II love USMS andit is so much better than World Aquatis that There is no comparison. Sometimes it does things I find strange or even infuriating. I do not believe there was any malice but I think scheduling a major event on Rosh Hashanah was a mistake. At this point, I think the only thing that can be done is to acknowledge the mistake apologize and do better in the future.
Agreed. It is sad but it seems our first instinct when we perceive someone has wronged us, is to assume malevolence. Sometimes it helps me to realize that it is very probable that most decisions that are made in this world were not made with me in mind (and certainly were not orchestrated to piss me off).
I’ve been following this discussion, and I concur with this. As unfortunate as the situation is, I really doubt that anyone at USMS even thought “Just for spite, let’s piss off a large portion of our membership.” I would guess just the opposite happened, and there was a “How can be accommodate everyone?” consideration. But alas they weren’t able to, and something had to give in the end.
Our DEI committee is very aware of all religious holidays and has submitted a calendar to the Board every year for acknowledgement. Although I am in agreement that this is not a malicious attempt it is however poor planning and an apology statement is in order. I will bring this up to our committee at next meeting. Thank you all for your service and please be more mindful in your responses with this community feed. As mentioned we are an all inclusive organization and with that comes the responsibility of all of our members to be respectful to all members.
Just as we came to a detente and were about to join hands and sing folk songs together, predictably, the DEI committee weighs in 10 days late and 10 dollars short. Are you here to a) take accountability for the scheduling mistake b) virtue signal or c) give me the play nice in the sandbox speech?
This year's USMS Sprint- and Long-Distance Open Water National Championships being held over the same dates as Rosh Hashanah is an unfortunate convergence of dates that USMS does not take lightly.
Planning swimming events, in conjunction with local hosts, venues, and communities, and USMS’s robust calendar is challenging. In fact, our annual meeting was scheduled on Sept. 8-10 (earlier than is typical), specifically to avoid the Jewish holidays in September this year. Ironically, this schedule had an impact on when these championships could be scheduled.
USMS will continue to focus on our members’ common passion for swimming and champion an inclusive and welcoming environment as we bring together adults of diverse backgrounds to enjoy the sport we love. And we’ll continue to do our best to not schedule events on important holidays whenever possible, particularly our national championship events.
You knew it was Rosh Hashanah but you went ahead with the dates anyway. Then when you had the chance to work out a compromise you doubled down and tried to ignore it. Just be honest about it.
Please don't tell us you "spoke to a Jewish friend of yours" and they didn't think it was a big deal. Not trying to shove my way of life on anyone here. I am however a member of this organization and I want to be able to participate.
See my comments below. USMS is not an inclusive organization, this was demonstrated here. I am happy to share correspondence but we all know it won't change anything.
