what percentage of active swimmers are members of USMS?
Former Member
I have thought about joining, but can`t come up with a good reason why I should. My schedule conflicts with every team in my area and I really don`t have a strong desire to compete anyway. Already a member of the NRA and the discounts trump anything USMS can offer. Not a whole lot of equipment needed for swimming, so store discounts don`t really seem all that important. I wonder what percentage of active swimmers are members of the USMS?
My team used to have the same requirements. About 2 or 3 years ago the team started doing its own insurance, and dropped the USMS requirement.
Circa 1999, Sun Devil Masters has between 130-160 swimmers, all of whom had to be registered with USMS. Focus of team was competition, we had good turnout at meets.
Circa 2005, team no longer requires members to have USMS membership. Team now has over 350 swimmers, less than 100 registered with USMS. Meet attendance is tepid at best.
If a team can purchase private insurance and the focus is no longer on competition, what is the value in USMS membership? Look at SDM, DAMM, and other teams that have grown considerably over the past few years as example of this trend. I suspect this will continue until we can make membership compelling for non-competitive swimmers. If/when this happens, our membership will grow considerably.
Note: The forth largest masters team in AZ has 84 members, of which only 4-5 are registered. They are larger than Northern Arizona Masters...
My team used to have the same requirements. About 2 or 3 years ago the team started doing its own insurance, and dropped the USMS requirement.
Circa 1999, Sun Devil Masters has between 130-160 swimmers, all of whom had to be registered with USMS. Focus of team was competition, we had good turnout at meets.
Circa 2005, team no longer requires members to have USMS membership. Team now has over 350 swimmers, less than 100 registered with USMS. Meet attendance is tepid at best.
If a team can purchase private insurance and the focus is no longer on competition, what is the value in USMS membership? Look at SDM, DAMM, and other teams that have grown considerably over the past few years as example of this trend. I suspect this will continue until we can make membership compelling for non-competitive swimmers. If/when this happens, our membership will grow considerably.
Note: The forth largest masters team in AZ has 84 members, of which only 4-5 are registered. They are larger than Northern Arizona Masters...
