I have just recently decided to become dually affiliated with both the USS and USMS (i.e. I am now registered with both organizations). I did this primarily so that I could swim for our local agegroup team at meets in the 17 and over age group. The main advantage for me will be that I can now attend a much larger number of swimming events per season while not having to travel nearly as far to attend swim meets. Since most of the USS meets I will be attending are going to be in Memphis, I can now travel home after each day and return the next day without having to spend the night in a hotel....Also I will be burning a lot less gas getting to the nearby USS meets than I would traveling to USMS meets (even the ones that are the closest to where I live). If you have the same kind of situation in regards to traveling long distances to attend USMS meets and spending too much on traveling expenses, then perhaps you can benefit also from attending USS meets as well?? Also I don't think you necessarily have to be dually affiliated to attend these USS meets?.....(but I'm not really sure how that works to be honest).....I noticed that several other USMS swimmers have attended USS meets before. My first USS meet will be on October 15 and 16. I know I will probably get smoked by a lot of young fast swimmers....but I am still looking forward to the experience none-the-less. If anyone else has ever swam at a USS meet before while also registered as a masters swimmer with the USMS, please share your experience with me/us....How many of y'all are also dually affiliated?
Newmastersswimmer
p.s. I intended on posting a poll for this thread as well to see how many other USMS swimmers have ever attended a USS sanctioned meet....but I'm not sure if I submitted it correctly...so the poll may not actually accompany this posting??
I am not registered with USS, but go to a lot of USS meets, and run the computer table at USS meets for our age group club. There are a smattering of USMS swimmers swimming at these meets and for the most part, they are just part of the meet. Nadine usually gets noticed.....because she wins! I always felt like I was way to slow to do this, although there has been some meets where I would not have been dead last. Maybe once my daughter ages up to 13 and up.
Our coach is planning at some point to try and add Masters events to some of our USS meets. Apparently you can get a dual sanction as long as Masters don't warm up at the same time as the kids, and the events are separate events. Not sure what kind of issues this creates for me setting the meet up, guess I will learn.
I did it for the same reason Tracy did: To race the kids I coached, because they wanted me to.
And I also did it because there are almost zero meets in New Mexico, where I lived, so swimming in USS meets was the only option in town. And I didn't have the money or ability often to travel to Colorado for a one-day masters meet.
I'll probably let my USS membership run out after this year. In Arizona, there are enough masters meets and the competition seems good. So no need to race the youngsters (and embarrass a few of them!).
No, I haven't competed in a USA Swimming meet since I've joined USMS, but I've thought about it! Maybe this will be the year. I will admit I'm a little wary of looking like an old man out there.
It's USA Swimming now, correct? Not USS. I think that's the case, but I still hear USS a lot.
Originally posted by knelson
No, I haven't competed in a USA Swimming meet since I've joined USMS, but I've thought about it! Maybe this will be the year. I will admit I'm a little wary of looking like an old man out there.
Doesn't seem to bother Dennis Baker or Susan Von der Lippe. Or me, either. I raced in a meet last year where the oldest person was almost half my age!
It's USA Swimming now, correct? Not USS. I think that's the case, but I still hear USS a lot.
But it's easier to say "USS" than "USAS." And all of us masters were swimming when it was "USS," and we're creatures of habit.
I always said "USS" around the kids I coached, and they knew wha I meant. I think only USA Swimming officials are consistently using "USAS."
I swim both USS and Masters...mainly for the same reason you stated....more swim meets to pick from. But it is also so I can swim against the kids!!!!! They really like swimming against the coach!!!! :D
We now have the ability to dual sanction our meets with USA Swimming. Not only can we compete in the same meets, but we can now compete in the same events. For example, a meet could offer a 15 and over event where both masters and kids swim together. The only catch is that we would have to swim by USA Rules (i.e. no *** kick in the fly, etc.).
We can also have meets where the age groups are the standard USA age groups with Masters added in as a separate event.
For small teams (both USA and USMS), this offers the opportunity to have greater participation at meets.
(waving hand over here...)
I remember AAU!!!!! I swam AAU for two summers!! I just got back in touch with my age group coach - we called him Sickie! He now coaches Masters in San Diego...
(aaahhh...those were the days....) :)
Originally posted by newmastersswimmer
I also swam AAU as an agegrouper....I believe that the switch to USS from AAU occurred right around the time I was graduating from high school and entering college....somewhere in the early to mid eighties I believe?.....Seems like an eternity or two ago now though.
it was right around there. i went to college in the fall of 84, and remember doing a few AAU meets the year before. I was a YMCA swimmer most of the time, but we did do some AAU invitiationals.
Dorothy,
There is a difference between recognition and sanction.
Our LMSC-Illinois has to sanction the event and we have a separate form, fee and guidelines that needs to be addressed. Just because USS sanctions the event doesn't mean we automatically sanction it too. We have to look out for our members and make sure their needs are met. We are working on the process right now. We have different result format that we use. In addition, in our LMSC we have a one page meet information form and use a consolidated entry. We will notify the potential swimmers and potential meet host when we have this updated. We are trying to get this done by our meeting on October 20th.
I already know about your meet in November, which at this time will not have the necessary paperwork completed by then. I do understand. As you know I swim a lot of USA meets. This will allow me to continue to compete, but now as a USMS member.
If you have other questions regarding this matter, please e-mail me directly.
Nadine
