header image
January 2010
Greetings!
 
Each New Year brings challenges, opportunities and change. Some years are harder than others, and 2009 was tough on many of our members-- yet they kept coming back to the pool. Experts tell us that a solid social support network is essential to getting through rough waters. On many teams that starts with you, the coach who brings everyone together. Never underestimate the effect you have on your swimmers; looking up to and wanting guidance from a coach is not reserved for the age-groupers. Most swimmers we meet tell us how important you are to them.
 
But you don't need us to tell you all of that. You can feel their appreciation and you get satisfaction when they succeed, whether it is breaking a national record or swimming a lap of butterfly for the first time.
 
It is our goal at U.S. Masters Swimming to provide helpful information, tips, tricks and tools to our coaches. We hope to help you better connect with fellow coaches, swimmers and the organization. Many of you have taken advantage of our free marketing materials-- thousands of decals, facility stickers, caps and vinyl banners have flown out our doors at your request.

If there is anything else we can do to help you in your efforts as a Masters swim coach, don't hesitate to ask; we are always here for you, just as you are always there for your swimmers.


Swimming for Life!
Your Friends at U.S. Masters Swimming
 
Suit Update From the Rules Committee
divider swoosh

FINA Bureau Considers Swimwear Rules For Masters

U.S. Masters Swimming The FINA Bureau has considered Masters swimwear rules. The USMS Rules Committee will learn the results shortly and then will immediately reconsider the USMS swimwear rules in cooperation with the USMS Executive Committee. All USMS members will be notified of any changes to USMS swimwear rules and the effective date. Regardless of any changes to the USMS swimwear rules, the June 1, 2009 USMS swimwear interpretations will apply for the duration of the One-Hour Postal Swim being conducted in January 2010.  
Quick Links for Coaches
divider swoosh

Club and Coach Services
Help ButtonNorthwest - Lisa Dahl
Southwest - Susan Ingraham
Midwest - Mel Goldstein
East - Jim Halstead
Marketing Materials: Kyle Deery
Marketing Materials: Order Forms 
Teaching Masters to Master Butterfly
divider swoosh
by
Nate McBride
West Side Fly Progression Part II
Nate McBrideNate McBride of the West Side Swim Club in Sudbury, Mass. presented Part I of the West Side Fly Progression last month and now completes the series that will help you teach Masters to master butterfly.

The West Side Fly Progression Part II covers head position, the one-arm fly and pulling it all together. In its entirety, McBride's progression is comprehensive and easy to implement. Read more
 
Professional Development
divider swoosh
Coaching Certification and Curricula That Focus on Masters
ASCA
 
USMS is pleased to announce its latest member benefit initiative, the re-engineered American Swim Coaches Association's Masters Coaching Certification Program. Recognizing an opportunity to improve the quality of coaching services for our members, USMS, in association with the world's leader in swim coaching professional development, ASCA, has revised the existing ASCA Masters Coaching Certification Program. The new program will follow the existing level system and will emphasize the training, education, and development of all USMS coaches. The new curricula will cover coaching competitive, fitness, triathlete, and open water swimmers. Levels include basic and advanced stroke analysis and development, nutrition, dry land training, goal setting, the basic and advanced business school, safety and risk management, and leadership. The first Level I course will be offered at the ASCA World Clinic 2010.
 
Stay tuned for more info!
Coaching Opportunities
divider swoosh

Looking for a Coach? Looking for a Team?
Coaching opportunities
In continued effort to provide and share opportunities for our coaches, USMS maintains a discussion forum that shares current Masters coaching job postings on usms.org. The Coaching Forum has several current threads showing full time, part time and volunteer positions available around the country; check back to the Coaching Forum frequently for updates and changes to listed positions.
 
And remember, please update your posting if the position has been filled to save time for others who may be following the thread.  
What Rule is THAT?!
divider swoosh
with
Kathy Casey
Ensuring Your Swimmers' Races Count
Cathy Kasey
"I took my swimmers to a sanctioned meet and, after returning from the meet, we were informed that the times from the meet would not count as official times. This was a total surprise. Is there a way that I can be sure that my swimmers' times at future meets will count as official times for USMS purposes?"
 
Yes, you can be a watchful eye in ensuring that your swimmers' times at USMS-sanctioned meets will count as official times.
Prior to the meet ask:
  • Is the pool measured and certified for proper length?
    • Contact the host LMSC to see if the pool is certified for length or check the Listing of Certified Pools on the Records and Tabulations section our website. This document provides a listing, by state, of pools that have been measured and certified for length.
    • Remember, if it is a bulkhead pool, the two outside lanes and a center lane must be measured after each session of the meet to verify pool length (105.1.6 and .7; and 107.2.1A, B, C, and D). You can check to make sure that happens. It is a good idea to ask before the meet starts if they have already checked the bulkhead pool measurement just to be sure. Why wait until it's too late to ensure that swimmers' times will be official?
  • Is the referee a certified official?
    • There must be at least one official who is certified as a referee, starter, or stroke and turn judge, and the referee must be that certified official (103.2).
  • Are there at least two officials?
    • There must be a referee, a starter, and two stroke and turn judges. The referee and the starter may also serve as stroke and turn judges, thus requiring a minimum of two officials to fill those four positions; not ideal but it meets the minimum requirements (103.1.1).
  • Are timers assigned to every lane?
    • There must be at least one timer per lane if automatic timing is used, at least two timers per lane if automatic timing is not used (103.1.2). See the exception for records below.
If the requirements above are not in place, insist that the meet not proceed until those requirements are met. Also check:
  • Is the primary timing system a fully automatic timing system, 3 semiautomatic buttons per lane, or 3 watches per lane in order to meet national and world record requirements? 
    • If you have swimmers or relays that could break national or world records, make sure that these timing requirements are in place. And, no, two semiautomatic buttons and one watch, or vice versa, do not meet this requirement (103.13.3).
  • Are 50-meter split times at long course meets recorded by fully automatic timing?
    • USMS accepts only fully automatic timing for splits to count for official purposes in USMS (103.13.3, 105.2.2, and 105.3.6). Remember; split times in 25- and 50-meter pools recorded by 3 watches count only for world records (103.13.3).
  • Are they following the meet information as published (for example, not adding events or time trials at the meet)?
    • The order of events as stated in the meet announcement cannot be changed, except that the referee can consolidate events by distance and stroke (102.13.1 and .2). Times from events or time trials added at the meet will not count for official USMS purposes. Exceptions allowing changes are in 102.13.3 and 102.13.4.
If you have questions regarding the rules presented above or any other USMS rules, you may contact Kathy Casey, Chair of the USMS Rules Committee (rules@usms.org)
 
Web Apps for Mobile Phones
divider swoosh
by
the Professionals at Club Assistant 		Club Assistant
Club Assistant brings the most powerful technology in swim club management to every smart phone on the market.

With the success of smart phone technology, including the iPhone and Google phone, a new opportunity has arisen for coaches to easily manage their clubs when away from a computer.

Although smart phones can display traditional web pages in tiny font with tiny graphics, web pages need to be completely rebuilt to fit the smaller screens and take advantage of smart phones' features including maps, calendars and cameras.

Club Assistant is a leader in this mobile application technology. We have developed web applications that work with every smart phone on the market including the iPhone, the Google Droid, Blackberry and Palm Pre.

Coaches spend most of their time in front of swimmers, not computers, so we have brought the tasks they do most often to smart phones. These tasks can be done every time they coach workouts, coach swim meets and travel.

Club Assistant During Workout
  • Workouts - create, save and retrieve workouts from Club Assistant
  • Attendance - record attendance and verify member paid status
  • USMS Registration Status - make sure everyone is a registered swimmer for the current year
  • Meet Sign-Up - verify that your swimmers have signed up for upcoming meets
Club Assistant at a Swim Meet
  • Pool Address - linked directly to Google Maps on smart phones
  • Meet Roster / Psych Sheets / Heat Sheets / Timeline / Results / Club Records
  • Manage Volunteers - Track hours volunteered and give proper credit
  • Email and Text Messages - notify meet swimmers with last minute information
Club Assistant for Travel
  • Check USMS Registration Status - verify that everyone in your club is registered
  • USMS Registration Number Lookup - help swimmers enter meets with their member ID
  • Upcoming Meets - refer to your swim calendar anytime, anywhere
  • Club Roster - have a handy list of everyone in your club
  • Email and Text Messages - notify members about pool closings and other last minute changes
Call the friendly and knowledgeable Club Assistant staff at 800-SWIM-638 to set up your Smart Phone Access.
Please Support USMS Sponsors!
divider swoosh
Ultra Swim      TYR      Swimoutlet.com

Speedo        Nike Swim    Liberty Mutual


Kiefer Swim Shop     Kastaway Swimwear    Finis Inc

  Endless Pools       Colorado Time Systems    Bullfrog 

       
blueseventy      Barracuda     Bank of America
    
Agon Swim                All American Swim Supply
About Us
divider swoosh

About STREAMLINES for Coaches
Coaching Photo U.S. Masters Swimming encourages all U.S. Masters Swimming coaches to subscribe to STREAMLINES for Coaches. However if you would rather not receive this update, please do not click the unsubscribe button, as that will remove you from all other U.S. Masters Swimming National Office mailings. Rather, please click on the "Update Profile/Email Address" link at the bottom of this email. Here you can select to discontinue your STREAMLINES for Coaches service or sign up for the monthly members' newsletter, STREAMLINES, and/or STREAMLINES for Volunteers, a quarterly publication.
 

About U.S. Masters Swimming
U.S. Masters Swimming U.S. Masters Swimming, founded in 1971, is a membership-operated national governing body that promotes adult health, fitness, wellness and competition through aquatics. It does so by partnering with more than 1,000 adult swim clubs across the country that offer swim fitness programs, promoting information via the bi-monthly member magazine, SWIMMER, and usms.org; and by sanctioning and promoting pool, open water and virtual competitions. More than 50,000 adults are registered members of U.S. Masters Swimming.