Paul Smith has started another thread which has migrated to what USMS might do to attract and keep more members. I thought, after trying unsuccessfully to find a thread on the subject, that I would hit the nail on the head.
There was a recent membership poll on the issues, which I participated in, but I thought it might not have emphasized strongly enough my own personal reasons:
I AM A MEMBER OF USMS SOLELY BECAUSE IT PROVIDES A MECHANISM FOR COMPETITION.
There are other 'benefits' that accrue from your USMS membership but most of them are of no interest to me. Insurance is one that is often mentioned, but in my experience, this is not such an important factor.
Excluding city and county recreation centers and private athletic clubs, here is a list of all the teams I have trained with and their membership requirements:
Laramie Masters Swim Club: trained at the high school; USMS membership required.
University of Wyoming Masters Swim Group: trained at the University; USMS membership not required.
Ford Aquatics: trained at the University of Arizona; USMS membership required.
Northern Arizona Masters: trained at Northern Arizona University; USMS membership not required.
Snow Mountain Masters: trained at Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA; USMS membership not required.
University of Denver Masters: trained at DU; USMS membership not required.
So, of the six teams I have trained with only two have required USMS membership. Most of my training is solo at clubs and recreation centers, so the insurance problem is not an issue.
Also, now that I'm over 50, there are other competition avenues open to me (read Senior Games...) so I could continue to compete even if there were no USMS (In fairness, here, I should stress that USMS has worked VERY HARD to bring these games up to their standards of competition. I went to some of the earlier versions of these that were just a joke. I believe that we seniors owe a great debt to Scott Rabalais and others for carrying this out.)
What's your reason?
Parents
Former Member
Actually, even if you join USMS just for the competition, insurance is a very important factor. To take over a pool or beach facility for a competition, the people putting on the competition have to show the facility management that the event will have liability insurance. Sanctioning, whether through USMS or USS or USAT or whatever, provides the insurance without which the organized competition could not occur.
Your point is well taken: competition insurance is a valid part of my USMS fees even though I may not need that same insurance in order to train.
However, I have been involved with cross country ski clubs in different parts of the country and have helped to stage races in that sport. For these operations, there is insurance that is available to be purchased by the organizations just for the events. Then, the organization factors these costs into the entry fees to recover the extra expense.
I routinely participate in ski races of 600-1000 skiers and do not have to belong to any organization such as USSA. For example, the last two years National Ski Masters was held in Bend OR and the participant needed only pay the entry fees for the event. So, there are ways to do it although I grant that having a simple umbrella organization certainly makes it more transparent for the organizers of swim meets.
Actually, even if you join USMS just for the competition, insurance is a very important factor. To take over a pool or beach facility for a competition, the people putting on the competition have to show the facility management that the event will have liability insurance. Sanctioning, whether through USMS or USS or USAT or whatever, provides the insurance without which the organized competition could not occur.
Your point is well taken: competition insurance is a valid part of my USMS fees even though I may not need that same insurance in order to train.
However, I have been involved with cross country ski clubs in different parts of the country and have helped to stage races in that sport. For these operations, there is insurance that is available to be purchased by the organizations just for the events. Then, the organization factors these costs into the entry fees to recover the extra expense.
I routinely participate in ski races of 600-1000 skiers and do not have to belong to any organization such as USSA. For example, the last two years National Ski Masters was held in Bend OR and the participant needed only pay the entry fees for the event. So, there are ways to do it although I grant that having a simple umbrella organization certainly makes it more transparent for the organizers of swim meets.
