At the convention I kept hearing...
"Swimming is the number one choice of exercise in adults" and
"Ask anyone and they'll be able to tell you gow beneficial swimming is" and similar phrases...
Well, I can't dipute the facty that swimming is good for you, one of the best forms of exercise there is.
Now, having said that, I can't help it notice that even in this 'day and age' where so many people are close to obsessed with fitness and exercise - especially in California - the USMS membership of some 40,000 is only 0.15% of the population of the US.
This leads me to think that we (the USMS) has missed the boat somewhere!!!
Coming back from my fiorst convention, I see that thewre is a lot of focus on competetive swimming, and most of the delegates and BOD nad EC are either current or former competetive swimmers, and naturally the focus would be on competing.
That alone is wonderful... BUT...
It is my understanding that close to 80% of the USMS membership consists of fitness swimmers.
Also, I hear that :
- in the last 2-3 years the USMS membership has been stagnating.
- USMS does want to grow in membership.
And...
at the convention, I see 'fitness' as being an auxiliary, almost a stepchild focus to the competetive side.
Don't get me wrong, I love to compete myself, BUT...
Competetive adult swimmers are a very narrow demographic and if USMS wants to grow, they (we) need to find more attractive ways to "build-educate-service" our potential fitness swimmers.
I find it puzzling that many 'fitness swimmers' will readily enter open water swims, but when they hear of a swim meet, they don't think they're good enough for it... I've done both, and let me tewll you, swim meets are much easier, especially for a first timer, then an open water mile swim in an ocean or a lake.
I also see coaches right here in this forum that are having a hard time explaining to their fitness swimmers why (other then insurance that some clubs require) they should be members of USMS.
I think USMS is failing in it's core objectives when it comes to attracting membership, servicing them and educatiing them, which I strongly believe will mostly come from the fitness side.
Well, this is all that comes to mind at the moment. I'm hoping to eventually refine the thoughts.
Comments, thoughts anyone? I'd love to have some dialogue about this and hear what other people think.
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by emmett
Seamless liability insurance coverage. Liability coverage regardless of USMS registration status of swimmers in the water. Opportunity to purchase health insurance at group rates. Online registration. Club management tools/services ala www.clubassistant.com (including credit card merchant service).
That's for starters.
Good Ideas!
One thing about seamless insurance... Providing that would mean that member end up carrying financial burden for non members. I think that is unfair to members.
I wonder if the insurance compamies would see thhat as too much risk as they wouldn't be able to exactly quantify the numbers they are insuring.
Perhaps there could be a 'club fee' for covering the non USMS swimmers. Just thinking out loud here.
I hear that the online registration is in the works. I'm hoping it will become available sometime in 05. Well, to clarify, swim meet registration for local meets.
On the other hand, I think having online registration for the USMS membership would be wonderful.
I;ll have a look at the clubassistant. To my knowldge, USMS relies on the local LMSC's for club assistance. In last few years when most of us have gotten accustomed to the immediacy of the infiormation available on line I wonder if this service has gotten lost... The information is not exactly readily accessible on the USMS website, and lot of LMSC's don't have really elaborate websites. I know as of late most people think that if something is not available on line, or at least not listed there that it doesn;t exist. I think USMS can improve tyhe information dissemenation quite a bit.
I know the USMS website is being rebuilt. I'm hoping that will bring some good changes. I know many people (comittees) within USMS are anxious to get more representation on line. So far it's been the matter of getting to it all, and there are volumes and volunes of it to be done.
Originally posted by emmett
Seamless liability insurance coverage. Liability coverage regardless of USMS registration status of swimmers in the water. Opportunity to purchase health insurance at group rates. Online registration. Club management tools/services ala www.clubassistant.com (including credit card merchant service).
That's for starters.
Good Ideas!
One thing about seamless insurance... Providing that would mean that member end up carrying financial burden for non members. I think that is unfair to members.
I wonder if the insurance compamies would see thhat as too much risk as they wouldn't be able to exactly quantify the numbers they are insuring.
Perhaps there could be a 'club fee' for covering the non USMS swimmers. Just thinking out loud here.
I hear that the online registration is in the works. I'm hoping it will become available sometime in 05. Well, to clarify, swim meet registration for local meets.
On the other hand, I think having online registration for the USMS membership would be wonderful.
I;ll have a look at the clubassistant. To my knowldge, USMS relies on the local LMSC's for club assistance. In last few years when most of us have gotten accustomed to the immediacy of the infiormation available on line I wonder if this service has gotten lost... The information is not exactly readily accessible on the USMS website, and lot of LMSC's don't have really elaborate websites. I know as of late most people think that if something is not available on line, or at least not listed there that it doesn;t exist. I think USMS can improve tyhe information dissemenation quite a bit.
I know the USMS website is being rebuilt. I'm hoping that will bring some good changes. I know many people (comittees) within USMS are anxious to get more representation on line. So far it's been the matter of getting to it all, and there are volumes and volunes of it to be done.
