With the continued growth in USMS membership, I would submit that it's time to eliminate the regional teams at Nationals. Case in point: NCMS sent a "team" of 123 swimmers to Atlanta, enough to enter A, B, C, and D relays in many events (e.g. the mens 35+ 200 free relay in which our club team placed 13th behind eight regional teams). It's been argued that the formation of regional teams allows more swimmers to participate in relays, yet local clubs from North Carolina sent as many as thirty or more athletes and could have entered relays on their own as our club (with eight swimmers) did. Swim with the guys you actually train with.
Zones are scored the same way and are subject to the same issue of larger teams dominating due to a huge number of relays.
Actually, this needn't be true at all. In the Rule Book (rule 104.5.6 "Club Scoring"), the categories of Regional and Local clubs are defined under the broader heading of 104.5 "Conduct of National Championship Meets." Nothing prevents your Zone Championship from using another system.
I know our latest Colonies Zone Championships used the "Small/Medium/Large" categories, for example.
Zones are scored the same way and are subject to the same issue of larger teams dominating due to a huge number of relays.
Actually, this needn't be true at all. In the Rule Book (rule 104.5.6 "Club Scoring"), the categories of Regional and Local clubs are defined under the broader heading of 104.5 "Conduct of National Championship Meets." Nothing prevents your Zone Championship from using another system.
I know our latest Colonies Zone Championships used the "Small/Medium/Large" categories, for example.
