2023 Summer Nationals Meet Information

Dates

Competition days are August 2 - 6, 2023
Pool will be open for warm-up on Tuesday, August 1 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern. 

Location

Selby Aquatic Center

8501 Potter Park Dr

Sarasota, FL 34238

Hosted By

Meet host: Sarasota Sharks, Inc.
Meet directors: Rick Walker, Anna Lea Matysek, and Jim Matysek

Have Questions?

Please contact the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 941-256-USMS (8767). 

Facility

The Selby Aquatic Center  is a state-of-the-art outdoor venue. The competition pool is a 50-meter x 25-yard Myrtha pool with movable bulkhead. Daktronics timing will be provided for competition. A 25-yard warm up pool will be available at all times. The pool is generally regarded as one of the top facilities in Florida. Pool chillers keep the pool temperature at optimum levels for competition. 

Entry Deadlines and Surcharge

Online entries will be accepted between the below dates and will close at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, on the last day of the entry period. Fees are $8 per individual event, plus a surcharge per swimmer. The surcharge varies according to date of entry:

May - June 21 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific: $80 surcharge*
June 22 - July 10 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific: $100 surcharge*

Relay-only swimmers must enter and pay the meet surcharge by the July 10 entry deadline. See the relay page for full details. 

If you cannot enter online, call 941-256-USMS (8767) 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.

Refunds

If your plans have changed or if you no longer want to attend the meet, please contact Event Services before July 17 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. No refunds will be given for events not swum.

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 three years). Exception: Competitors entering the 1500 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 July 13, 2023. If a swimmer enters an event with a time significantly slower or faster than that swimmer's recorded time in the previous three years, the Championship Committee may, after a discussion with the swimmer, change the seeded time to a realistic time.

Update 7/13

The sixth event will be dropped for all swimmers. Requests to change a swimmers sixth event will not be allowed.

Eligibility

Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of August 2, 2023. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by August 1, 2023, must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on August 1, 2023.

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, 2023, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by August 1, 2023. 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 arriving at the facility, all participants must complete a form which includes a liability waiver and emergency contact information. The form will be emailed one week prior to the event and replaces the paper waiver used in previous years. Swimmers can then pick up  goody bags upon arriving at the facility.

Registration will be held at the facility on August 1, 2023, 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 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 200m 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 pre-seeded 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 19, 2023.

Updates 7/19

• The sixth event has been dropped. All swimmers who entered six events will be limited to five events to help manage the timeline.
• The 50s and 100s will be pre-seeded with the oldest groups first, slowest to fastest within each age group, men and women separate.
• All events 200 meters and longer will require positive check-in.
• The 200s and 400s free will be seeded by time, slowest to fastest, men and women separate.
• The 800 and 1500 will be seeded by time, slowest to fastest, men and women combined.

Distance Events

Swimmers may enter the 800 or 1500 freestyle, but not both.  All swimmers entering the 1500 free must meet the NQT. Swimmers will need to supply their own counter (teammate, coach, etc.) for all distance events.

Event Sanction 

Sanctioned by the Florida LMSC for USMS Inc. Sanction Number 143-S003. 
Florida Swimming Official Observation Number: OB-23-6490

The length of the competition course is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1, but as a bulkhead course, is subject to length confirmation. Eligibility of times for USMS Top 10 and records will be contingent on verification of bulkhead placement. The primary timing system will be automatic timing. Times from this competition will be eligible for world records, USMS records, and Top 10 consideration per article 108.1.1.A.3a.

Check-In Requirements and Deadlines

Swimmers must check in for events 200 meters or longer. 

Check-in will be available on the event page available starting Monday, July 31. A link will be sent in an email to all swimmers. If you need assistance, please email events@usmastersswimming.org or visit the Solutions Table on-site near Registration during the hours of the meet. 

The deadline to check in is 7 p.m. the night before the event is contested. Failure to check in by the following deadlines will result in the swimmer being scratched from the event and the swimmer will not be permitted to swim that event at another time. 

Heat sheets for deck seeded events will be published online by approximately 8 p.m. each evening. 

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 10, 2023.

Heat and Psych Sheets

Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about July 19, 2023. 

Heat sheets for pre-seeded events will be available online on or about July 24, 2023. 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 7:30 a.m. every day.

Warm-up Times and Procedures

The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Tuesday, August 1, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6:15 a.m. until 7:20 a.m. and the primary warm-up pool will be available from 6:15 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 last event Thursday - Sunday. The competition pool will be open for at least 30 minutes following the last event each day. On August 2 the competition pool will remain open until 5 p.m. or 30 minutes following the end of competition whichever is later.

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, snorkels, 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. Scratches will be accepted through July 17.

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. 

Split Notification

Final results will indicate splits for all swims (excluding pad malfunctions). Splits will be recorded for all swimmers and submitted for records and Top 10 consideration, for initial distances of all individual events (except for backstroke) and for all relay lead-off splits. Therefore, swimmers need not submit split requests for those events. Split requests are required for initial distance(s) of an individual backstroke event. The swimmer is responsible for picking up the Split Notification Form from the administrative official, filling it out, and presenting it to the administrative official prior to the swim. Automatic split times will be submitted for USMS Top 10, however automatic split times from individual events will not automatically appear in the USMS event results database. If you would like a split time to be added to the event results database, please email your request after the meet to events@usmastersswimming.org.

Time Verification (SWIMS)

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 events@usmastersswimming.org by July 10, 2023 if you require this assistance.

Service Animals

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