The going paperless route is an option. It wouldn't be that simple to take to the throne room to read though.
Well, the next step would be to make a version for the Kindle!:)
I don't think they should get rid of the hardcopy, though maybe they can give people the option of opting out of it if they are okay with reading it online.
But at least with an online copy, maybe there wouldn't be as many complaints about late/missing issues. :)
The going paperless route is an option. It wouldn't be that simple to take to the throne room to read though.
I must disagree about the "not getting the mag" comment. Tim would start complaining that he hasn't been able to login to the magazine for two weeks. He would say that that usms hadn't posted it in his server.
You come to this forum, which is free, and then turn around and gripe constantly about the tiny cost of USMS. I've about had it with the whining. If it is that much of a problem, cancel your membership, it's that simple.
You state the other sports you participate in there is no fixed cost to participate. You bike and run so you can walk outside your front door and workout. If you joined a biking team or running team it is entirely possible they would have dues. Do you expect swimming to be free?
Further, fees for road races, both bike and run, are very expensive compared to swim and USMS membership. USAT dues are double USMS and the events are, at minimum, double as well. My wife does half-marathons and they are very expensive, much more than the cost of a USMS membership AND a single meet fee. I can swim an entire weekend for $40. You can't sniff a triathlon or serious running race for under $75. I swam in Atlanta for 4 days for $130 and that included two t-shirts and a parking pass, which doubled my cost. An Ironman is about $450 for a single one day event.
Every January when my wife and I renew our USAT membership and sign up in the mad rush for our yearly triathlons we always remark at just how affordable USMS is.
The magazine, let it go. It comes with the membership. All sports organizations do this. If you don't like it, don't read it. The USAT magazine is nothing more than a hundred pages of adds. I find value in the Swimmer mag I receive. If you are suggesting you have the option to be USMS member and get the magazine on line for a reduced USMS cost, that might be an idea.
I'm sorry you hang out with cheapskates. Here's the bottom line - pools are expensive to run, coaches aren't free and lane competition is significant. Do you have kids in USAS programs? If you did you'd realize what an incredible bargain USMS is. I suspect I pay 4-5X more per year for the kids' programs. I don't complain about that either, btw, because I know the value of what they receive. Most pool programs struggle to break even. I suspect if you really were charged a fee to stay even, it would be much more.
You also fail to recognize many other valuable aspects of this organization. A centralized authority for meet management, standards for regulations, facility information, coaching guides, workouts, etc. We all benefit from this.
You have to decide if the value of USMS is worth it to you. For me it's a total no-brainer. You also train with two of the best coaches around so it is shocking that you would complain about a relatively tiny amount of money to do your sport in a beautiful facility with awesome coaches. I think you are at Mesa, if not, then I'm wrong. But, you swim somewhere.
You obviously feel swimming should be free. Well, for all we get from USMS, it is about as close to free as you can get.
:applaud:
I finally received my magazine yesterday. It appears that someone saw my posts on here and personally found an extra magazine, dropped it in an envelope, and mailed it to me. :applaud:
The next major portion of our dues seems to go towards insurance. I don't recall visiting teams being a major portion of our dues.
The insurance allows you to visit other teams, since they will usually require USMS membership. (A team or facility may charge an additional fee, of course.)
The last time I looked at the price breakdown of where are dues are paid, well over 1/2 of them went to the magazine. If you have a more recent version of how our dues are paid, please post it here. The next major portion of our dues seems to go towards insurance. I don't recall visiting teams being a major portion of our dues.
Instead of complaining, why don't you propose how much we should pay for all we get? I personally don't have a major issue with paying about $3.50 a month for USMS membership. If is, BY FAR, the cheapest adult sports organization dues I pay, and has, BY FAR, the greatest overall benefits.
Why in this day with a robust USMS website do we even need a hard copy magazine?
True, my own wish-list would include a members-only online access to the magazine.
(But NOT using the Swimming World subscription model, which is an incredibly annoying way to do it.)
The last time I looked at the price breakdown of where are dues are paid, well over 1/2 of them went to the magazine. If you have a more recent version of how our dues are paid, please post it here. The next major portion of our dues seems to go towards insurance. I don't recall visiting teams being a major portion of our dues.
You are always complaining about the cost of the USMS membership. The magazine does not come cheap. Laura and the people that help her work very hard to bring us a magazine full of color and in-depth articles that are aimed at helping us improve our lives,swimming and letting us know about accomplishments of others in our sport.
Insurance to protect us at practices and meets isn't cheap either. Then part of our dues goes to help pay for our usms staffers, like Rob, Mark, Jim, Anna Lea, and Laura. Another part goes to help marketing usms, help in putting on events like nationals(because our entry fees don't cover the meet expenses alone) swimfest, etc.
If you have a better solution as to what to do with our membership dues, then put it forth for usms to consider. If you don't, then quit whinning about the cost, which isn't much a year.
A better idea for you, join lifetime or someplace with a pool. That way you can swim on your own and won't need your usms membership to cover you butt.
I finally received my magazine yesterday. It appears that someone saw my posts on here and personally found an extra magazine, dropped it in an envelope, and mailed it to me. :applaud:
Tim,
I was the one who mailed you a magazine. I thought I put my name under the return address on the envelope, but maybe not. I was kind of in a hurry to get on a plane to Puerto Rico...
I also sent you an email message on August 6th. I sent it to two different email addresses for you. Did you receive it? It said in part:
I sent an email yesterday to 20 other USMS members whose mailing addresses are all in Chandler, Arizona. I asked them whether they received their magazines and, if they could tell me approximately when they were delivered.
Six people have replied. All six have received their magazines. All those who provided a timeframe indicated that their magazines were delivered about two weeks ago.
I suggest you talk to your USPS postmaster about this. Clearly the magazines are making it to Chandler. One of the recipients who replied lives in your same zip code. So the problem appears to lie somewhere between your post office and your house.
I also included some information about routes and delivery points that may help your postmaster. If you did not receive my email let me know and I'll resend it.
Anna Lea
True, my own wish-list would include a members-only online access to the magazine.
(But NOT using the Swimming World subscription model, which is an incredibly annoying way to do it.)
I like the hard copy. In a time where we have to get on line to view majority of things, I find it nice to have a magazine that I can hold and flip through the pages to read, pictures to study and be able to take with me much easier than a computer that is needed to view things online.
