USMS Topics - Recent Threads

Few Senior Race Opportunities for Unranked Non-Elite Swimmers

9EKK5 — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:13:16 GMT

I want to sponsor some local seniors meets for non-elite senior swimmers. How would I do that?

Many seniors serious swimmers, but have just begun swimming in their elder years. We are still good swimmers, better than most teenage recreational swimmers, but do not have the decades of experience necessary to be included in Master's meets. I got denied to race because of my slow time, relative to the experienced seniors in the race. Former olympic and national collegiate swimmers lap me. Ok. But the seniors I swim with could still outswim many of the local highschool swimmers. There is no place for us in meets however due to administrative overload and lack of lanes. I would love to sponsor some fun races for seniors in my local area. It would give us motivation to:

• Train harder and more confidently

• Enjoy the shared experience of swimming together

And frankly… seniors love fins and snorkels so I would include those in some fun events.

How would I start a senior Master team in my area in order to provide an opportunity to pool our resources, support one another, and gain the confidence to participate in swim races—primarily for fun, and occasionally for ranking?

The Current Problem for Seniors at Master’s Meets?

Without a senior-focused local team, we currently have very limited opportunities for meaningful competitive swimming or spectator camaraderie at meets.

1. Masters Meets Are Not Truly Senior-Focused

USMS Masters meets technically include 55+ age groups on paper (55–59, 60–64, 65–69, etc.), but in practice:

• Heats are combined with swimmers of many different ages

• Men and women may swim together in the same heat

• Seniors often feel pushed to the side in huge events

• Fun events are often missing due to time constraints

This is administratively understandable, but seniors do not receive a true senior-centered racing experience. It seems that only seniors with decades of competition experience are included in meets.

2. Qualifying Standards Can Be Unrealistic

Qualifying times for many Masters meets are unrealistic for anyone but highly experienced competitors. Unexperienced local seniors would benefit tremendously from being able to compete at our own level, but opportunities are limited—especially without a team presence.

3. Competing Alone Is Intimidating

While individuals can attend Masters meets unattached, it is very intimidating to do so alone—especially if:

• You are not nationally ranked

• Your times are slower compared to senior swimmers with decades of competition experience

• Space and time constraints bump slower swimmers

I was not allowed to compete in the last meet I registered for a Masters race due to my relatively slow time. This was very discouraging, because I can swim a 100 IM without being disqualified at 67, and I have come back to swimming in my elder years, and have trained for 3 years. 1 minute 40 seconds is good for me right now, but I can get better if I am motivated by future racing. Right now, there are no opportunities. For the record, I am faster than some of the teens and college age people in the pool and many could never even make it through the 100 IM.

4. Seniors Cannot Compete Equally With Younger Athletes

We are good swimmers—often more fit than the general public—but seniors cannot realistically compete with younger swimmers due to age, especially octogenarians. Swimming is extremely beneficial for us, and a team would provide encouragement, fun, and motivation. Race training provides even more motivation and fun.

5. Senior Swimming Opportunities Are Limited in the U.S.

In England, there are more meet opportunities geared toward seniors. In the U.S., this type of senior-specific swimming is very limited. We want to race within our age group, not in mixed-age heats.

That’s fun.

What Novice Seniors Want

We want to:

• Race locally with swimmers in our appropriate age and gender group

• Have senior-accessible meets

• Include “fun events” using fins and snorkels

Am I wrong?

Projected National Qualifying Time Standards for Spring 2026 (SCY)

Greg G — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 04:31:04 GMT

Hello!

Last year I became pretty frustrated with USMS' timeline for the release of NQTs. I was returning to swimming competitively for the first time since high school, and was very interested in going to nationals. But with the shift in timeline on 2024 nationals due to Olympic trials, and the subsequent pushback of the release of the top ten list, NQT release was delayed until seemingly well after the start of SCY meets in my area. As a result I had a few swims at the beginning of the short course season, where I didn't know the qual times I was shooting for. I though I had made some based on the previous years times, only to find out that I had actually missed them when the official times dropped.

Because of this, I got interested in the process by which the times were released, which lead me to how they are calculated. I ended up painstakingly putting together a spreadsheet to calculate all the times, as somewhat of a passion project. But looking up all the times from the top ten lists, was tedious and slow. So I wanted to look into implementing a webscraper to do that hard work for me and came up with some, probably bad, python code which uses the top ten times database for 2023, and 2024 but uses the meet results database found here for 2025. It's smart enough to remove times from 2024 nationals and swims from the same swimmer from the results it pulls from the meet database. You can find the github repo for the code here.

I make no claims that this is going to be 100 % accurate, as I am sure there are times from the meet database that will not be included in the top ten for this year. There will certainly be discrepancies, but this is mostly for perspective first time qualifiers, or those who've been away from the sport for several year, to get a sense of what it might take. I know this is less of a big deal for seasoned vets, but it was important to me last year which was my first year trying to qualify for nationals after several years away from the sport, in an age group featuring many that are freshly out of college and quite a bit quicker than myself.

I'm thinking I may update this if there is an interval between when the 2025 top ten times drop, and when the official national qualifying times are released, which would likely match 100 %, but this did take several weeks to automate, so who knows if I'll have the time.

If you have more of a background in programming (I'm merely an amateur with very little experience) let me know where there might be opportunities to improve, or other features you might like to see, please let me know below, I'd be happy to hear!

Without further ado, here are my best predictions for the 2026 SCY national qualifying times!

Men

Event	18 - 24	25 - 29	30 - 34	35 - 39	40 - 44	45 - 49	50 - 54	55 - 59	60 - 64	65 - 69	70 - 74	75 - 79	80 - 84
50 Free	24.35	23.99	24.41	24.97	25.46	26.34	26.69	27.24	28.06	29.06	31.01	33.66	38.61
100 Free	53.94	53.13	54.08	55.04	56.97	58.27	59.21	1:00.32	1:01.98	1:05.14	1:09.21	1:16.01	1:32.17
200 Free	1:57.66	1:56.06	1:56.68	1:59.05	2:02.22	2:06.06	2:08.74	2:09.42	2:15.95	2:19.41	2:31.38	2:47.30	3:26.25
500 Free	5:29.68	5:24.80	5:27.47	5:42.72	5:39.30	5:46.51	5:56.30	5:56.02	6:14.41	6:22.52	6:55.31	7:59.46	10:05.09
1000 Free	12:30.89	11:46.63	11:54.86	12:22.55	12:20.86	12:21.43	12:32.86	12:29.18	13:01.84	13:31.62	14:31.24	17:08.49	26:31.76
1650 Free	22:16.78	20:09.72	20:20.75	21:29.17	20:35.99	21:02.31	21:22.40	20:57.72	21:57.36	22:53.25	24:54.67	28:30.72	37:52.49
50 Back	28.13	27.37	28.22	28.70	30.22	30.72	31.15	32.56	33.59	34.96	37.93	42.41	49.78
100 Back	1:01.80	59.84	1:02.05	1:05.19	1:06.90	1:07.46	1:08.19	1:10.34	1:13.93	1:16.24	1:24.00	1:35.58	1:55.12
200 Back	2:16.72	2:11.73	2:15.22	2:22.18	2:24.80	2:23.99	2:28.94	2:30.25	2:36.21	2:39.87	2:57.46	3:23.84	4:11.40
50 Breast	31.14	30.29	30.98	31.85	32.26	32.78	33.91	34.98	36.07	37.54	41.51	44.62	52.70
100 Breast	1:08.08	1:06.25	1:08.03	1:10.42	1:11.25	1:11.94	1:15.55	1:17.27	1:20.01	1:23.62	1:33.82	1:42.40	2:05.15
200 Breast	2:29.75	2:24.44	2:30.92	2:35.88	2:36.17	2:35.73	2:45.22	2:48.81	2:58.44	3:01.47	3:25.79	3:38.85	4:37.65
50 Fly	26.30	25.81	26.40	27.17	27.55	28.64	28.67	30.06	30.61	32.21	34.64	39.22	50.81
100 Fly	58.84	57.62	59.18	1:01.42	1:02.11	1:04.13	1:04.42	1:07.48	1:10.73	1:16.33	1:24.62	1:49.08	2:51.76
200 Fly	2:15.03	2:11.33	2:16.76	2:24.75	2:21.50	2:30.40	2:36.59	2:43.62	2:56.81	3:12.13	3:45.49	4:26.40	10:47.66
100 IM	1:01.41	59.52	1:00.91	1:02.43	1:04.60	1:05.70	1:06.81	1:09.41	1:12.09	1:15.44	1:22.80	1:31.02	1:51.32
200 IM	2:12.47	2:10.23	2:12.90	2:14.25	2:20.34	2:21.14	2:25.57	2:28.86	2:35.21	2:44.27	3:00.54	3:28.07	5:06.35
400 IM	4:55.94	4:53.50	4:59.34	5:18.33	5:08.69	5:16.42	5:24.80	5:29.01	5:50.11	6:04.65	7:02.32	7:48.86	12:50.02

Women

Event	18 - 24	25 - 29	30 - 34	35 - 39	40 - 44	45 - 49	50 - 54	55 - 59	60 - 64	65 - 69	70 - 74	75 - 79	80 - 84
50 Free	28.81	28.22	28.80	29.16	29.29	30.28	31.06	31.60	32.23	33.69	36.90	42.68	53.47
100 Free	1:03.99	1:01.41	1:03.54	1:04.22	1:04.54	1:06.25	1:08.95	1:09.60	1:11.43	1:15.17	1:24.00	1:36.37	1:59.96
200 Free	2:15.12	2:10.84	2:15.63	2:18.21	2:19.73	2:21.54	2:26.70	2:26.42	2:28.71	2:40.72	2:59.65	3:27.97	4:28.17
500 Free	6:18.68	6:03.45	6:08.27	6:13.86	6:14.64	6:23.02	6:31.95	6:32.03	6:37.02	7:13.69	8:08.77	9:14.52	12:07.76
1000 Free	14:25.47	13:08.44	13:01.24	13:06.64	13:02.67	13:40.78	13:48.14	13:34.89	13:49.76	15:15.18	17:14.75	20:03.62	27:46.41
1650 Free	24:28.99	21:56.24	22:15.28	22:16.71	22:07.83	23:27.51	23:29.56	23:02.36	23:55.62	25:22.44	29:00.42	33:05.54	47:03.85
50 Back	33.02	32.20	33.23	33.89	33.89	35.69	36.27	37.03	38.68	41.56	45.36	54.44	1:03.00
100 Back	1:12.32	1:09.95	1:12.83	1:14.10	1:14.16	1:17.98	1:18.69	1:20.22	1:24.07	1:30.02	1:38.48	1:56.71	2:19.50
200 Back	2:35.57	2:31.32	2:34.64	2:38.44	2:38.18	2:45.92	2:46.99	2:49.31	2:56.03	3:08.93	3:26.53	4:05.75	4:51.78
50 Breast	37.01	36.57	38.34	38.48	37.36	38.81	39.77	41.63	43.11	46.00	50.01	1:00.10	1:14.61
100 Breast	1:21.23	1:19.05	1:22.78	1:23.78	1:22.32	1:25.44	1:27.83	1:33.19	1:35.10	1:42.98	1:51.78	2:18.55	2:50.13
200 Breast	2:56.99	2:48.88	2:59.71	3:00.50	2:56.61	3:01.12	3:07.65	3:15.94	3:22.38	3:41.56	4:04.99	4:48.85	7:02.42
50 Fly	30.97	30.34	31.18	31.27	32.18	33.08	34.19	34.71	35.53	37.62	44.86	56.18	1:25.61
100 Fly	1:08.94	1:08.24	1:10.15	1:11.71	1:12.97	1:15.35	1:20.60	1:21.59	1:23.99	1:33.49	1:59.74	3:31.60	2:48.08
200 Fly	2:48.75	2:36.93	2:45.48	2:43.94	2:48.91	3:15.88	3:08.48	3:08.51	3:17.00	3:47.65	4:52.91	5:44.86	NO TIME
100 IM	1:11.38	1:10.10	1:12.18	1:13.27	1:13.93	1:15.55	1:18.92	1:20.61	1:23.48	1:28.55	1:39.11	1:58.18	2:45.71
200 IM	2:32.99	2:30.01	2:36.01	2:35.46	2:36.43	2:41.11	2:48.37	2:51.03	2:57.36	3:17.16	3:43.26	4:23.52	6:42.75
400 IM	5:42.66	5:31.49	5:48.53	5:47.98	5:40.78	6:03.78	6:08.94	6:10.93	6:24.93	7:08.51	8:26.92	9:58.03	15:10.19

What directions do I need to give my club to connect to our swim.com page?

H371S — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 18:10:11 GMT

I'm writing up a description for our team so that they can join our USMS club leaderboard. I found the USMS directions for connecting, and provided those links for how to link their USMS to swim.com. But will that add them to our USMS club swim.com page also? Part of my confusion: I'm on it and I'm connected, but I can't tell if I'm in our club as well, and I'm not seeing an option to join.

Swimsuits Not Lawsuits: We're focused on our mission and members

Daniel Paulling — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:41:16 GMT

We’ve always believed that swimming has the power to change lives. That belief fuels our mission to empower adults to improve their lives through swimming.

But in recent weeks, USMS has come under scrutiny from politicians, state officials, and other outside organizations over competition eligibility policies. They don’t understand who we are and what we do. And we need your help setting the record straight as part of our newly launched #SwimsuitsNotLawsuits campaign.

The Background

This situation began with rumors about one member’s performance at our Spring Nationals in April in San Antonio. An external organization fueled online speculation about this swimmer’s eligibility, which led to protests from fellow members and an investigation by the Attorney General in Texas.

After hearing from members, discussions with the Texas Office of the Attorney General, and other external stakeholders, we adopted an interim eligibility policy. The policy clarifies participation and recognition criteria in a way that reflects our mission, our values, and operational considerations specific to Masters Swimming.

Even after announcing the changes, the Florida Attorney General is asking us to further restrict eligibility. And despite everything we did, we still got sued by the Texas Attorney General.

Here’s How You Can Help

Read the facts below. We address some of the speculation and inaccuracies here but also encourage you to read the interim eligibility policy and the FAQs page to get the facts.
Share correct information when you see or hear inaccurate statements. Please help us by providing facts in response, whether it’s on social media, at the pool, or in your local community. Your voice matters.
Let others know what’s great about our organization. In the coming days, we’ll post on social media to address speculation and misleading statements. We’d like you to share those and/or comment how USMS has positively impacted your life, whether you learned to swim through an adult learn-to-swim program, you enjoy swimming every day with a special group of lanemates, or you achieved your goal at an event. Tag us in your own social media posts and use the hashtag #SwimsuitsNotLawsuits. Help others see what makes USMS great: you.

Here Are the Facts That We Need Your Help Clearing Up

Our organization is only for adults — not kids. Every one of you is 18 or older, and our policies don’t affect youth or scholastic competitions.
Men and women swim together every day — and it’s not unsafe. Across the country every day, men and women complete workouts in the same lanes as each other, and Masters events are often held with heats that mix men and women with their results tabulated by categories and age groups after the event is completed. This is similar to local 5K runs, cycling races, triathlons, and other adult recreational events. It’s commonplace and safe.
Our policy addresses concerns about fair competition. Under our interim eligibility policy, trans women are not eligible to receive competitive recognition in the female category but are allowed to participate. Everyone gets to swim. (Anyone who chooses to swim in the male competition category is eligible for recognition regardless of their sex assigned at birth or gender identity.)
Locker room access is not part of our policy — we obey the law and facility policies. Our interim eligibility policy has absolutely nothing to do with locker room or bathroom access. USMS expects all facility rules and applicable local, state, and federal laws regarding access to locker rooms and bathrooms to be followed.
Our organization has no political or social agenda — we are mission focused. We are a private nonprofit recreational swimming organization with a focus on adult fitness. We welcome all adults to take advantage of the mental and physical health benefits of swimming through workouts, events, learn-to-swim programs, and social interaction with other swimmers.
Self-certification of sex assigned at birth is the most accurate and cost-effective method for our organization. We use the same standard for verification of age and gender as local running races and pickleball leagues. We don’t want to require our members to submit to invasive medical testing just to be able to compete.

We understand that the topic of transgender competition in women’s sports evokes strong emotions and differing opinions. No policy on transgender eligibility will satisfy everyone, but ours was created to allow us to continue to pursue our mission, satisfy rapidly changing state and federal guidelines, limit the impact to as few members as possible, and save the organization’s resources, which are designed to support our members’ swimming needs, not sustained legal or political theater.

We didn’t pick this fight, but we will take it head on and continue to strive to be a welcoming organization. We want you to keep swimming and enjoying all the benefits of your USMS membership and ask that you help us correct the mischaracterizations about our organization.

#SwimsuitsNotLawsuits

Sincerely,

Dawson Hughes, CEO, U.S. Masters Swimming
Ed Coates, President, U.S. Masters Swimming

(Posted July 29, 2025)

Interesting article

Allen Stark — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 17:48:46 GMT

I found this and thought it was worth a read.

www.jezebel.com/womens-bodies-may-actually-be-inherently-stronger-but-science-is-only-just-figuring-it-out

Swim.com integration issues with USMS - Unable to join USMS Challenges

4Y34H — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 00:08:53 GMT

Hello,

Has anyone successfully linked their swim.com account with USMS accounts on their iPhone?

I have iPhone 13pro max and I am not able to do the integration. I am not able to join USMS challenges from swim.com app due to this failure. Every time I try to join a USMS Challenge, it asks me to link the accounts. I enter my user name /password and it says the accounts are linked. When I click on a Challenge, it repetitively asking me to link the USMS accounts (even after it is linked).

In swim.com app, under settings, I see it is integrated with Apple Health. However on USMS Integration, I ran into this infinite loop problem (asking me to link the accounts)

Anyone else faced this issue? any assistance here.

1,000.00 fee for swimming with a USMS team?

TRRZ9 — Fri, 16 May 2025 19:21:12 GMT

Q: I'm changing my location and wanted to join a local USMS team at the YMCA where I'm already member and swim there. THis was exciting! Until I tried to join. I was told that the fee for joining the Master's team at the YMCA is $1,000.00. I've belonged to two or three different USMS teams over the past decades and never have I been charged a fee like that! When I asked about it I was told by the person at the Y that this was 'normal'.

Is this a normal fee?

Updates on the Spring Nationals Eligibility Review - Main Thread

Kyle Deery — Fri, 09 May 2025 15:39:45 GMT

USMS is monitoring media reports, comments on these forums, and responding to member inquiries on the allegations regarding the eligibility of one of our members. We felt it might be helpful to provide updates in one place and this thread will serve that purpose.

Over the past week, USMS has received several formal eligibility review requests. In keeping with our published policy, the eligibility review panel was convened late last week to gather and assess the facts. Those with standing who have requested an eligibility review have been notified and will receive updates directly from the panel as appropriate. The panel will make a final determination based on the evidence presented. Speculation or commentary outside the review will not be part of the decision.

Many members have contacted us with questions and suggestions about our transgender eligibility policy. After the eligibility review is complete, USMS leadership and relevant committees will take time to reflect on member input and other details that emerge from the process to determine whether updates to the policy are appropriate and in line with USMS’s mission and values.

We ask for your patience as this process continues, and we thank you for being part of a community that values thoughtful and respectful dialogue, integrity, and the shared love of swimming. (5/9/2025)

6/3/25 Update

U.S. Masters Swimming’s Board of Directors and Rules Committee have initiated a review of USMS's transgender swimmer policy, which addresses the eligibility of transgender athletes to earn official times and other forms of recognition (places, records, and Top 10 rankings) at USMS events. USMS remains committed to ensuring members of all backgrounds feel welcome in our programs, while also recognizing the importance of fair competition in our events.

USMS will proceed thoughtfully and respectfully in evaluating the policy and will incorporate input received from members, applicable World Aquatics policies, and the various and rapidly changing state and local regulations that make creating a national policy complex.

The final policy will be communicated to members.

Furthermore, USMS is addressing two other related issues:

USMS has received requests to confirm the eligibility of two swimmers who competed at the 2025 Spring National Championship. The established review process is underway.
USMS has received a letter from the Texas Attorney General’s Office requesting documentation related to the 2025 Spring National Championship in San Antonio and is cooperating with the Texas Attorney General’s Office to respond accordingly.

We appreciate your patience and engagement as USMS works through these matters with care.

Sincerely,

Dawson Hughes, CEO of U.S. Masters Swimming, and Ed Coates, President of U.S. Masters Swimming

6/16/25 Update

On June 9, U.S. Masters Swimming's Board of Directors approved the adoption of an Interim Policy on Participation in the Male and Female Competition Category and Eligibility for Recognition Programs to replace the current Policy on Transgender Swimmer Inclusion. This interim policy was modeled after applicable portions of the World Aquatics Policy on the Eligibility for the Men's and Women's Competition Categories and will go into effect July 1.

The board and Rules Committee developed the interim policy while weighing the feedback of USMS members. It reflects USMS’s commitment to inclusion, fairness, and the integrity of competition, values that have defined our organization throughout its 55-year history.

You can learn more about the interim policy on our FAQs page.

What the Interim Policy Does

Continues to allow all members to participate in the competition category that aligns with their gender identity
Establishes updated eligibility criteria for competitive recognition programs that include event rankings, Top 10, All-American status, and records
More closely aligns USMS with the applicable parts of the policy of World Aquatics, swimming’s international governing body that USMS a member of

Why Now?

We moved swiftly to thoughtfully develop this policy in response to our members’ concerns, as well as a recent inquiry from the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Please know that this decision was made with care, respect, and recognition of our members’ range of perspectives.

Creating a policy that balances our organizational values of inclusion and fairness of competition, the diverse range of our members’ perspectives, applicable World Aquatics policies, and various state and local regulations is challenging. We know this update will be welcomed by some and disappointing to others, but we feel this is the best decision to balance our organizational values and an evolving legal framework.

What's Next?

There are still numerous operational issues to address as we work to finalize the interim policy in the coming months. This may include adjustments to member and event registration forms, updates to procedures, and providing guidance to administrators and officials.

As USMS transitions from this interim policy to a permanent one, we’re committed to continuing to hear your feedback. Please refer to our FAQs page and email eligibility@usmastersswimming.org to share your perspective, suggestions, and any other questions you may have.

Thank you for being a member of USMS.

Sincerely,

Dawson Hughes, CEO, U.S. Masters Swimming
Ed Coates, President, U.S. Masters Swimming

7/18/25 Update

The Texas Office of the Attorney General notified U.S. Masters Swimming on May 19 that it was conducting an investigation into policies pertaining to transgender athlete participation in USMS competitions. USMS has been cooperating fully with the investigation and has been working with the Texas Office of the Attorney General to hopefully reach an agreement about the policy. USMS implemented an interim eligibility policy on July 1 in response to feedback from our members and the Attorney General's office and in line with our partnership with World Aquatics, which USMS is a member federation of.

USMS surprisingly learned yesterday via social media that the Texas Office of the Attorney General filed a lawsuit against USMS and the five LMSCs that operate in the State of Texas. USMS is currently reviewing the allegations.

To be clear, under USMS’s policy (which aligns with World Aquatics policy), trans women are not eligible to receive records, Top 10 times, or awards in the women’s category at all USMS-sanctioned events, and trans men are eligible for those competitive recognition programs in the men's category. Moreover, trans women swimming in the women’s category do not displace other women from participating or receiving recognition in any USMS event. USMS policies referenced have been publicly posted on our website since 2012 and are outlined in our annually published Code of Regulations. More information about USMS’s interim eligibility policy can be found in our FAQs.

USMS is a national nonprofit community of adult swimmers focused on health and fitness. It is deeply disappointing to see our organization and individual members publicly targeted in a lawsuit that appears to be more about generating headlines than seeking justice.

USMS will continue to cooperate fully with the Texas Office of the Attorney General and to uphold the values that have guided our community for more than 50 years.

For further updates, you can come back to this thread. Due to the ongoing nature of this lawsuit, USMS will not respond to individual questions.

Sincerely,

Dawson Hughes, CEO, U.S. Master Swimming
Ed Coates, President, U.S. Masters Swimming

8/22/25 Update

Under U.S. Masters Swimming’s Policy on Transgender Swimmer Inclusion that was in effect until July 1, 2025, swimmers in the same gender category, same age group, and having participated in the same event during the same season may request an eligibility review of another swimmer at any time before the times submission deadline for that season. Pursuant to this policy, an Eligibility Review Panel reviewed an eligibility determination request regarding another swimmer’s eligibility for official forms of recognition at USMS events.

Under the USMS Eligibility Review Procedures in place until July 1, 2025, the swimmer whose eligibility was challenged submitted documentation to the Eligibility Review Panel regarding her eligibility to participate in the female competition category and for official forms of recognition, including documentation reflecting her sex assigned at birth and her gender identity, including a birth certificate, passport, and U.S. citizenship documents. The Eligibility Review Panel also met with the swimmer and her counsel and reviewed a personal statement she submitted. The documents the swimmer submitted all demonstrate that she was assigned the female sex at birth and that she identifies as female, although she swam in the male category at USMS events 2002-2004. Even though it was not required, the swimmer voluntarily provided past and current medical documentation corroborating the information contained in the documents she submitted and corroborating her eligibility in the female category.

The Eligibility Review Panel concluded that the evidence submitted by the swimmer demonstrates that she was eligible for competition in the female category.

For clarity:

The USMS Policy on Transgender Swimmer Inclusion and review procedures that were in effect at the time of this protest were materially different than the World Aquatics Policy on Eligibility.
World Aquatics Policy instructs ‘Member Federations (e.g., U.S. Masters Swimming) to adopt its own sex and gender policy ... that respects the inclusion of all Aquatics athletes’ and ‘recommends that organizers of recreational (non-competitive or non-elite) Aquatics events consider their local circumstances and goals in their determination of whether or not separate sex competition is necessary for them’.
The USMS interim eligibility policy effective July 1, 2025, only allows for recognition in the female competition category based on sex assigned at birth, but allows for participation in the female category (as defined in the policy) based on gender identity.
USMS has recently updated its membership registration process to ensure the integrity of the interim eligibility policy.

We appreciate our members’ patience during this thorough review process as the complexities of the matter were exacerbated by the outside legal and media attention received. USMS also wants to encourage our members to treat each other with dignity, kindness, and respect as outlined in the USMS code of conduct.

This concludes the Eligibility Review Panel’s review.

3/12/26 Update

USMS has updated its interim eligibility policy to comply with state and local laws and ensure we can continue sanctioning events nationwide.

How Is Eligibility Now Determined?

The changes to USMS’s interim eligibility policy only apply in states and local jurisdictions that require that members be eligible for local recognition based on the nondiscrimination laws that cover gender identity and/or gender expression. In these places:

For local recognition programs in the women’s category (such as event awards and points scored), members will be eligible based on gender identity and/or gender expression in applicable jurisdictions. Anyone is eligible for local recognition programs in the renamed men’s/open category.
Eligibility for national recognition programs (such as Top 10 times, USMS records, and All-American and All-Star honors) continues to be determined by sex assigned at birth in the women’s category. Anyone is eligible for national recognition programs in the men’s/open category.

Events will follow either the national recognition procedure or the local recognition procedure, depending on the applicable law where the event is held.

All members remain eligible to participate in events regardless of location, gender identity, and/or gender expression. The update to the interim eligibility policy only affects eligibility for some local recognition programs.

How Will This Affect Events?

For most events, state law will determine how local recognition will be handled. Some municipalities also have applicable laws that must be followed, and facilities may have regulations that need to be adhered to.

USMS is implementing additional procedures for event sanctioning to ensure events follow the proper recognition procedure, and that event registrants understand which procedure will be used.

Eligibility determinations are handled administratively by USMS. Event directors, volunteers, officials, and facility staff are not responsible for verifying eligibility at events.

If you are a member and have questions about these changes, see the updated interim eligibility policy and FAQs. You can also direct questions to eligibility@usmastersswimming.org.

Sincerely,

Dawson Hughes
CEO, U.S. Masters Swimming

Ed Coates
President, U.S. Masters Swimming

Background and Documentation

CJR — Sun, 04 May 2025 22:55:58 GMT

USMS allows transgender swimmers to participate in the gender competition category in which they identify, and they may also be recognized for accomplishments per the policy outlined below. As part of the USMS mission to empower adults to improve their lives through swimming, USMS strives to ensure any adult feels included and comfortable swimming in all USMS programs. USMS also recognizes the importance of fair competition in USMS events and recognition programs for many of our members.

In accordance with article 102.5.3, this USMS policy is intended to guide determinations of gender as a competition category in USMS-sanctioned pool and open water competition and for USMS members’ results from recognized meets.

Policy:

Swimmers who identify as transgender must meet the following requirements to earn official recognition (times, places, records, Top 10) in USMS competition.

Trans-male swimmers are eligible to compete in the male category without restriction. Note that trans-male swimmers who compete in the male category are subject to swimwear requirements for males. Swimmers may apply for an exception to swimwear guidelines per article 102.12.1B.
Trans-female swimmers are eligible to compete in the female category provided that the following conditions are met:
1. Hormonal therapy appropriate for the female gender has been administered continuously and uninterrupted in a verifiable manner for a sufficient length of time, no less than one year, to minimize gender-related advantages in sport competitions.
2. Documentation is available showing testosterone serum levels regularly measured during the last twelve months that are below 5 nmol/L (144.25 ng/dL). In the event of a request to review eligibility, the swimmer will not be required to provide any specific health or medical information other than documentation of the specified hormone treatments and levels.
3. Swimmers who identify as female but do not meet the above requirements may participate in the female gender category with their times removed from the submitted results. Such swimmers are not eligible for official times, places, points, records, Top 10, or other forms of official recognition. In this case, swimmers are asked to inform meet officials in advance of any swims.

Eligibility Determinations:

Swimmers who identify as transgender are not required to provide documentation on eligibility to participate. Those striving to achieve official forms of recognition are strongly encouraged to submit a pre-event eligibility request. Any swimmer, particularly those performing at a high level, shall be prepared to provide documentation on eligibility after participation.

Pre-Event Determination: Swimmers who identify as transgender can submit a pre-event determination request including applicable documentation.
Eligibility Review Requests and Protests: Swimmers who identify as transgender must provide documentation on eligibility when an eligibility review request or protest is made after a swim to maintain any official recognition. Swimmers in the same gender category, same age group, and having participated in the same event (i.e., distance and stroke), during the same season may request an eligibility review of another swimmer at any time before the times submission deadline for that season.

Eligibility Review Panel: An eligibility review panel will be in place to review all eligibility determination requests. At a minimum, the panel will be made up of the Rules Committee Chair (or designee from the Rules Committee), the Long Distance Committee Chair (or designee from the Long Distance Committee), the Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair (or designee from the Diversity and Inclusion Committee), and the USMS Board President (or designee from the USMS Board of Directors). When deemed necessary, an eligibility review panel will also include the following members: a minimum of one medical professional (two preferred), USMS Legal Counsel, and any additional subject matter experts to provide further guidance.

For more information on eligibility determination process, visit the eligibility review procedure.

World Aquatics:

The USMS policy on transgender swimmer inclusion provides greater flexibility than does the World Aquatics (AQUA) Policy on Eligibility for the Men’s and Women’s Competition Categories. As such, USMS policy does not apply to AQUA participation, results, or recognition programs. Based on AQUA policy, USMS will not submit times of transgender swimmers for consideration for World Aquatics results or recognition programs unless the swimmers can show they have met the requirements outlined in Appendix Two of the World Aquatics Policy.

Other Considerations:

An individual who is already a registered USMS member and begins the transition process to a different gender may change their gender designation or re-register with a different member record in the new gender. The individual is responsible for notifying the USMS National Office of the change.
Swimmers who identify as non-binary will compete in the gender category that corresponds to the gender assigned at birth or per the policy above.
Times for transgender swimmers who are USMS members and participate in recognized events may be included in USMS results and used for USMS recognition programs. However, USMS policies on participation do not apply and specific event organizers may have differing guidelines. Please check event information or contact the event host of any events that are not sanctioned by USMS for more information.
This policy notwithstanding, USMS article 501.3 specifies that membership in USMS shall not be denied and participation in activities and events shall not be restricted on the basis of gender identity.
USMS will continue to evaluate and adjust this policy and associated procedures as information on transgender participation evolves.

Questions on this policy and corresponding procedures shall be submitted to rules@usmasterswimming.org and eligibility@usmastersswimming.org.

USMS Rules Committee, December 2024

Amended: December 2024
Amended: March 2022
Amended: September 2016
Amended: September 2012
Adopted: ca. 2005

Background & Documentation

CJR — Sun, 04 May 2025 22:53:30 GMT

Policy:

Swimmers who identify as transgender must meet the following requirements to earn official recognition (times, places, records, Top 10) in USMS competition.

Trans-male swimmers are eligible to compete in the male category without restriction. Note that trans-male swimmers who compete in the male category are subject to swimwear requirements for males. Swimmers may apply for an exception to swimwear guidelines per article 102.12.1B.
Trans-female swimmers are eligible to compete in the female category provided that the following conditions are met:
1. Hormonal therapy appropriate for the female gender has been administered continuously and uninterrupted in a verifiable manner for a sufficient length of time, no less than one year, to minimize gender-related advantages in sport competitions.
2. Documentation is available showing testosterone serum levels regularly measured during the last twelve months that are below 5 nmol/L (144.25 ng/dL). In the event of a request to review eligibility, the swimmer will not be required to provide any specific health or medical information other than documentation of the specified hormone treatments and levels.
3. Swimmers who identify as female but do not meet the above requirements may participate in the female gender category with their times removed from the submitted results. Such swimmers are not eligible for official times, places, points, records, Top 10, or other forms of official recognition. In this case, swimmers are asked to inform meet officials in advance of any swims.

Eligibility Determinations:

Pre-Event Determination: Swimmers who identify as transgender can submit a pre-event determination request including applicable documentation.
Eligibility Review Requests and Protests: Swimmers who identify as transgender must provide documentation on eligibility when an eligibility review request or protest is made after a swim to maintain any official recognition. Swimmers in the same gender category, same age group, and having participated in the same event (i.e., distance and stroke), during the same season may request an eligibility review of another swimmer at any time before the times submission deadline for that season.

Eligibility Review Panel: An eligibility review panel will be in place to review all eligibility determination requests. At a minimum, the panel will be made up of the Rules Committee Chair (or designee from the Rules Committee), the Long Distance Committee Chair (or designee from the Long Distance Committee), the Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair (or designee from the Diversity and Inclusion Committee), and the USMS Board President (or designee from the USMS Board of Directors). When deemed necessary, an eligibility review panel will also include the following members: a minimum of one medical professional (two preferred), USMS Legal Counsel, and any additional subject matter experts to provide further guidance.

For more information on eligibility determination process, visit the eligibility review procedure.

World Aquatics:

Other Considerations:

An individual who is already a registered USMS member and begins the transition process to a different gender may change their gender designation or re-register with a different member record in the new gender. The individual is responsible for notifying the USMS National Office of the change.
Swimmers who identify as non-binary will compete in the gender category that corresponds to the gender assigned at birth or per the policy above.
Times for transgender swimmers who are USMS members and participate in recognized events may be included in USMS results and used for USMS recognition programs. However, USMS policies on participation do not apply and specific event organizers may have differing guidelines. Please check event information or contact the event host of any events that are not sanctioned by USMS for more information.
This policy notwithstanding, USMS article 501.3 specifies that membership in USMS shall not be denied and participation in activities and events shall not be restricted on the basis of gender identity.
USMS will continue to evaluate and adjust this policy and associated procedures as information on transgender participation evolves.

where do I find the the code for USMS+ free 50mi cap?

RFWVT — Sun, 04 May 2025 21:27:40 GMT

I got to 50 miles and USMS+ is supposed to have that cap be free. But when I went to buy it at Swim Outlet it wasn't free. I assume there's a code we're supposed to input, but I didn't see it in the emails I got when I registered for USMS+.

Thanks!

Trans girls/biological males competing against females

03FM3 — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 18:42:31 GMT

I'm hoping USMS follows the example of other sports organizations and disallows biological males who are trans females to compete against biological females. The question of fairness/unfairness is so obvious that this topic shouldn't even need discussion, but unfortunately some of us are so blinded by the sacrosanct idea of "inclusion" that we've allowed this ridiculous idea to take hold. Please take a fair stand on this issue. Mike Sherrill

Testosterone and fairness

Allen Stark — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 17:07:45 GMT

Everyone knows the commercials about “low T” and how men can retain their “vigor” but this also referring to basically a powerful PED. I am 76 and so far my testosterone is normal and I can’t be sure how I’d react if it wasn’t but a friend pointed out a world record holding swimmer who was faster in his 70s than 60s and faster at 75 than 70. My friend said this is very unlikely to be from better training. As I was close to WR times at 75 this is not an academic discussion for me . So what is fair .

Updating of swims

3URXX — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 12:37:42 GMT

I competed in a meet on Feb. 23 in Grand Haven, Michigan, and it has been 2+ weeks and my results have not updated on the USMS website. Normally they update in a week. Wondering if there is an issue preventing this. Thank you.

Southern California fires

Allen Stark — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:42:45 GMT

We have many swimming friends in SoCal affected or potentially affected by the fires. I had my own simi-close call in OR in 2020 (small fire that got within 2 miles of home and large fire 15 mi away) I have a little idea of how awful it can be. You are in my heart and I am wishing the best for you. I hope everyone comes out OK.

2025 Goal - PR !!!

Erik Hochstein — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 19:43:29 GMT

Makes sense - goal in swimming should always be there - and PRs - personal records are the biggest goal there is for me. That's the harder part though for "us" college swimmers - but I came close - pretty much even in my early 40s - shorter distance from 200 to 50 but very good experience.

My own challenge - can I reach that goal - 21.00 in yards / not sure yet if LC will be this year - but 24.24 for that - and time now - 15y later - age 56 - swim a PR in the 50 Free - faster than at age 20 when I trained at the max volume.

Why is that not insane in my view ? We never ever trained speed - the lack of sprint training still is insane looking back. I trained more all out 25s in a week in December than at USC under Peter Daland or Schubert.

Why am I posting this - to show our USMS group that I think us older folks still train too much the old way - if you don't use it - it goes to sleep ... I used to think "you lose it" but our body is incredible - its still there - just sleeping. So I have activated my Fast Twitch muscle fibers who have been held hostage by them slow moving folks for decade after decade but they are waking up - so lets see whats possible - 50 Free for now ... shorter to longer maybe next year :)

Cap Catcher Bob from Olympic Swim Event in Paris

SwimTotoSwim — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:20:22 GMT

Can USMS invite Cap Catcher Bob from the Paris Olympic swim venue to attend the USMS Nationals ?

Membership card

SDPB5 — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 19:36:46 GMT

Hi! I am traveling to NYC soon and want to swim with Masters there. I just noticed my card says it expired 12/31/2023 but my membership is active. How can I get a new card?

Thanks.

Quality Masters Program in NC?

CAZ33 — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 23:15:54 GMT

I was competitive swimmer, 37 years ago. I am looking for a serious and well respected quality masters program team that has multiple locations and multiple times during the week to train. I want to concentrate on training full-time and give it to the old college try! Any advice would be greatly appreciated just looking for somewhere to go rent for a couple three months Before the Long Course nationals in August. Would really like to join a good team!
Raleigh? Wilmington? Charlotte?
gotta have an outdoor long course!

thank you

🍻

Change of Team Status

Z5CY9 — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 23:07:54 GMT

US Masters Swimming

I want to change from unattended to the VABR.

Kelly Berry

Free Swim Outlet+ membership

swimark — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:55:25 GMT

Is there a Free Swim Outlet+ membership for 2024 USMS members?

Fitness Log not Updating from Swim.com

RFWVT — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 01:56:03 GMT

I followed the instructions from the post from 2 months ago: https://community.usms.org/swimming/f/usms-topics/31778/swim-com---fitness-log and I unlinked and relinked my account. About 90 minutes later, I'm still not getting my entries appearing in my FLOG even though they show up on my "Recent Swimss" and on Swim.com. Ideas on how to get this working again? It was working for all of 2022 and 2023.

Thanks!

How do I change my current club?

03T03 — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 21:15:50 GMT

Hello!

I moved and joining a new swim club. How do I change my club?

How the Club Development Grant Program is Supporting USMS Clubs

Daniel Paulling — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 16:18:54 GMT

After his Masters club disbanded in August 2022, Chris McGiffin decided to start a new club so he and his teammates could keep swimming.

The past 17 months, as you’d expect, have been a challenge.

McGiffin coaches two of his club’s four workouts each week, meaning he can only swim twice a week. (Another volunteer coach handles the other two workouts.) There’s also the endless work of marketing the club to find new members and starting events.

“I wish there was a fairy godmother or someone with a bunch of lottery winnings to come fund the program, to staff a full-time coach, so that I could be in the water,” he says with a laugh before adding: “That’s selfish, I know.”

Because he didn’t know how to run a club, McGiffin reached out to the National Office last year for help through its Club Development Grant Program, which provides consultation, coach recruitment and education, marketing, and grants to help clubs add more workouts and members.

He credits the advice and assistance he received from Bill Brenner, USMS’s senior director of club and coach development, for helping, as well as the marketing support his club, Jersey Aquatic Center Masters, received through USMS’s Try Masters Swimming program. (Try Masters Swimming allows prospective members to try at least two free workouts with participating clubs and will be in January and August in 2024.)

As part of his plan to help his club grow, McGiffin also looked for opportunities to host events at his club’s pool, which he describes as one of the best in New Jersey. The pool was the one used at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.

McGiffin enlisted Brenner to lead a coach development weekend that included certification courses and a stroke clinic. He also asked Somerset County YMCA Masters member Ed Tsuzuki for help running a meet in June, the first Masters meet at the facility ever.

“We’re just trying to get word out that the facility is open for business and that we want Masters [swimmers] to feel welcome at the facility,” McGiffin says. “We want them to come by, drop in, and try us out.”

Jersey Aquatic Center Masters has slightly more than 110 members, a majority of whom came from the disbanded club, Berkeley Aquatic Masters. But McGiffin realizes there’s more work to be done in his labor of love of building his club.

“I feel good about where the program is,” McGiffin says, “but I feel like to evolve to the next level, we’re going to need to grow the program, market the program, and try to staff the program with a full-time coach who can really give it the time and attention it needs.”

Membership expiration.

S0834 — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 18:47:14 GMT

Where can I find when my membership expires? I’m trying to join a masters swim and it’s asking for membership expiration.