Registration extension at Worlds

That is interesting. For age group meets, we usually get 95% of the entries in the first 3 days. After that we get a trickle here and there, and may get something bigger if a team gets shut out from somewhere else. Just like adults to procrastinate and hold on to our money until the last minute.

Until we have some incentive to encourage people to enter before the deadline, this trend will continue. Sounds like it's time to offer discounts to people who can plan things in advance and who don't have to wait for a "deadline" to be part of their motivation to make a decision.

Unless it was a significant discount, it probably will not work. Maybe a late fee that is substantial after a certain time.

My only position in this is that they had a long delay getting the soft ware up and working for the online registration (I believe about 7 seven weeks later then they had indicated it would be up) and under those circumstances an extension would be a reasonable thing to do.

I have worked with the last few championship meets. Here is an interesting tidbit for you. Typically a huge number of USMS members enter nationals during the last week. In the last 4 days of Coral Springs Nationals over 500 swimmers entered out of 1275. At Mission Viejo last year, over 500 swimmers out of 1100 entered in the last 4 days. For Worlds, 2700 athletes entered in the last 5 days out of 6000 plus entered athletes. You could open entries today for SC Nats in Federal Way. It would have no effect on the size of the meet. Until we have some incentive to encourage people to enter before the deadline, this trend will continue. Perhpas it is time for graduate pricing at our championship meets.

Please put my name on that life time exemption........

Originally posted by dorothyrde That is interesting. For age group meets, we usually get 95% of the entries in the first 3 days. After that we get a trickle here and there, and may get something bigger if a team gets shut out from somewhere else. Just like adults to procrastinate and hold on to our money until the last minute. Back when I was coaching age group swimmers in New Jersey, we would enter the meets early because we didn't want to get locked out of the meet. There was a cutoff for the number of swimmers allowed to enter meets, and if you entered late, you risked being locked out. USMS doesn't have need that incentive for local meets, and we don't appear to have the problem with too many people at Nationals either. So, the quota incentive might not work for us - but the discount for early entries might work. It will be interesting to hear more about news ideas discussed among the Championship Committee. :)

Free bobblehead dolls of famous swimmers for early entries... Lifetime exemption from viewing of 'Speedo guy in red racers'... Noodles autographed by the Geek... contribution in your name made to the 'John Smith' foreign collegiate swimmer scholarship fund... any other ideas out there to promote early entries at large meets?

What is so confusing about deadline June 3? There should be NO extension. We are 9 days past that deadline and the meet has been posted for about a year.

Originally posted by onlyfree "confusion of last minute entries" Right, drip'n'wet, it's not about anyone's "confusion." It's about the money, much like the unilateral decision to reward Speedo an "exclusive" at the meet for their years of ignoring USMS. Only, that wasn't really about the money because no one else got to bid! But, this IS about the money. Egad! The crass suggestion that the Meet Organizers, in addition to putting in untold hours of unrequited, volunteer labor, might actually want to break even on this event! The unfettered commercialism of it all! I've asked this before, and heard nothing but the sound of silence, but let me try again. How exactly am I (someone who entered the event within the original deadline) in any way disadvantaged by letting a few more swimmers register a week or two after the original deadline? If you've ever help run even an itty-bitty local swim meet, let alone a 9000 athlete goliath like FINA World's, you have some idea of the planning and advanced preparations you have to make on the estimation of how many swimmers will sign up. Anemic entries can kill your budget. Contrary to naive belief, this is not about anyone getting rich; it's about the hosting organization not taking a bath on it. All of us would do well to thank Michael and rest of the volunteers for their work, not second guess every decision they make in the heat of the last few weeks before the meet. Again, if you've ever helped run a meet even a fraction of this size, you'd realize this is crunch time when you don't particularly need your elbow jostled. Matt