Citizenship/Residence & Records

Canadians are allowed to hold USMS records unless the first two letters of their last name begin with "Cr," in which case they are specifically excluded. It's a fact, check the rule book, it's right after the rules regarding early bloomer/late bloomer time differentials.

Do I sniff another compelling convention topic, Mark?

Are you saying we are denying talented and capable US swimmers the right to get a USMS membership in favor of foreign swimmers? My goodness, the inhumanity of it all!

There is a faint annoying buzzing noise coming from my computer, probably some inconsequential lower lifeform... There are USMS members who are citizens of other countries, some of them have held USMS records.

Only a member of USMS can be recognized for a USMS record. USMS does not have a residency requirement, so a swimmer with Mexican citizenship belonging to a USMS team would be eligible to hold a USMS record.

Originally, I know some some Canadian swimmers registered USMS because they liked to compete in your yards meets & be eligible for some sort of record (no yards records kept in Canada). Also, upon occasion large US 'super teams' have been known to recruit for their relays from north of the border for the yards nats (this I know from personal experience; I declined ). If a Canadian swimmer registers as USMS & competes in US metric meets as USMS, I believe they are ineligible for Canadian records or top 10. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if some Canadians haven't registered USMS simply because they live along the border in places where the nearest pool &/or club is in a US city.

Are you saying we are denying talented and capable US swimmers the right to get a USMS membership in favor of foreign swimmers? My goodness, the inhumanity of it all! Exactly. I'll bet we're paying for their memberships as well!

It seems to me USMS records are just that: the fastest times ever recorded by USMS members. They aren't U.S. records, they are USMS records. ------------------- Peter Cruise said: "...there are pernicious Canadians infiltrating as we speak; you can usually tell by their refusal to drink the diluted, tasteless swill you call beer." I can't allow this old wives tale to go unchallenged. Canadian beer is NOT stronger than U.S. beer. Traditionally the U.S. has measured alcohol in beer as percent by weight, while Canada has measured it as percent by volume. Since alcohol is less dense than water the ABV numbers are higher by something like 20%.

Aquageek: No there is not a nationality requirement for memebership in USMS and I believe there will never be one because it would be in violation of the Equal Opportunity Clause. Rule 501.3. is written as follows: "Membership in USMS shall not be denied by virtue of race, creed, gender, religion, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, or national origin." This appears on page 88 in the 2005 USMS Rule Book. Many years ago at the USAS convention there was considerable debate on the floor as to what should be written in this rule and what exclusions if any should appear. After long debates this is what appears from those discussions. Mark Gill is correct in that only a member of USMS can hold a National Record. The key here is to be a member of the organization. It does not require residency requirement. I believe all of the member FINA countries work like this for Masters only. In the early 1990's I remember seeing Rowdy Gaines having World Records from the country of Japan. I know he wasn't resident there but he must have registered for the Japan organization and swam as a Japan registered swimmer to have the records count for Japan. Registration is necessary for a WR and it does not have to be from the country you are a citizen of. Now I know you can't have dual registrations from two different countries. I know people in the past that have done this, for example having a USMS membership and having Canadian membership and they have been notified by the governing bodies to choose only one. Foreign swimmers are welcome at our USMS National Meets but cannot set USMS records or be eligible for USMS Top Ten. A foreign swimmer is defined as an athlete member of a FINA member federation, other than USMS. In rule 201.4.3 it states "Any foreign swimmers requesting an invitation to participate in USMS events may have such an invitation extended only by the USMS president or the president's designee." I don't know if this is done a lot, but usually the most foreign swimmers I see at USMS events are either from Canada and Mexico. Right now USMS keeps no US Open Masters records. I think it pretty much follows what USA swimming does except they have the residency requirement. So if Roland Schoeman wants to buy a USMS card in Arizona and show up at any USMS meet and start breaking USMS records, its perfectly legal under USMS rules.

I'd hate to see us change the eligibility requirement and I don't think that is what we are saying.......the more the better (just as in USS foreign swimmers are registerd). What should be changed however is the record keeping system to how USS works; American (USMS) records help by citizens, World records for all and US Open for the fastest times swum in at USMS meet (this would recognize foreign swimmers who have a faster time than a US swimmer without allowing them to hold the US record as well). Seems like a simple fix? Especially with Worlds bringing about 10,000 people into town!