2016 U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship

Sanctioned by the North Carolina LMSC for USMS Inc. Sanction number 136-S002.

Dates

Competition days April 28 - May 1, 2016
Pool open for warm-up April 27 from 1-7 p.m.

Location

Greensboro Aquatic Center
1921 W. Gate City Blvd.
Greensboro, NC 27403
336-315-8498

Facility

The Greensboro Aquatic Center is a state-of-the-art indoor facility with three pools, which opened in August 2011. The main competition pool is 9 to 10 feet deep at both ends and can be configured into 25-yard courses with up to 12 7-foot-wide lanes. All lanes feature nonturbulent lane lines and Colorado starting blocks. Two 10-lane courses will be used for this competition. A Colorado electronic timing system will be used. Touchpads will be in place on both ends of the competition courses. There will be 13 lanes for continuous warm-down: seven lanes in the diving well and six lanes in the instructional pool.

The length of the competition courses without a bulkhead is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 107.2.1. Total seating is 2,500, with off-deck seating for 1,800 spectators available. Directions to the GAC are available here.

Eligibility

Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of April 27, 2016. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by April 27, 2016 must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on April 27. If a swimmer wishes to affiliate with a Masters club, the club and swimmer must both be registered with the same Local Masters Swimming Committee. If there are questions about affiliation, the swimmer will be entered with the affiliation “UC.” (See Paper Entries.) 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 1, 2016, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by April 27, 2016. 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 Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center adjacent to the Greensboro Aquatic Center on April 27, 2016, from 12:30 to 7 p.m., and on all other days from 6:30 a.m. through the end of competition.

Seeding

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 freestyles. The 1000 and 1650 freestyles will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 500 free and 400 IM may be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 200-yard events may be deck-seeded and may be seeded by entry time, regardless of age, for each gender. All 50 and 100 events will be preseeded by age group, with the oldest age groups first, slowest to fastest within each group. All seeding decisions will be announced at usms.org by April 11, 2016.

Event Check-in

Coaches or teammates may check in online or in person 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 and the swimmer will not be permitted to swim that event at another time.

Check-In Deadlines

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

Date	Event	In-Person Check-in*	Online Check-in*
Thursday, April 28	1000 freestyle 1650 freestyle	Weds. 12:30-7 p.m.; Thurs. by 7 a.m. Weds. 12:30-7 p.m.; Thurs. by 9 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Thurs. by 7 a.m. Tues. 7 a.m.–Thurs. by 9 a.m.
Friday, April 29	500 freestyle (women)	Weds. 12:30-7 p.m.; Fri. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Fri. by 7 a.m.
Saturday, April 30	500 freestyle (men)	Weds. 12:30-7 p.m.; Sat. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Sat. by 7 a.m.
Sunday, May 1	400 IM	Weds. 12:30-7 p.m.; Sun. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Sun. by 7 a.m.

* All times are Eastern Daylight Time. If the 200 events are deck seeded, then their check-in deadlines will be 7 a.m. on the day the event is swum.

Meet Roster

A real-time meet roster, including name, age, gender, and club, will be available on the meet information page, usms.org/comp/scnats16. Please verify your information and contact meetentry@usms.org with any concerns by March 28, 2016.

Heat and Psych Sheets

Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about April 4, 2016. Heat sheets for pre-seeded events will be available online around April 15, 2016. Heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be posted at various places around the pool deck and on Meet Mobile for swimmers after the check-in deadlines.

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 April 11, 2016. Warm-ups in the competition pool will be shortened if necessary to accommodate an earlier start time.

Warm-up Times

The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, from 1 to 7 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6 until 7:50 a.m. and the warm-up pools will be available from 7 a.m. until the conclusion of the final event each day. The competition pool will also be open for warm-up for 30 minutes following the last heat of the 500 freestyle and 400 IM events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. The competition pool will be open for at least 30 minutes following the last event each day. On Thursday, April 28, the competition pool will remain open until 5 p.m. or 30 minutes following the last heat of the 1650 freestyle, whichever is later.

Warm-up Procedure

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 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 102.13.3). Pull buoys, kickboards, fins, hand paddles, and snorkels are not allowed in the competition or warm-up pools.

Scratches

Any swimmer failing to report to the proper lane in the correct heat of an event will be scratched from that event and will not be 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 in Greensboro Coliseum Complex Special Events Center adjacent to the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Wednesday, April 27, at 5 p.m. Matters pertinent to the operation and conduct of the meet will be discussed.

Hospitality

VIP hospitality, which will include breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks, is $110, and can be ordered on the meet entry form.

Online Entries

Online entry is encouraged and provides immediate entry confirmation. Visit usms.org/comp/scnats16. Online registration will open no later than February 15, 2016, and will close at midnight EDT on March 28, 2016. The meet surcharge increases from $55 to $65 on March 9, 2016 (see Entry Deadline/Variable Surcharge/Mail Entry for dates applying to both online and paper registration).

Paper Entries

Paper entry forms can be downloaded here or will be mailed upon request by calling 1-800-550-SWIM (7946). 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 18-year-olds who turn 18 after the meet entry deadline, but before the first day of the meet, who must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline, but may register for USMS either before or on April 27). A legible copy of a foreign swimmer’s Masters registration card must accompany the entry form. 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.

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.) Fees must accompany the entry form and must 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 before the entrant is allowed to swim. Refund requests must be received in writing (USPS or email) by April 4, 2016. 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 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 EDT on March 28, 2016. If entry is received by midnight EDT on March 8, 2016, the surcharge is $55. If entry is received after March 8, 2016 and by March 28, 2016, the surcharge is $65. Entries received after March 28, 2016, will be returned to sender. No telephone or email entries will be accepted. Mail paper 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 paper entries to: 
USMS Spring 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 both the 1000 and 1650 freestyle must meet the NQT in at least one of them. 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. On the entry form, indicate this event with a “6” in the designated column. No refunds will be given if the sixth event is dropped. If a swimmer enters an event with a time significantly slower or faster than that swimmer’s recorded time in the previous two years, the meet director may, after a discussion with the swimmer, change the seeded time to a realistic time.

Distance Events (1000/1650)

Competitors may enter both distance events if they meet the NQT in at least one of them.

Relay Information

Relays can be entered until 3 p.m. on the day before the relay is scheduled. Relay-only swimmers (i.e., not entered in an individual event) must have entered the meet and paid the surcharge by the meet entry deadline. Each competitor is allowed to swim a maximum of five relays with only one freestyle relay, one medley relay, one mixed freestyle relay of each distance (i.e., 200/400) and one mixed medley relay. The entry fee for each relay is $12. 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 entry fees. 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.

Club Scoring

Club scoring will be tabulated in three categories: men, women, and combined for the Local Club and Regional Club divisions. 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 Local Club division and top five combined clubs in the Regional division.

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 wishing to have times entered into SWIMS (USA Swimming times database) must complete a form at the meet prior to the swim. Contact the administrative referee at the meet.

Service Animals

Please contact the meet director by March 28, 2016, if you require the use of a service animal. Animals other than service animals will not be permitted on deck at the venue.

Meet Directors

Don Gilchrest usmsnationaldirector2016@gmail.com 336-508-5644
Steve Weatherman ssw.comeetdirector.2016@gmail.com 919-210-7703