I'm starting this thread because I'd like to see some discussion about the USMS rules/fees for sanctioning open water events.
Until recently, we had two different open water swim series here in Arizona, one USMS sanctioned, one not.
The USMS event (AZ Open Water Series) included a 1K, 2K and a 4K swim. Wetsuits were allowed, but they started in a separate wave and were awarded separately. At least 80% of the participants are triathletes. Most people wear wetsuits unless the water is too hot.
The non-USMS series (Splash & Dash) always has a choice of two distances, ranging from 750m to 4K, depending on the event. The swim is followed by an optional 5K run. Wetsuits are allowed, and awards are not separated. At least 90% of the participants are triathletes.
Going forward, neither event will have USMS sanctioning. It looks to me like these are some of the factors that influenced the change:
Very few participants are USMS members, so they have to pay the $12 one-day sanctioning fee. Non-USMS events have private insurance, so there's no need to pay an additional fee.
USMS insurance doesn't cover kids under the age of 18. Private and USAT insurance does.
It's very difficult to time the event when wetsuits and non-wetsuits start in different waves. The problem is that people change their mind at the last minute without telling anyone. If they're registered as non-wetsuit, but they put it on at the last minute, their time ends up being 5 minutes faster. The published "winners" of the non-wetsuit races are often swimmers from the wetsuit wave. Chip timing would not solve the problem.
I wish for two things:
I wish sanctioning and insurance could be separated. This would make USMS sanctioned events more competitive. It would also allow kids to participate.
I wish wetsuits and non-wetsuits could start in the same wave. I still want the awards to be separate, but I don't see a reason to separate the waves. This would make the timing much easier. It would also make the non-wetsuit event feel more like a race--there are usually so few people in that wave that I might as well be swimming alone.
I think USMS sanctioning is important because the rules support pure swimming.
Thanks for the clarification on the rules. Any thoughts about the insurance/$12 fee/kids under 18 issue?
The $12 fee is a tough one, but not one that's unique to USMS. For instance, there's a swim race around here that's sanctioned by USA Triathlon. If you aren't a member of USAT, then you have to pay $10 for a one-day membership.
You mentioned that most of the participants in your races are triathletes. Maybe there's a way to have a dual sanction. I know that we have a race here that has a dual sanction from USMS and USAS. Perhaps you could get the races sanctioned by both USMS and USAT -- that way the only people who would have to pay an extra fee would be those who were not members of either organization.
On the other hand, I don't know anything about the practicalities of that suggestion -- it might be more trouble than it's worth, but thought I'd throw it out there.
Thanks for the clarification on the rules. Any thoughts about the insurance/$12 fee/kids under 18 issue?
The $12 fee is a tough one, but not one that's unique to USMS. For instance, there's a swim race around here that's sanctioned by USA Triathlon. If you aren't a member of USAT, then you have to pay $10 for a one-day membership.
You mentioned that most of the participants in your races are triathletes. Maybe there's a way to have a dual sanction. I know that we have a race here that has a dual sanction from USMS and USAS. Perhaps you could get the races sanctioned by both USMS and USAT -- that way the only people who would have to pay an extra fee would be those who were not members of either organization.
On the other hand, I don't know anything about the practicalities of that suggestion -- it might be more trouble than it's worth, but thought I'd throw it out there.
