This is your final opportunity to register for the 2012 Marriott USMS Summer Nationals being held in Omaha, Neb. In the same pool that the U.S. will hold it's Swimming Trials. Don't miss out on this rare event. You have until Midnight CDT tonight May 31. Register now!

We are proud to announce that the winner of our Facebook contest is Amy Goodwin of Illinois Masters. She will be awarded a four night hotel stay in Omaha during the Summer Nationals July 5-8, compliments of our sponsor Blueseventy. Congratulations Amy, and thank you to all that entered.

Also, we still have some event sponsorships available for Summer Nationals. Each event is $200, contact Kyle Deery, USMS Marketing Coordinator for more details.

Jamie Miller, 57 and a member of North Carolina Masters, says he is playing catch-up. After learning a little about him, though, you might think that he has already caught up and moved on into the stratosphere. USMS doesn't know what an average number of swims is for an average Masters swimmer. There are too many variables, and it isn't right to reduce the diversity of USMS to a single number. Many of our members enjoy pool racing, but they also enjoy open water swimming and swimming purely for fun and fitness. That said, we're guessing Miller's accumulation of nearly 300 swims in less than four years is way above average. Read more...

The History of U.S. Masters Swimming was featured during a presentation at the International Aquatic History Symposium and Film Festival on May 10. Meegan Wilson, Chair of the USMS History & Archives Committee, introduced John Spannuth and Bob Beach. John Spannuth, who hosted the first National Masters Swimming Championships in 1970 in Amarillo, TX, presented a brief history of USMS. Bob Beach, who was vice-chairman of the National Masters Committee of AAU between 1971 and 1977, walked the audience down memory lane with a collection of photos and artifacts from the early days of USMS. The session concluded with a screening of the "We Are USMS" promotional video.

July 1 is the deadline to submit nominations for USMS National Awards that are presented at USMS's annual convention, in Greensboro, NC September 10-17. 

The National Awards include...

• Speedo/USMS Coach of the Year Award
• Dorothy Donnelly Service Award
• Kerry O'Brien Coaching Award
• Club of the Year Award
• June Krauser Communications Award
• Fitness Award
• National Championship Meets Award

For a list of all awards, go to the USMS Awards page for details, deadlines, and nomination forms.

Special Advertorial
by Steve Born at Hammer Nutrition

Are you a swimmer-be it sprinter or long distance-who believes that protein supplementation is strictly for weight lifters and bodybuilders? If so, it's important to understand that hard-training swimmers also need a substantial amount of protein in their daily diets. Athletes, such as swimmers, who are outside the realm of weight lifting and bodybuilding athletes (the "mainly strength, with minimal endurance involved" athletes), oftentimes tend to focus on carbohydrate intake and pay little, if any, attention to protein. Read more... 

Dr. Ransom Arthur MD Award

Doug Church is the 2012 recipient of USMS's highest honor, the  Dr. Ransom Arthur MD Award. 

Doug has been the USMS Treasurer and Chair of the USMS Finance Committee, was an integral part in initiatives to launch SWIMMER magazine and to hire an executive director and national office staff. He presently chairs the USMS Swimming Lives Foundation. In 2010 and 2011, Doug contributed 124 volunteer hours as USMS Legal Counsel.

  

Doug's volunteer efforts at the local level are monumental. He was instrumental in developing and building the Fishers YMCA in Fishers, Ind., which is the largest YMCA in the state. Through his vision and energy he also assumed control of the Hamilton County Central Pool when it was about to be abandoned and demolished. His ability to recruit volunteers and support saved the Central Pool, which has now been renamed the Forest Park Aquatic Center, and serves more than 50,000 citizens each year who wish to use aquatics as a means of exercise.

 

Congratulations and thank you Doug!

"Happy Memorial Day Masters Swimmers! A day to remember, a day to give thanks... Did you swim today?" See what they said...

Become a Fan! We are 19,000+ fans strong at the official USMS Facebook Fan Page. Join the party and suggest our page to all of your friends.

This weeks Really Cool Website comes to us from the Garden State, New Jersey Masters Swimming.
                                 

by U.K. Royal Marines

Members of the United Kingdom's Royal Marines attended Spring Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. as part of a special "Sports Tour" of the Eastern Seaboard. They showed their spirit throughout the meet and won some hardware for their efforts. On Sunday they presented USMS Executive Director Rob Butcher with some hardware from the UK: a commemorative plaque, which now hangs in the national office. Thanks chaps!