2016 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championship

Sanctioned by the Oregon LMSC for USMS. Sanction number 376-S002.

Dates

Competition days August 17-21, 2016
Pool open for warm-up August 16 from 3-7 p.m.

Location

Mt. Hood Community College
26000 SE Stark St.
Gresham, OR 97030
503-491-7243

Facilities

Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center includes an outdoor, 50-meter championship pool with eight 2.5-meter- wide lanes. Water depths range from 6 to 16 feet and the pool will be maintained at 79 to 81 degrees F. Parking and seating is available for 4,000 participants and spectators. The Matrix scoreboard is Daktronics and starting blocks are S.R. Smith. The center is at sea level—Mount Hood is a 45-minute drive away.

The adjacent, six-lane, 25-yard indoor pool, which will serve as the warm-up and cool-down pool, runs from 3.5 to 13 feet deep and will be kept at a temperature of 80-82 degrees F.

Eligibility

Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of August 16, 2016. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by August 16, 2016, must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on August 16. 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, 2016, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by August 16, 2016. 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 Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center on August 16 from 3 to 7 p.m., and on all other days from 6:30 a.m. through the end of competition.

Seeding

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 400, 800, and 1500 freestyles. A decision regarding this will be announced at usms.org by July 25, 2016. The 1500 and 800 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. A decision regarding this will be announced at usms.org by July 25, 2016. 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 travelplans 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 the 400 IM and 400, 800, and 1500 freestyles, and all 200s. 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*
Weds., August 17	1500 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Weds. by 7 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m.–Weds. by 7 a.m.
Thurs., August 18	400 IM 200 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Thurs. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Thurs. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Thurs. by 7 a.m.
Fri., August 19	800 freestyle 200 IM	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Fri. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Fri. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Fri. by 7 a.m.
Sat., August 20	400 freestyle 200 butterfly	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sat. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sat. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Sat. by 7 a.m.
Sun., August 21	200 backstroke 200 breaststroke	Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sun. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.–Sun. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m.–Sun. by 7 a.m.

* All times are Pacific Daylight Time. Check-in for all 200 events is 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 at usms.org/comp/lcnats16. Please verify your information and contact meetentry@ usms.org with any concerns by July 18, 2016.

Heat and Psych Sheets

Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about July 25, 2016. Heat sheets for preseeded events will be available online around August 5, 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 start time for all days of the meet has been changed to 7:30 a.m. due to expected long days of competition. Warm-ups in the competition pool will end at 7:20 to accommodate the earlier start time.

Warm-up Times

The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Tuesday, August 16, from 3 to 7 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6:30 until 7:20 a.m. and the warm-up pool will be available from 7:20 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, 800 freestyle, and 400 freestyle on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively. The competition pool will be open for at least 30 minutes following the last event each day. On Wednesday, August 17, 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 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 premeet 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 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 the aquatic center bleachers on Tuesday, August 16, 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 the pass can be ordered on the meet entry form.

Online Entries

Online entry is encouraged and provides immediate entry confirmation. Visit usms.org/comp/lcnats16. Online registration will open no later than May 31, 2016, and will close at midnight Pacific Daylight Time on July 18, 2016. The meet surcharge increases from $55 to $65 on June 28, 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 at usms.org/ comp/lcnats16 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. For 18-year-olds who will turn 18 after the meet entry deadline and before the first day of the meet, they must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline, and must register with USMS either before or on August 16, 2016. 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 copy of 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 July 25, 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 Pacific Daylight Time on July 18, 2016. If entry is received by June 27, 2016, the surcharge is $55. If entry is received after June 27 and by July 18, 2016, the surcharge is $65. Entries received after July 18, 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 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 NQT 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. A decision on the sixth event will be announced at usms.org by July 22, 2016. 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 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.

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 July 18, 2016, if you require the use of a service animal. Animals other than service animals will not be permitted on deck at the venue.

Contact Information

Meet Directors:
Dennis Baker bakeswim@yahoo.com 503-679-4601
Tim Waud timpwaud@gmail.com 503-341-3152
USMS National Office:
info@usms.org 1-800-550-SWIM (7946)