2015 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championship

Sanctioned by the Lake Erie LMSC for USMS Inc. Sanction Number 185-S004.

Dates

Competition days August 6-9, 2015
Pool open for warm-up August 5 from noon - 7 p.m.

Location

SPIRE Aquatic Center
5201 SPIRE Circle
Geneva, OH 44041
440-466-1002

Facilities

The SPIRE Institute Aquatics Center is a championship-caliber facility with a 54-meter by 25-meter Myrtha Pool and two movable bulkheads. The 10-lane, 50-meter competition course has 9-foot-wide racing lanes and depth varying from 8 feet 2 inches to 14 feet. The adjacent 6-lane, 25-yard warm up pool boasts a scoreboard that shows the action taking place in the competition pool.

Eligibility

Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of August 5, 2015. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by August 5, 2015, must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS at the venue on August 5, 2015. 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 December 31, 2015, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by August 5, 2015. Age groups for individual events: 18–24, 25–29, 30–34, 35–39 … (five-year increments as high as necessary). Relay events: 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 shall determine the 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 SPIRE Fuel (Located next to the aquatics center) on August 5, 2015, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on all other days from 6:30 a.m. through the end of competition.

Seeding

Men’s heats will precede women’s heats for each event, except that men’s and women’s heats may be seeded together for the 800 and 1500 freestyles. A decision regarding this will be announced at usms.org by July 20, 2015. The 800 and 1500 freestyles will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 400 free and 400 IM may be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 200-meter events will be deck-seeded and may be seeded by entry time, regardless of age, for each gender, if the timeline is too long. All 50 and 100 events will be preseeded 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 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 shall not be permitted to swim that event at another time.

Check-In Deadlines

Positive check-in is required for all events 200 meters and longer. Check-in may be done in person at the registration area or online here according to the following schedule:

Date	Event	In-Person Check-in*	Online Check-in*
Thursday, August 6	800 freestyle 1500 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Thurs. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 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, August 7	400 IM 200 backstroke	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Fri. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Fri. by 9 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Fri. by 7 a.m. Tues. 7 a.m.–Fri. by 9 a.m.
Saturday, August 8	400 freestyle (men) 200 breaststroke 200 butterfly	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sat. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sat. by 9 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sat. by 11 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Sat. by 7 a.m. Tues. 7 a.m.–Sat. by 9 a.m. Tues. 7 a.m.–Sat. by 11 a.m.
Sunday, August 9	400 freestyle (women) 200 freestyle 200 IM	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sun. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sun. by 9 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sun. by 11 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Sun. by 7 a.m. Tues. 7 a.m.–Sun. by 9 a.m. Tues. 7 a.m.–Sun. by 11 a.m.

* All times are Eastern Daylight Time

Meet Roster

A real-time meet roster including name, age, gender, and club will be available on the meet home page. Please verify your information and email meetentry -AT- usms -DOT- org with any concerns by July 6, 2015.

Heat and Psych Sheets

Psych sheets for all individual events will be available here on or about July 11, 2015. Heat sheets for preseeded events will be available here around July 24. Heat sheets for deckseeded 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 July 20, 2015. 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, August 5, 2015 from noon to 7 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 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 400 IM and 400 freestyle 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, August 6, 2015, the competition pool will remain open until 5 p.m. or 30 minutes following the last heat of the 1500 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 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 unsportsmanlike 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 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 are encouraged to attend or be represented at a general meeting in SPIRE Fuel (located next to the aquatics center) on Wednesday, August 5, at 5 p.m. Matters pertinent to the operation and conduct of the meet will be discussed.

Gold Medal Sponsorship

Gold Medal Sponsors will be recognized in the official program as supporters of Masters swimming. They will receive a commemorative gift and will be entitled to VIP hospitality, which will include breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks. Cost is $90 and the pass can be ordered on the meet entry form.

Online Entries

Online entry is encouraged and provides immediate entry confirmation. Online registration will open no later than May 15, 2015, and will close at midnight Eastern Daylight Time on July 6, 2015. The meet surcharge increases from $50 to $60 on June 16, 2015 (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 at the venue on August 5, 2015). 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.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 July 13, 2015. 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 Eastern Daylight Time on July 6, 2015. If entry is received by June 15, 2015, the surcharge is $50. If entry is received after June 15, 2015 and by July 6, 2015, the surcharge is $60. Entries received after July 6, 2015, 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 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. 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 seed time to a realistic time.

Distance Events (800/1500)

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

Relay Information

Swimmers can enter relays 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 only one freestyle relay, one medley relay, one mixed freestyle relay 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. 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 July 6, 2015, 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

Joshua Ptak, SPIRE Institute jptak@spireinstitute.org 440-466-1002 x 139
Matt Sajna, Greater Cleveland Sport Commission msajna@clevelandsports.org 216-363-1109