2020 Spring National Championship Meet Information

Dates

Competition days are April 23 to 26, 2020

Pool will be open for open for warm-up on Wednesday, April 22, from 2 to 7 p.m.

Location

Hosted By

Have Questions?

Please contact the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 1-800-550-SWIM (7946).

Facility

The Northside ISD Swim Center is an aquatics complex that houses both an indoor and an outdoor competition pool with bleacher seating for 3,000 spectators. The venue includes four separate pools: an indoor championship pool, an outdoor championship pool, a diving well, and an instructional pool. The outdoor championship pool is 50 meters by 25 yards and will be divided into two 25-yard courses. Each course will have ten lanes, and a water depth of 6 feet. 22 warm-up lanes will be available in the indoor pool as well as additional lanes in the diving well and instructional pool that will be open for continuous warm-up and warm-down during the competition. The facility offers an abundance of locker room facilities and onsite space to relax for athletes and spectators.

Entry Deadlines and Surcharge                    

January 15 to March 2 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time $55*

March 3 to March 23 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time $65*

*Meet surcharge doesn’t include individual event and relay fees

Entering the Meet

Online entries will be accepted between the above dates and will close at midnight, Pacific Time, on the last day of entry.

If you cannot enter online, call 1-800-555-SWIM (7946) between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern Time, during the online entry periods above, to provide your entry information. A member services representative will complete the entry for you. Please have your desired events, times, and credit card information available.

National Qualifying Times/Number of Events/Sixth Event

Competitors may enter up to three individual events without meeting the national qualifying times, 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 1650 freestyle must meet the NQT. All swimmers are limited to three individual events per day. If the meet is deemed too large, an athlete’s sixth event will be dropped. Swimmers entering six events must indicate which event is to be dropped in case the timeline is too long. No refunds will be given if the sixth event is dropped. A decision on the sixth event will be announced at usms.org by April 1, 2020. 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 Championship Committee may, after a discussion with the swimmer, change the seeded time to a realistic time.

Download the NQT Hy-Tek file for your meet

Eligibility

Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of April 22, 2020. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by April 22, 2020, must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on April 22, 2020.

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 (LMSC). If there are questions about affiliation, the swimmer will be entered with the affiliation “UC” (Unattached).

International entries are subject to verification and may require additional documentation. Please submit a copy of your Masters Registration card/letter from your governing body to events@usmastersswimming.org. Verification is required at the time of online entry. If you do not present verification, you will not be permitted to swim in the competition.

Age Groups

Age for the meet is determined as of April 26, 2020, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by April 22, 2020. 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 Northside ISD Swim Center on April 22, 2020, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on all other days from 6 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 deck 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 sex. 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 6, 2019.

Distance Events (1000/1650)

Swimmers entering the 1650 free must meet the NQT. Swimmers may swim both the 1000 and the 1650 freestyle.

Fees

Fees are $6 per individual event, plus a surcharge per swimmer. The surcharge varies according to date of entry (See Entry Deadlines and Surcharge). Refund requests must be made to the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 1-800-555-SWIM (7946) by March 30, 2020.  No refunds will be given for events not swum. Relay-only swimmers must enter and pay the meet surcharge by the entry deadline.

Meet Procedures

Event Sanction

Sanctioned by the South Texas LMSC for USMS Inc. Sanction Number 430-S001

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 106.2.1.

Check-In Deadlines

Swimmers must check in for events 400 yards or longer, and will be required for all the 200s if it is determined that deck seeding is necessary. Swimmers, or their coaches or teammates on their behalf, may check in online or in person by the deadlines below. 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.

*All times are Central 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, sex, and club will be available on the meet information page. Please verify your information and contact events@usmastersswimming.org with any concerns by March 23, 2020.

Heat and Psych Sheets

Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about March 30, 2020. Heat sheets for preseeded events will be available online around April 10, 2020. Heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be posted at various places around the pool deck and on Meet Mobile and SwimPhone, once the events have been seeded.

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 6, 2020. 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 22, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6 a.m. until 7:50 a.m. and the warm-up pools will be available from 7:50 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 Friday. The competition pool will be open for at least 30 minutes following the last event each day. On Thursday, April 23 the competition pool will remain open until 5 p.m. or 30 minutes following the last heat of the 400 mixed freestyle relay, 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. A few 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). Swim equipment is not allowed in the competition or warm-up pools. This includes pull-buoys, kickboards, fins, hand paddles, etc.

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.

Relays

All relays must be entered online. Swimmers may enter relays until 3 p.m. on the day before the relay is scheduled with the exception of the 400 mixed free relay for Thursday. The Thursday 400 mixed free relay may be entered up to 7 p.m. on Wednesday. See the relay information page for complete information.

Scoring

Swimmers in individual events will be awarded points for first through tenth places as 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, respectively. Relays will be awarded double points for first through tenth places as 22-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2, respectively.

Club Scoring

Club scoring will be tabulated in two categories (regional clubs and local clubs) and three divisions (men, women, and combined). Mixed relays score points only in the combined division.

Awards

Medals will be awarded for first through tenth places in each age group, for all events. A U.S. Masters Swimming National Champion 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. Club awards will be presented to the top 10 clubs in the local club division and top five clubs in the regional division.

Final Results

The complete results, including splits, will be posted at usms.org. A paper copy of the complete final results may be ordered with your online entry and will be mailed to you from the National Office. Cost is $15 per copy.

Time Verification (formerly OVCs)

Swimmers wishing to have times entered into SWIMS (USA Swimming’s times database) must complete a form, obtained from the administrative referee at the meet, prior to the swim.

Hearing Impaired Start Assistance

Any athlete with a hearing impairment may request starting assistance from the meet referee.  The request must be made prior to the start of the meet. If portable strobes are available, one may be located in a manner to provide a visual aid. Otherwise, another appropriate method may be employed to visually assist the affected swimmer. Please contact the meet director by April 22, 2020 if you require this assistance.

Service Animals

Animals other than service animals will not be permitted on deck at the venue.