STREAMLINES for Volunteers

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019

U.S. Masters Swimming is celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. We have an exciting Spring Nationals planned for April 23-26 in San Antonio, special themed issues of SWIMMER magazine, a timeline on usms.org, and much more. Be on the lookout as we get ready to honor our organization's amazing history.

Swimming for Life,
Your Friends at U.S. Masters Swimming

Early Registration Discounts

Renew before year's end for discounts from our partners

Members who renew their USMS memberships for 2020 prior to Dec. 31 will receive valuable discount codes from our partners. It's easy to renew online and, upon completion of the process, each member will receive an email with valuable discount codes for great gear and products.

Leadership Assignments Announced

Congratulations to these zone and committee leaders and special appointments

Zone	Chair	Zone	Chair
Breadbasket	Robin Tracy	Colonies	Mollie Grover
Dixie	Ed Saltzman	Great Lakes	Lisa Brown
Northwest	Paige Buehler	Oceana	Sally Guthrie
South Central	Nicole Christensen	Southwest	Michael Heather

Standing Committees	Chair	Vice Chair
Championship	Jim Clemmons	Erin Moro
Coaches	Kenny Brisbin	Chris McPherson
Diversity & Inclusion	Sarah Welch	Ally Sega
Fitness Education	Mary Jurey	Emily Cook
History & Archives	Frank "Skip" Thompson	Bob Anderson & Barbara Dunbar
Legislation	Richard Garza	Patrick Weiss
LMSC Development	Lisa Brown	Michael Moore
Long Distance	Ali Hall	Phyllis Quinn
Officials	Teri White	Michael Abegg
Open Water	Kimberly Elsbach	Marck Johnston
Recog. & Awards	Megan Lassen	Charis McCarthy
Records & Tabulation	MJ Caswell	Stacey Eicks
Registration	Susan Ehringer	Chris Ottati
Rules	Charles Cockrell	Mollie Grover & Claire Letendre
Sports Med & Science	Megan Carlson	Christopher Rieder
Board Committees	Chair	Vice Chair
Audit	Elyce Dilworth	Laura Winslow
Comp & Benefits	Erika Braun	Michael Malik
Elections	Erin Sullivan	Cheryl Gettelfinger
Finance	Jeanne Ensign	Guy Davis
Governance	Jim Miller	Jeff Strahota
Investment	Stan Benson	Ralph Davis
SSLF	Jay DeFinis	Brandon Franklin

Special Appointments

FINA Masters Committee Vice Chair	Mel Goldstein
FINA Sports Medicine Committee	Jim Miller
ISHOF Liaison	Jack Groselle
National Board of Review Chair	Bruce Hopson
Parliamentarian	William Tingley
Senior Games Liaison	William Tingley
UANA Masters Technical Committee	Mel Goldstein
UANA Masters Technical Committee	Nadine Day
U.S. Aquatic Sports Representative	Peter Guadagni
U.S. Aquatic Sports Treasurer	Tom Boak
USMS Liaison to IGLA	Jessica Seaton

Major Rules Changes for 2020
A summary of major changes from our annual meeting

Swimwear Restrictions: The rules clarify that all swimwear must meet FINA specifications. Specifically, zippers, ties, and other fasteners are prohibited, with the exception of a waist tie. (Article 102.12.1)

Qualification of Officials: Qualification of officials (i.e., certification) is addressed in policy by the USMS Officials Committee. (Article 103.3)

Relay Entries: The rules clarify that the meet director must establish a procedure for compliance with article 102.9.5, which requires that the relay entry list the name of the club, each swimmer's full name (as it appears on the USMS membership card), age, and, for mixed relays, gender. Per article 102.9.5, the name of the leadoff swimmer must also be clearly designated. The rules clarify that the meet referee is responsible for instructing officials on compliance with article 102.9.6, which requires that first and last names of eligible relay swimmers, their ages, and order of swimming be submitted to the clerk of course or head lane timer. Article 102.9.6 also requires that changes in competing swimmers or the order of swimming must be declared to the head lane timer prior to the start of the relay heat in which the relay team is entered and no changes are permitted thereafter. (Articles 102.9.5 and 102.9.6)

Annual Budget: The annual budget is now approved by the BOD instead of the HOD. However, the HOD will be given a preview of the budget at or before the Annual Meeting. (Article 506.3.6)

Ransom J. Arthur Nominations

Let the National Office know

The Capt. Ransom J. Arthur M.D. Award is USMS's most prestigious award. Named for the founder of Masters Swimming, the award is presented annually to a USMS volunteer who embodies Arthur's spirit and vision and who contributes at the highest level to advance the objective of Masters Swimming.

For nomination materials and information about past recipients, visit the USMS Awards page. Nominations are due March 15.

Save the Date

National events are a great way to drive engagement for your clubs and members. Be sure to list these events on your websites and newsletters.

Greg, Bette, and Kevin Grotke 2015 Summer Nats

Looking to see how swimmers in your area stack up nationally? Check out the 2020 USMS ePostal National Championships , which kick off Jan. 1 with the 2020 USMS 1-Hour ePostal National Championship.

The 2020 SmartyPants Vitamins USMS Fitness Series , which benefits the USMS Swimming Saves Lives Foundation , starts with the Winter Fitness Challenge, a 30-minute swim to be done Feb. 15-29. Registration is open now and includes a bundle option for all three Fitness Series events.

Two fantastic locations are lined up for pool championships. Celebrate USMS's 50th anniversary at the 2020 USMS Spring Nationals in San Antonio, TX, (April 23-26) and 2020 USMS Summer Nationals in Richmond, VA (Aug. 12-16).

2020 USMS Open Water National Championships include a distance and location for all swimmers, from 1-11 miles in California, Ohio, Vermont, and New York.

There is truly an event for everyone. Spread the word!

Calendar of Events

Make sure members can find your events

Want to boost participation numbers in the events you work hard to organize? Then make sure your events are listed in the Calendar of Events for 2020. Our goal is to make it easy for all of our members to find USMS events, wherever they may be taking place, and making it easy for LMSCs to access all the events in their areas. Check it out and add your events!

LMSC Officer Changes?

Let the National Office know

Has your LMSC elected new officers or appointed people to new positions? Make sure the National Office has these changes. Check your LMSC's officer listings by selecting your LMSC from the list. If this listing is not correct, report any updates to

Volunteer Services.

Upcoming Peer-to-Peer Calls

Log on to teleconferences for best practices

Mark your calendars for the next peer-to-peer teleconference call for the following:

Registration: Jan. 8, 8:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Pacific

Officials : Feb. 12, 8:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Pacific

These calls provide an opportunity for you to pose questions, get answers, discuss challenges, and share successes as you fulfill your role. In turn, we can use the information shared to help build a repository of best practices for each of our volunteer positions.

Notes and recordings from Peer-to-Peer calls are now more easily accessible in the Meeting Minutes section of usms.org. Look under the Volunteers section in the large footer of usms.org and select the Meeting Minutes page. Then, select Peer-to-Peer Teleconference Notes or Peer-to-Peer Teleconference Recording from the By Committee or Group drop-down menu. Happy reading!

Quick Links

For Chairs

Guide to Operations

USMS Policies & Governance

List of LMSC Officers

For Registrars

Registrar Tutorials

Guide to Operations (Registration section)

For Meet Directors

Guide to Operations (Meet Management section)

For Officials

USMS Rule Book

Open Water Guidelines

For Top 10

Guide to Operations (Records & Tab section)

For Treasurers

Guide to Operations (Treasurer section)

Financial Policies & Guidelines