Meet Information

DATES

Competition: Thursday, May 20 - Sunday, May 23, 2010.
Pool available for warm-ups Wednesday, May 19 from 3 - 8 p.m.

LOCATION
Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center
750 Ferst Drive NW
Atlanta, GA 30332-0110
404-385-PLAY

FACILITIES
Originally built for the 1996 Olympics, the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center was the site of all swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo events during the Centennial Games. The Aquatic Center, now located in the Campus Recreation Center, is enclosed for year round use and is home to the Georgia Tech swimming and diving teams. The Aquatic Center consists of a competition pool with stadium seating for 1,950 and a state-of-the-art diving well with eight lanes for warm-up and cool-down. The competition pool is 50 meters by 10 lanes, with two movable bulkheads. The competition pool is considered one of the fastest in the world due to its depth (8.5 feet to 10.5 feet), water flow control, deep gutters and wide lanes (9 feet wide) to reduce wave action. The CRC uses an innovative solar/thermal system on the roof to supplement the steam heat exchanger system that heats the competition pool. Pool water is pumped from the competition pool through the panels on the roof, and then down into the pool's circulating system, which keeps the pool at perfect competition temperatures.

ELIGIBILITY
Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of May 19, 2010. Eighteen-year-olds must enter the meet by the entry deadline and only 18-year-olds may register with U.S. Masters Swimming on May 19 at the venue. If a swimmer wishes to affiliate with a Masters club, the club and swimmer must both be registered with the same Local Masters Swim Committee (LMSC). If there are questions about affiliation, the swimmer shall be entered as "unattached" (See Entry Procedures). 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 May 23, 2010, except 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by May 19, 2010. Age groups for Individual events: 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 ... (five-year increments as high as necessary). Relay events: 18+, 25+, 35+, 45+, etc (10-year increments as high as necessary determined by the age of the youngest relay member).

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 Aquatic Center starting on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, from 3 to 8 p.m., and on all other days from 6:30 a.m. through the end of the day's competition.

SEEDING
All events, with the exception of the 1650, 1000 and 500 freestyles, and 400 IM, will be pre-seeded unless meet management determines that the meet cannot be completed in a timely manner. A decision regarding pre-seeding and deck seeding all 100-yard and 200-yard events will be announced at usms.org by May 5, 2010. Two courses 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 1000 and 1650 frees. The 1650, 1000 and 500 freestyles, and 400 IM, will 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 for those swimmers whose travel plans do not permit check-in by the deadlines. Failure to check-in will result in the swimmer being scratched from the event.

CHECK-IN DEADLINES
Positive check-in is required for the 400 IM and 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyles, and will be required for the 100s and 200s if it is determined that deck seeding is necessary. Check-in may be done in person at the registration area or online at usms.org according to the following schedule:

Date	Event	In Person Check-in*	Online Check-in*
Thurs., May 20	1000 Free	Wed. 3-8 p.m. - Thurs. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Thurs. 7 a.m.
Thurs., May 20	1650 Free	Wed. 3-8 p.m. - Thurs. by 9 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Thurs. 9 a.m.
Fri., May 21	400 IM	Wed. 3-8 p.m. - Fri. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Fri. 7 a.m.
Sat., May 22	500 Free (men)	Wed. 3-8 p.m. - Sat. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Sat. 7 a.m.
Sun., May 23	500 Free (women)	Wed. 3-8 p.m. - Sun. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Sun. 7 a.m.

* All times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). If the 100 and 200 events are deck-seeded, then all check-in deadlines will be at 7 a.m. the day the event is swum.

 

HEAT AND PSYCH SHEETS
Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about May 5, 2010. Heat sheets for pre-seeded events will be available online around May 12, 2010. 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 Wednesday, May 19, from 3 to 8 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:50 a.m. and the warm-up pool will be available from 6:30 a.m. until the conclusion of the final event. The competition pool will reopen for a 30-minute warm-up on Friday after the 400 IM, and Saturday and Sunday after the 500 free. The competition pool will be open for at least 30 minutes following the last event each day.

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 shall be designated as one-way sprint lanes during the pre-meet warm-up sessions in the competition pools only. Any swimmer who acts in an unsporting or unsafe manner within the swimming venue may be considered for appropriate action or penalty by the referee (rule 102.15.3). Pull-buoys, kick boards, fins and hand paddles are not allowed in competition or warm-up pools.

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

GENERAL MEETING
All swimmers, coaches and officials should be represented at the general meeting at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center on Wednesday, May 19, at 6 p.m. There will be a discussion of matters pertaining to the operation and conduct of the meet. The meeting will be held in the Aquatic Center spectator seating area.

GOLD MEDAL SPONSORSHIP
Gold Medal Sponsors will be recognized in the official program as supporters of Masters swimming, will be entitled to V.I.P. hospitality on deck, including food, and will receive a commemorative gift. The cost of one sponsorship is $75, and may be ordered on the meet entry form.

SOCIAL EVENT
A 40th Anniversary Party is scheduled for 7:00-10:00 p.m. Friday night, May 21, 2010, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of USMS Short Course Nationals. The party will be held at the meet headquarters hotel, Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, which is just a 10-minute ride on the FREE GT Trolley from the Aquatic Center - and will feature hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, anniversary cake, a cash bar and special surprises. The cost is $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger. Reservations for the social may be made online during registration for the meet. A limited number of tickets will be available at the meet. Come spend an evening socializing with your fellow swimmers, family members and meet volunteers. Come experience southern hospitality.

ENTRY PROCEDURES
Use the 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 18-year-olds, who must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline but may register at the venue on May 19). A legible copy of the swimmer's Masters registration card must accompany the entry form for foreign swimmers. Failure to include a Masters registration card may result in the swimmer being charged a fee before being allowed to compete. A swimmer whose club affiliation differs from what is listed on his or her USMS registration card must send either a new USMS registration card or a letter from the local registrar with the new club affiliation and effective date.

NATIONAL QUALIFYING TIMES / NUMBER OF EVENTS / SIXTH EVENT
Competitors may enter a maximum of six individual events. However, for at least three of these events, the competitor must meet the national qualifying time by having swum the NQT or better in the past two years. 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 will be dropped. No refunds will be given for the dropped event. On the entry form, indicate this event with a "6" in the designated column. Entrants may swim either the 1000 or 1650 free, but not both.

FEES
Fees are $4 per individual event plus a surcharge per swimmer. The surcharge varies according to date of entry. (See Entry Deadline/Variable Surcharge/Mail Entry.) Fees must accompany the entry form and must be paid in U.S. dollars by check or money order. Do not send cash. The entry form 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 before the entrant is allowed to swim. Refund requests must be received in writing by April 15, 2010. No refunds will be given for events not swum. The surcharge also applies to relay swimmers not entered in an individual event. Relay-only swimmers must submit an entry form with payment by the entry deadline. All fee should be payable to "U.S. Masters Swimming."

ENTRY DEADLINE / VARIABLE SURCHARGE / MAIL ENTRY
All U.S. entries must be postmarked with an official US postmark (no business meters).

Surcharge for Early Entry.
Entry postmarked by March 30, 2010, or Entry received by April 6, 2010, Amount: $40

Surcharge for On-Time Entry.
Entry postmarked after March 30, 2010, or Entry received by April 15, 2010, Amount: $50

All entries must be postmarked by April 8, 2010, or received by April 15, 2010. Entries received after April 15, 2010, will be returned to sender. Online entries are encouraged and will be accepted until 11:59 pm EDT April 15, 2010. 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 entry to Short Course Nationals, U.S. Masters Swimming, 8 Rockwood Lane, Londonderry, NH 03053.

MAIL ENTRY TO:
Short Course Nationals
U.S. Masters Swimming
8 Rockwood Lane
Londonderry, NH 03053

RELAY INFORMATION
Swimmers may enter relays until 4 p.m. on the day before the relay is scheduled. Each competitor shall be 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 $12 (check or cash only). Relay entries may be submitted at the relay desk in the registration area. Each of the four members of any relay team must be registered with the same Masters club. Relay entry fee is in addition to individual events. Relay entry forms are available for download here.

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 in advance or at the Awards Table during the meet. 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 time(s) 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.

QUESTIONS / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Contact Ed Saltzman at 770-442-9075 (before 9 p.m. ET) or email. More information may be available at the meet host website.