Well, she did go to college station, pa and you did go to the university of florida lizzards. But, I wasn't going to say anything about the replies, other than "Thank you"
Uh, there's no place in PA called College Station, just FYI :)
But each race director should be entitled to determine what criteria are necessary for the safety of their particular event. USMS took that option away from the race director by attempting to dictate rules that work for some open water events but, frankly, not for the most dangerous.
Did USMS take it away? Or did USMS's insurance carrier take it away, as a condition of providing the insurance coverage that surely everyone agrees is absolutely necessary? From reading the USMS announcements, I understood that the new rules regarding boat equipment and insurance were dictated by USMS's insurance carrier. Am I wrong? Is USMS's imposition of these new rules not a condition of coverage, or of coverage at the price USMS ended up negotiating?
Now, one might say that if those rules are conditions of our coverage that we should ditch this insurance carrier and get a better one. And I am also reading here, and have read elsewhere, that insurers are out there who would provide coverage without requiring the boat equipment and insurance that USMS (or, if my understanding is correct, our insurer) now requires to issue a sanction. But I am not reading anything about the price at which they offer it, and yet I am reading in this very thread that for some race directors price is a bigger issue than the boat equipment and insurance requirements. Moreover, I have not read that such insurance actually was offered to USMS at any price, let alone at a price that would have made USMS's overall cost to insure swim practices, pool meets, and OW swims competitive with what USMS ended up agreeing to pay for 2013.
So I feel as if I am reading a heated debate without having enough facts to understand precisely why either side is so worked up.
It is my understanding that the new requirements were recommended by the appointed USMS task force and adopted by the USMS OW committee:
Yes; I've read all of that. What I have not read, which could be my fault for not paying better attention, is why the "task force" and "OW committee" recommended the new requirements. Insuring our big organization and all its activities that are basically open to all comers willing to pay the USMS membership fee probably is a different proposition than insuring a single race, or even than insuring a small organization that sanctions just a few events and that uses rigorous screening criteria for the participants in the most taxing of those events. Could USMS have done something different, and if so at what price?
I just read an email from my coach about the annual open water race that my club hosts in June. The Chattanooga River Rats have hosted the Rat Race for the last seven years.
The race offers two distances, a 4.5 mile swim and a 1.2 mile swim in the Tennessee river(tasty). The numbers for the race have increased each year.
In the email, he mentioned that we will need to attract more sponsors or get the current sponors to donate more money, because the race sanction fee went from $50 to $1800 for the event.
This isn't a national championship race, so our club will have to pay the balance, if we can't get enough sponsors. Well, that is my understanding from reading the information that has been supplied.
$1800 just seems awful steep for usms insurance.
That's not quite right, the additional fee is $1000 because USMS is covering $800 of it.
It is billed to the LMSC before the sanction is granted; the LMSC can decide whether to pay some or all of it or require that the club do so. The club can decide whether to dip into its cash reserves -- if there are any -- to cover the cost this year or whether to pass it along to the swimmers in the form of increased entry fee. If you expect 100 swimmers than a $10 increase would work, for example.
I think the increased fee is because the claim against USMS and the increased insurance rates came after this year's budget was approved. Hopefully next year USMS will find a way to budget for it so that LMSCs are not hit with such a high insurance fee for each OW event.
Good information: www.usms.org/.../owsanctionfaq
Wook,
USMS is absorbing the other $800 this year, since it was a surprise that the premiums went up so drastically. I'd check with your LMSC and see what they've decided about the $1000 portion they're on the hook for. It sounds like at least some LMSC are planning on absorbing it, again, at least for this year.
So I feel as if I am reading a heated debate without having enough facts to understand precisely why either side is so worked up.
It is my understanding that the new requirements were recommended by the appointed USMS task force and adopted by the USMS OW committee:
The task force is chaired by Phil Dodson and includes Long Distance Chair Donn Livoni, Open Water Chair Lynn Hazlewood, Past President Rob Copeland, Legal Counsel Patty Miller, USMS board member Bruce Hopson, Treasurer Ralph Davis, President Nadine Day, and Executive Director Rob Butcher. The task force will be making formal recommendations to the USMS Board of Directors at the February 9-10 board meeting.
In the interim, USMS is placing a hold on sanctioning of new open water events until after the Board of Directors is able to review the full task force recommendations at the February 9-10 board meeting. LMSCs should not issue any sanctions to open water events until further notice. If this hold creates a substantial hardship for an open water event that needs to be sanctioned immediately, the LMSC Sanctions Chair should contact Rob Butcher (rob@usms.org) so that the task force can consider, on a case-by-case basis, whether a sanction may be issued despite the hold.
New Compliance Standards Effective Immediately
The task force has recommended, and President Day accepted, the following compliance standards that will be in effect immediately for sanctioned USMS open water events:
Sanctions may only be issued via the online sanction program at usms.org
All propeller driven watercraft used in conjunction with the sanctioned open water events must have a propeller guard(s) installed for the duration of the event. The following are exceptions:
Boats owned and operated by Coast Guard, police, fire and rescue, or other government agencies;
Boats at anchor from start to finish of the sanctioned event with engine(s) off, while any swimmer is in the water;
Boats with propellers fore of the rudder (e.g. inboard motors), provided
These boats do not run directly on the designated swim course.
For events requiring personal escort craft, water craft with inboard motors may be allowed on the course provided their engines are off when any swimmer is within 20 feet of the propeller and during relay exchanges. For feedings the swimmer may approach within 5 feet of the bow or side of boat with engines engaged.
All motorized watercraft hired for the event (by the host, participants, or others) must provide a certificate of insurance naming United States Masters Swimming, Inc., its LMSCs, officers, directors, employees, sponsors, trustees, and event host as additional insured. The certificate shall be submitted to the referee at least 24 hours prior to the event. Liability coverage limits shall not be less than $1 million with a $2 million aggregate.
All motorized watercraft volunteered to the event must provide proof of insurance. The proof of Insurance shall be submitted to the referee at least 24 hours prior to the event.
All current sanctioned USMS open water events are subject to administrative review to ensure compliance with these new standards. Any current sanctioned event not meeting these standards may have its sanction revoked and thus no liability insurance from USMS. All open water events not yet conducted may be subject an insurance surcharge, amount to be determined.
I just read an email from my coach about the annual open water race that my club hosts in June. The Chattanooga River Rats have hosted the Rat Race for the last seven years.
The race offers two distances, a 4.5 mile swim and a 1.2 mile swim in the Tennessee river(tasty). The numbers for the race have increased each year.
In the email, he mentioned that we will need to attract more sponsors or get the current sponors to donate more money, because the race sanction fee went from $50 to $1800 for the event.
This isn't a national championship race, so our club will have to pay the balance, if we can't get enough sponsors. Well, that is my understanding from reading the information that has been supplied.
$1800 just seems awful steep for usms insurance.
Yes; I've read all of that. What I have not read, which could be my fault for not paying better attention, is why the "task force" and "OW committee" recommended the new requirements. Insuring our big organization and all its activities that are basically open to all comers willing to pay the USMS membership fee probably is a different proposition than insuring a single race, or even than insuring a small organization that sanctions just a few events and that uses rigorous screening criteria for the participants in the most taxing of those events. Could USMS have done something different, and if so at what price?
Could have doesn’t matter now, but moving forward, the question is will they do something different.
A $5 surcharge to membership could cover the costs associated with insurance premiums. (I know.... socialism)
...but the deal breaker for many events is the one size fits all approach to safety conceived by people inexperienced in providing safety for the full range of OW events taking place.
Chris,
Thank you for the information. I do have one question, which I have probably overlooked the answer in the provided link. The total fee is $1800. A $1000 is the insurance bill passed to the lmsc by usms. Is the additional $800 the sanction fee by the lmsc or usms? Is $800 the normal fee range for an usms open water event?
Thanks,
John
