I don't know whether this has been discussed much, but how can USMS support "going green," promoting and/or being supportive of being environmentally responsible for clean water to swim in as well as to drink?
Open Water swims, of course, are the perfect venues to remind us all to keep our waters clean for swimming. The Boston swim focuses on this; do other Open Water swims promote cleaner water? What do they do?
Can pool Masters swimmers, clubs, LMSCs promote being "greener"? Encouraging people to take shorter showers is one way. What are other ways?
I think it is a fine idea and good opportunity for USMS to promote this particular aspect of the environment. By the way, all the Great Lakes are down several inches, except for Lake Superior (where, at the moment, we don't have Open Water swims...but who knows, in the future???).
Jennifer Parks, Michigan Masters
Temps idea is good. Showers is definetely good.
I think Stud's paper idea has the best potential for impact. Think of all the entry forms, newsletters and magazines we get in the mail. Our LMSC sends out a newsletter 4x a year. It is well put together, but the pictures don't print well in b/w, printing and postage is expensive, and while we give the option for a multiple-swimmer household to opt out of extras, we give no option for someone to receive a PDF via email. I bet we can save thousands of $ and a lot of trees that way.
Illinois has a standardized entry card they use for practically everything. Completely paperless. A meet web site, email announcement and a link to the entry form. Simple. Brilliant. (of course, if you want to go, you do have to print out the entry form after all, but still).
Furthermore, online entries completely discourage printouts and are a benefit to the meet directors. I can't imagine Nationals with 1500 paper entries. I bet they still get plenty though.
JP, I concur with George - great topic!
Hey that's really good. There some retentive meet directors down Maryland way who specifically ask you to "paste" it in an appropriately sized box...
Speaking of wasted paper, yeah, that is because i make a paper copy of your entry, with card, for my records (and if your original gets lost), and it helps to have it fit on the entry form w/o overlapping anything important.
I got a copy of a card for the Terrapin Cup that was 5"x8".
Now, stud, remember, entries do get "lost in the mail" :)
I would like to note that we printed our programs on recycled paper and recycled probably 98% of the paper used from entries (envelope, usms card trimmings, copies, etc), signage and results.
As a triathlete, let me express just how sorry you swimmers do your entries. To enter a tri you do it all via the ether. A swim meet requires 2-3 pages of printing, the envelope, the check, the copy of your card, etc.
Of course, printing the 4 or 5 pages of rules and regulations for the tri generally balances the whole equation out.
I think it would be a good idea for USMS to have meet entry on line via the home page.
Online entries for all USMS sanctioned meets would be great. I think the only way for this to work--and to ensure consistency--would be for this to be provided by USMS rather than the individual LMSCs.
Forget filling out the paper entry, writing an actual check for anything these days seems like such an anachronism.
Online entries for all USMS sanctioned meets would be great. I think the only way for this to work--and to ensure consistency--would be for this to be provided by USMS rather than the individual LMSCs.
Forget filling out the paper entry, writing an actual check for anything these days seems like such an anachronism.
In running, tris, and even sports rec leagues, everyone uses active.com. is there a reason why swimming couldn't do the same thing? the "convenience fee" is passed either along to the entrant or to the event and that is determined by the director.
i don't know why swim meets could use active.com. from a race (running) directors perspective and an entrants perspective, it's the best thing since electronic timing!
Carpooling was something else I was going to mention. Think about how many people are driving to practices and meets by themselves. I know I am most of the time. Heck, this forum could be helpful in organizing carpools to meets. If the entries were online a link could be given to a forum topic for carpooling to each meet.
USMS cards that can be emailed instead of photocopied and 80% of a sheet of paper wasted just to mail it in
I copy my card on the back of the entry paper to save paper.
USMS cards that can be emailed instead of photocopied and 80% of a sheet of paper wasted just to mail it in
I copy my card on the back of the entry paper to save paper.
Hey that's really good. There some retentive meet directors down Maryland way who specifically ask you to "paste" it in an appropriately sized box...
lol:D
