Yet...... another comment on "elitism" in masters swimming. This ongoing battle of two imaginary groups....... the selfish former elite swimmers and the non elite counter parts.
Yes..... The Evil Smith and I have taken great pleasure throughout the last decade trying to secretly split USMS into these two groups. Our efforts to perpetuate this divide and fuel our intolerance for "learners" is now being undermined..... :-)
One Big Happy Family: Marcinkowski’s Masters
reachforthewall.com/.../
"Butcher, Zerkle and others say numbers have soared because Marcinkowski has tried to strip the elitism from masters swimming, often thought to be populated with former competitive stars who have little tolerance for learners."
Parents
Former Member
I can't speak to this Club's policies but can say now that I'm spending a significant amount of time on "the other side" getting the Mesa team up and running there may be more to it than what the website would leave you to believe.
Again...I don't know the details of Curl-Burke but one major issue in masters is the liability we as coaches/teams incure when someone "drops in". If CB is using the USMS insurance exclusively then they have a pre set format that must be followed to make sure a visitor is covered and it usually is much easier if that is completed before you arive on deck when the coach is trying to get a workout up and running. In case your curious her is how one team does and does it very well: www.indyswimfit.com/.../30daywaiver.pdf
We have taken a slightly different approach at MAC...we are a USMS insured club but we have also taken out a secondary "3rd party" policy that pretty much covers the gaps in the USMS coverage (you will never know till you are sued, however our 3rd party waiver has already been successful in court in another state). For example we can have kids under 18 train with us...something we wanted to do because we are working with the age group team to do a 1-2x a month "family" workout. I know USMS is working on improving its coverage and incorporating some basic certifications for coaches, all of which is a good thing.
I brought up the concerns I had with liability on an earlier thread and have since gotten even more freaked out to see how little attention is paid to the issue not just by clubs/coaches but also athletes. So I would ask anyone who is interested in visiting a team to not just rush to judgement when you see some simple requirments in place...call or email the coach for a better explanation.
Thank you for the very thorough explanation! It's nice to hear from an admin perspective, and I can see quite clearly how liability is a concern. :)
I guess I hadn't really heard that perspective as much as coaches and board members complaining about drop-in swimmers are difficult to manage logistically (pay in cash? check? who holds the money? does the money ever get to the club?) or that many swimmers over-use drop-ins so as to avoid making a commitment to the club and paying monthly dues.
Having said that, the tone and wording of the drop-in policy as stated at the time clearly made it seem like Curl-Burke was only for serious swimmers, which is what the coach said in the article.
I can't speak to this Club's policies but can say now that I'm spending a significant amount of time on "the other side" getting the Mesa team up and running there may be more to it than what the website would leave you to believe.
Again...I don't know the details of Curl-Burke but one major issue in masters is the liability we as coaches/teams incure when someone "drops in". If CB is using the USMS insurance exclusively then they have a pre set format that must be followed to make sure a visitor is covered and it usually is much easier if that is completed before you arive on deck when the coach is trying to get a workout up and running. In case your curious her is how one team does and does it very well: www.indyswimfit.com/.../30daywaiver.pdf
We have taken a slightly different approach at MAC...we are a USMS insured club but we have also taken out a secondary "3rd party" policy that pretty much covers the gaps in the USMS coverage (you will never know till you are sued, however our 3rd party waiver has already been successful in court in another state). For example we can have kids under 18 train with us...something we wanted to do because we are working with the age group team to do a 1-2x a month "family" workout. I know USMS is working on improving its coverage and incorporating some basic certifications for coaches, all of which is a good thing.
I brought up the concerns I had with liability on an earlier thread and have since gotten even more freaked out to see how little attention is paid to the issue not just by clubs/coaches but also athletes. So I would ask anyone who is interested in visiting a team to not just rush to judgement when you see some simple requirments in place...call or email the coach for a better explanation.
Thank you for the very thorough explanation! It's nice to hear from an admin perspective, and I can see quite clearly how liability is a concern. :)
I guess I hadn't really heard that perspective as much as coaches and board members complaining about drop-in swimmers are difficult to manage logistically (pay in cash? check? who holds the money? does the money ever get to the club?) or that many swimmers over-use drop-ins so as to avoid making a commitment to the club and paying monthly dues.
Having said that, the tone and wording of the drop-in policy as stated at the time clearly made it seem like Curl-Burke was only for serious swimmers, which is what the coach said in the article.
