Does membership with USA Swimming (not USMS) require any sort of attachment to a specific club? Or, in other words, can I join USAS and go swim whatever meets they have as an "unattached" swimmer. The master's program I swim with only had USMS affiliation.
On a similar note, do times achieved in a USMS meet have any sort of merrit for making Q times for something like a Grand Prix meet?
Former Member
I've seen that at the age group meets, too. It's so sad. How can those parents just sit up there when the meet is calling for helpers?!
I'm guessing it's because they are spending yet another weekend of 4-8 hours a day at the pool, and they don't want to get "stuck" there after their kid does his last event that session.
Tom,
I think that they have given up on trying to get volunteer timers for the distance sections. Just this weekend we came || this close to stopping the meet 3-4 times because we could not get enough timers (at only 2 per lane instead of the recommended three), even tho the spectator section was FILLED with parents. And it was worse during today's 500s.
I've seen that at the age group meets, too. It's so sad. How can those parents just sit up there when the meet is calling for helpers?!
If I want to do distance events at USA-S meets, I will have to entice others to come along so I can a counter and a timer there. I read some of the entry forms for the Mid Atlantic Region and they even require timers for the 400 events. Hopefully, I can get a training mate to go with me to some of these local meets in the spring and summer this year. But, I need to swim these meets for the challenge and to see what I can do against 15 year olds!!!
Former Member
Except that most USA-S sessions are 2-3 hours at most. For example, the 9-10 sessions this past weekend were 2 hours.
Totally agree. Every USA-S meet I've been to in the past year ran FAST. Almost to the detriment of my not getting enough rest at times. . . They are so not like the meets I attended in the '80s. And I'm in the senior/ open sessions and I always do the distance events.
I swim USAS unattached (as well as USMS.) As Paul said, it is usually MUCH cheaper to enter a USAS meet since there is usually no meet surcharge (or at most a very low one.) Just $3.50 to $4.00 per event charge.
As for the hassle...My experience is that you may have to reach out to the meet director via email or phone to see how they prefer to receive your entries (over the phone, via US mail, email, Hy-Tek file, etc.) But, it's really no more difficult than USMS IMHO...
The only negative I can think of is that they don't usually have 50 stroke events we older folks are used to.:cane:
More and more USS meets have 50s now! This is true for SCY and LCM meets. The USS Auburn meet that I'm doing has 50s as did the last couple of USS meets I considered or attended.
Meet fees vary. The total charge for me for the Auburn USMS meet was $50 and the USS Auburn meet cost me $52.
Former Member
Except that most USA-S sessions are 2-3 hours at most. For example, the 9-10 sessions this past weekend were 2 hours.
Not in our neck of the woods, and a family with 2 swimmers may be there more than one session even if the sessions are short. Our 8&Unders get a short session, but the others usually are there going on 4 hours or more for the older kids. Especially "A" meets run as prelims/finals.
Does anyone who submitted the Observation Form for Times to be submitted into the SWIMS Database? Does it have to be submitted ten days before the meet that they want the times submitted? Just a little confused here! I wanted to submit my times from next weekend's meet because I have to do it ten days before the meet or something now???
Does anyone who submitted the Observation Form for Times to be submitted into the SWIMS Database? Does it have to be submitted ten days before the meet that they want the times submitted? Just a little confused here! I wanted to submit my times from next weekend's meet because I have to do it ten days before the meet or something now???
Tom, Did you get an answer to this? I want to try to get my times from our Arizona State Masters' meet (end of March) and Nationals added to the SWIMS database. I'd love it if you found out what the exact process is.
