2020 Summer National Championship Meet Information

Dates

Competition days are August 12-16, 2020

Location

SwimRVA
5050 Ridgedale Parkway
Richmond, VA 23234
804-409-9728

Hosted By

SwimRVA

SwimRVA: Adam Kennedy

Richmond Region Tourism Liaison: Jerrine Lee

Have Questions?

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

Facility

SwimRVA is a 50-meter, 8-lane competition pool with movable bulkheads. This pool was used in the 2008 Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska. Twenty one American records and nine World records have been set in it. At 7′7″ deep and 79°F, this spectacular competition pool is the only 50-meter pool in Central Virginia and one of the finest along the East Coast.

The facility included an indoor warm-up pool and a temporary outdoor 25-meter pool adjacent to the aquatic center as additional warm-up and cool-down space.

Entry Deadlines and Surcharge

TBD to June 29 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time $55*

June 30 to July 13 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 11:59 p.m., 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 time (NQT), 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 6th event is dropped. A decision on the sixth event will be announced at usms.org by July 24, 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.

NQT Hy-Tek file coming soon

Eligibility

Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of August 11, 2020. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by August 11, 2020, must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on August 11, 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 December 31, 2020, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by August 11. 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 SwimRVA on Tuesday, August 11 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm., 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 women’s and men’s heats may be seeded together for the 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle events. The 1500 and 800 freestyle events will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 400 freestyle 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 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 July 24, 2020.

Distance Events (1000/1650)

*Swimmers may enter the 800 freestyle or 1500 freestyle, but not both. All swimmers entering the 1500 must meet the NQT.

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 submitted to the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 1-800-555-SWIM (7946) by July 20, 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 Virginia LMSC for USMS Inc. Sanction Number 120-S004 .

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.

Check-In Deadlines

Positive check-in is required for the 400 IM and 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle events, and will be required for 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.

Date	Event	In-Person Check-in	Online Check-in
Wednesday, Aug. 12	1500 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.; Wed. by 7 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m. - Wed. By 7 a.m.
Thursday, Aug. 13	800 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.; Thurs. by 7 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m. - Thurs. by 7 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 14	400 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly	Tues. 3-7 p.m.; Fri. by 7 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m. - Fri. by 7 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 15	200 IM, 200 breaststroke, 200 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.; Sat. by 7 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m. - Sat. by 7 a.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16	400 IM	Tues. 3-7 p.m.; Sun. by 7 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m. - Sun. by 7 a.m.

*All times are Eastern time. All events 200m and longer are deck seeded and check in deadline is 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 July 13, 2020.

Heat and Psych Sheets

Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about July 20, 2020. Heat sheets for preseeded events will be available online around July 31, 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 July 24, 2020. Warm-ups in the competition pool will be from 6:30 a.m. to 7:50 a.m. 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 Tuesday, August 11 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 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 6:30 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 each event Thursday-Sunday. On August 12 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. 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, paddles, etc.

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.

Relays

All relays must be entered online. Swimmers may enter relays until 3 p.m. on the day before the relay is scheduled. 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 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 events@usmastersswimming.org by Tuesday, August 11, 2020 if you require this assistance.