When will USMS allow for private company open water race directors to sanction events that part of a Masters team?
Has anyone been able to get a sanction?
Or will many of these remain self insured and not recognize masters or USA Swimming?
I would like to open my event with separate categories for USMS and USA Swimming.
Steven,
USMS will "never" sanction an event organized by a private company. Rule 202.1.1D prohibits it, and USA-S has a similar rule in their books. If the private company, however, is a non-profit company, or if it organizes the event for the benefit of a host club/LMSC or a charity, then that gets around the "purely commercial" clause, and I think that has been allowed in limited cases. (Specifically, I believe there are triathlons in UT and AZ that have, or have had, a USMS-sanctioned swim "wave".) Generally, USMS has rarely sanctioned events not hosted by a registered USMS or USA-S entity...and private companies who may have considered promoting Masters events are scared away by the "commercial" clause and the profit prevention clause.
Frosty, thank you for your insight, yet we have more coached owned teams. If they are a for-profit then they should not host swim meets or be allowed to have a team, under those rules!
I read the minutes of the from the last executive meeting and they are worried that USAT has more members than USMS. They want to reach out to those athletes and get them more involved into masters swimming.
It just ashamed that we are shooting ourselves in the foot, when masters could take a different look at the private events and see how they could be more involved.
When will USMS allow for private company open water race directors to sanction events that part of a Masters team?
USMS currently allows private companies to apply for and receive sanctions for events. I’m not sure where you got the impression that it was not allowed.
Have you applied for a sanction and had it rejected? If so for what reason?
Rule 202.1.1D does not discriminate against public or private organizations either for profit or not-for-profit.
As a prior sanction chair and legislation committee chair, the official interpretation was to be as inclusive as possible. Using your GM example, if a local GM dealer wanted to run an event with the sole purpose of selling cars or generating revenue for himself, without regard to the swimming event, then the sanction should be denied. If the car dealer is running the event with the swimmers in mind, then I would typically consider this as being sanctionable.
I would also respectfully suggest that while it is great to issue sanctions to USMS clubs, there are many issued to other groups. To the best of my knowledge this year’s short course nationals sanction was issued to a non-USMS entity.
"No sanction may be issued to any organization whose interest in sports and games is purely commercial..."
As a former LMSC sanctions officer, I can say that I interpreted this rule to say that an events promotion company (like the ones who put on many triathlons today) would not qualify for a USMS event sanction because such a company is a commercial business...the business of sports.
"...or where the event is to be promoted purely for the profit or the advertising value derived therefrom..."
I understand this rule as a whole probably goes back to the halcyon days where in order to preserve "amateurism" in swimming (and other Olympic sports), sanctions were not given to such things as prize-money contests. However, in the 21st century, it's construed to suggest that a professional business that specializes in organizing sporting events isn't eligible for a USMS sanction...nor can a large sponsor prominently support an event (e.g. "The General Motors Great Lakes Zone Championships).
"Any income derived from sanctioned events must be used for the general welfare of the promoting organization as a whole."
This is a sentence that wasn't crafted for the private company in mind. If you are talking about reserving the profit "for the general welfare of the promoting organization", it suggests that the "promoting organization" is a non-profit entity rather than a for-profit enterprise.
Rob, it's not that I ever denied a sanction to a non-USMS or USA-S entity...None ever applied to me for a sanction, and I never solicited any such entities, because of this rule.
I would also respectfully suggest that most LMSCs would choose to attempt to continue to keep USMS sanctioned events "in house"...that is, they would favor sanctioning events organized by USMS entities over those outside of USMS...to the point where if a LMSC desired to have more events on its calendar, they would first push more (USMS or USA-S) clubs to be meet/event hosts rather than open more bidding to the outside. To the LMSCs, this is how they (reasonably?) feel they need to promote Masters...by trying to promote from within.
The Pennock Island challenge is USMS sanctioned and sponsored by the American diabetes association. The only problem I've had with aquiring a sanction was my first application (needed to get my rules and regs right).
