Ow sanctions beyond 2013

As a race director I like the template idea… WillieWillie, did you take a look at the USA Swimming Template attached in a prior post? Does this look like a good start for Masters to follow? And if you are a race director looking for more participants, then you should use all available avenues to publicize your event. In addition to on-line calendar of events, I’ve been able to get folks to swims by running open water clinics for our local triathlon clubs and stuffing flyers into Tri-goodie bags.

Perhaps a questionnaire for potential directors could be prepared for that purpose: Body of water: Lake, Ocean, River, Other________ Vessels present:Non-motorized only, Recreational, Commercial and Recreational Quality: Fresh, Salt, Brackish Currents: Steady, Tidal, Wind Driven, None Max Current Speed Assist:_____mph Max current Speed Adverse:____mph Course: Loop, Multiple Loop, Out and Back, Point to Point Start: Water Standing, Water Treading, Beach (sandy), Beach (rocky), Etc Finish: In water, Beach, Dock (ladder), Etc Exit (if other than finish): Safety Vessels: Non-motorized only, Motorized and non-motorized, Motorized only Nearest Emergency Medical Facilities:_______minutes away etc, etc. This is a great idea & a great start, as is the safety plan template. As someone that works for an insurer, the more clean-cut & formulaic you can make the information, the more category-friendly the risk calculations become. If you can stratify the actual risk/probability across categories the insurers will be able to more accurately project the risk being undertaken on a policy. It is relatively easy to place a value with a risk quotient to any race - X person = $X. The only things that change (& likewise that can be controlled) are the probabilities of an incident occuring that would lead to a loss. From there it's a matter of entry fees covering the costs. Higher risk events should have a higher entry fee. This should be understandable & they are most likely the higher cost to produce as well. Not that it's preferable by any means, but I would encourage RDs & USMS/LMSC to shop the insurance coverage for an event at any given opportunity. That, ultimately, may be an answer to the problem. In our litigous world with dubious definitions of "accountability," things are not getting easier.

Its my understanding that USA Swimming requirements would exclude most swims in Alaska. I am the race director for the Sitka swim, Change Your Latitude, and we looked into USA sanctions for last year as we include a 1k open to 18 and younger swimmers. There is a temperature requirement that both Pennock Island and the Sitka swim are 5 or so degrees under. It also seemed to have a lot of water quality testing requirements. (which for lakes and other confined waterways I understand, but for the Pacific Ocean in remote Alaska?) Last year we purchased our own policy for those participating who were under 18, and this year we have elected to secure a policy (both participant and volunteer policies) for our entire event. It is a bit more expensive but not so much so that we are out of budget, I just had to delay the possible purchase of dedicated swim buoys for our course markers. One of the questions that I have had going around in my head about the sanctioning and/or recognizing of OW events is the exposure it brings LMSCs and USMS. Our swim has used the logos of both AKMS and USMS to bring a level of credibility to our event, but it also demonstrates the credibility to the organizations that they are present at the local level all across the country. I would guess that the sheer drop in USMS and LMSC involvement in the hundreds of events across the country is going to hurt the stature and PR they gain. I really would like to include USMS and AKMS in our promotional materials, using the event as a potential recruitment tool both locally and beyond. Besides the more sponsor logos the better right...