or a photocopy of the entire form. Read all instructions and fill out the form completely. Incomplete forms or forms with “pending” in place of a USMS registration number will be rejected (except for entries for 18-year-olds who turn 18 after the meet deadline, but before the first day of the meet, who must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline, but may register for membership at the venue on July 4, 2012). A legible copy of foreign swimmers’ Masters registration card must accompany the entry form. If club affiliation differs from what is listed on a swimmer’s USMS registration card, the swimmer must send a copy of either a new USMS registration card or a letter from the local registrar stating the new club affiliation and effective date.

FEES
Fees are $5 per individual event plus a surcharge per swimmer. The surcharge varies according to date of entry (see Entry Deadline/Variable Surcharge). Fees must accompany the entry form and be paid in U.S. dollars by check or money order. Do not mail cash. The entry is not complete until the check has cleared the bank. If there are questions about an entrant’s check, full cash payment in U.S. dollars will be required onsite before the entrant is allowed to swim. Refund requests must be received in writing (USPS or email) by May 31, 2012. No refunds will be given for events not swum. Relay swimmers not entered in an individual event must also pay the surcharge. Relay-only swimmers must submit an entry form with payment by the entry deadline. All fees should be payable to U.S. Masters Swimming.

ENTRY DEADLINE/VARIABLE SURCHARGE/MAIL ENTRY ONLINE
entries are encouraged and will be accepted until midnight Central Daylight Time on May 31, 2012. All mailed entries must be postmarked with an official U.S. postmark (no business meters).

Entry Postmarked By May 1 or Entry Received By May 8, 2012
Amount: $50

or

Entry Postmarked After May 1 or Entry Received Between May 9 and May 31, 2012
Amount: $60

Entries received after May 31, 2012, will be returned to sender. No telephone or email entries will be accepted. Mail entries early. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope with entry for proof of receipt. Do not send certified or overnight mail requiring a signature. Photocopy completed entry forms and personal checks for your records and verification. Mail to: USMS Summer Nationals, P.O. Box 185, Londonderry, NH 03053-0185.

NATIONAL QUALIFYING TIMES/NUMBER OF EVENTS/ SIXTH EVENT
Competitors may enter up to three individual events without meeting the national qualifying time, or a maximum of six events if they meet the NQTs; i.e., have swum a time equal to or better than the NQTs during the past two years. Exception: Competitors entering the 1500 free must meet the NQT. Visit usms.org/comp/NQT-FAQ.pdf for more about NQTs. All swimmers are limited to three individual events per day. All events must include an entry time. If the meet is deemed too large, an athlete’s sixth event may be dropped. On the entry form, indicate this event with a “6” in the designated column. If a swimmer enters an event with a time significantly slower or faster than a time the swimmer has recorded in the previous two years, the meet director may change the seed time after a discussion with the swimmer.

DISTANCE EVENTS
Swimmers may enter either the 1500 or the 800 free but not both. Swimmers entering the 1500 free must meet the NQT.  

RELAY INFORMATION
Relays can be entered until 4 p.m. of the day before the relay is scheduled. Each competitor is allowed to swim only one freestyle relay, one medley relay, one mixed freestyle relay and one mixed medley relay. The entry fee for each relay is $16. Relay entries may be submitted at the relay desk in the registration area. Each of the four members of a relay team must be registered with the same Masters club. Relay entry fee is in addition to fees for individual events. Relay entry forms are available for download at usms.org.  

SCORING
Individual Events: 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.
Relays: 22-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2.

TEAM SCORING
Team scoring will be tabulated in three categories: Men, Women, and Combined. Mixed relays score points only in the Combined category.

AWARDS
Medals will be awarded for first through 10th places in each age group. A "U.S. Masters Swimming Championship Patch" will be given to each individual and relay team member for the first event won. Swimmers winning more than one event may purchase additional patches. Unclaimed awards will not be mailed unless arrangements are made at the meet. There will be a charge for mailing awards. Awards will be presented to the top ten combined clubs in the Regional and Local Club divisions.

FINAL RESULTS
Complete final results may be ordered with your online entry. Cost will be $15.00 per copy. The usms.org website will post complete results, including splits.

TIME VERIFICATION (FORMERLY OVCs)
Swimmers needing verification of times or wishing to have their times entered into the USA Swimming SWIMS Database (for entry into USA-S national meets) should complete a form at the meet prior to the swim. Contact the administrative referee at the meet.