I left convention again (which was great this year by the way!) with a nagging question...why do we have "Zones" within the structure of USMS?
- They wield little if any "power" within the organization
- LMSC's are already often challenged with getting volunteers
- The only people that can participate pretty much have to be at convention
- One additional "layer" of "management?
- The lines that have been drawn are crazy...have you seen the Breadbasket?
I'd prefer to see a consolidation into 4 Regions...then realign the meet calendar so that "Regional" Championships actually mean something and are a viable alternative to folks that can't make Nationals for whatever reason.
Along with this I would prefer to see the competitive seasons "balanced" a bit as follows:
- Short Course = Mid-December until the end of April. State meets held around the first of March, Regional's two weeks later, Nationals two weeks after Regional's.
- Long Course = May 1 thru the end of August. State championships held around the first of July, Regional's two weeks later, Nationals two weeks after Regional's
- Short Course Meters = September 1 thru mid December. State meets in late October, Regional's in November, Nationals the first or second week of December.
I would rephrase the question as, "Why do we have LMSCs?"
Many of the officer roles at the LMSC level do not exist at the Zone level (at least in Colonies this is the case). In no particular order:
Coaches
Registrar
Officials
Sanctions
Treasurer
Top Ten Recorder
Secretary
some other optional roles
Even if they did create these positions, many would not be manageable for a single person at the Zone level...that person would be responsible for thousands of members at a minimum. Since most LMSC board members are volunteers, that would be asking a lot.
USA-S is structured in a similar manner (59 LSCs). There are Zone Directors (coach and non-coach), but beyond that, it is up to the individual LSC boards to manage everything on a local level.
I would rephrase the question as, "Why do we have LMSCs?"
Many of the officer roles at the LMSC level do not exist at the Zone level (at least in Colonies this is the case). In no particular order:
Coaches
Registrar
Officials
Sanctions
Treasurer
Top Ten Recorder
Secretary
some other optional roles
Even if they did create these positions, many would not be manageable for a single person at the Zone level...that person would be responsible for thousands of members at a minimum. Since most LMSC board members are volunteers, that would be asking a lot.
USA-S is structured in a similar manner (59 LSCs). There are Zone Directors (coach and non-coach), but beyond that, it is up to the individual LSC boards to manage everything on a local level.
