Swim Unattached?

Originally posted by kaffrinn I would, however, contact someone from Illinois Masters before doing so. I think you can compete for their team while practicing alone. Kristin, I agree with this. At the least, visit www.napervillewaves.org and send an e-mail to Coach Sue. Although she'd probably be happier if you were practicing with us, in past meets we have included "independents" on our relays. (You would still need to be part of Illinois Masters, and the Waves sub-group in particular.) Or send me a message for any specific questions. Do some shopping. You may decide to swim with a different IM subgroup, or maybe stay unattached. And visit the CMSA website to see the meet schedule.

Yes, you can compete unattached. Just write UNAT on your USMS registration form. I would, however, contact someone from Illinois Masters before doing so. I think you can compete for their team while practicing alone. That's what I do with Minnesota Masters, I practice alone but compete for the state team, and I'm pretty sure that since IM is so large, they do the same thing. The advantage is that you can compete on a relay sometime with other IM swimmers. Either way, check the Illinois Masters website for upcoming meets. Depending on the meet, you will either enter ahead of time by mailing in a form, or you will just show up the day of the meet and register on deck. There is usually a small fee to compete in a meet, and you will need to provide either your USMS membership card or a copy of it. I sympathize with being a "loner" and also being new to the USMS system and having lots of questions. I've found that the best way is to make a few local contacts where you can direct your questions, as well as staying connected to this website for more discussion and information. Good luck! Maybe you can recruit a few others from your college to practice with you!