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April 2013


Greetings!

 

Thanks for all you do for your swimmers-USMS is well represented on pool decks around the country. 


Swimming for Life,
Your Friends at U.S. Masters Swimming

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Pool Open Water
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by Michael Collins, Head Coach Nova Masters

Sets that translate well to the open water 

Preparing your athletes for an open water swim with a surf entry is an important part of helping them get ready for the coming open water season. The set below offers some ideas for how to teach swimmers this important skill for varying event distance options including sprint, Olympic, half-Ironman, and Ironman distance triathlons, as well as any other open water swim event involving a surf start. Read more...  
Pan-Ams Entry Deadline Approaching!
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First time in the US for this international meet
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Online registration for the 2013 Pan American Masters Championships is now under way and will close at midnight on April 30This will be the first time the US has hosted the biennial event. To be held in Sarasota, Fla., June 1-13, 2013, Pan Ams will include synchronized swimming, Masters swimming, and open water swimming. The event is expected to attract up to 2,000 swimmers from around the Western Hemisphere. More information is at PanAmericanMasters2013.org. Plan to attend this unique event!
On-Deck Coaching at Pan Ams
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Bilingual coaches needed for international event
Clinic
Coaches, if you would like to volunteer as an On-Deck Coach at the Pan American National Championship, please contact Bill Brenner or sign up online. We especially have a need for bilingual coaches, which you can indicate in the comment box during online signup. If you're traveling to Sarasota in June, please consider working a shift or two as an on-deck coach.
On-Deck Coaching at Spring Nationals
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Coaches needed in Indy
High Performance
Coaches, if you would like to volunteer as an On-Deck Coach at Spring Nationals nationals please sign up online. We have several spots available still but we are filling up fast! On deck coaches receive a nifty T-shirt and hospitality passes for the shifts they work. If you have any questions, please contact On-Deck Coaching Coordinator Scott Bay

2013 Long Distance National Championships
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Open Water Opportunity 

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Check out the Long Distance Calendar of Events for these and other great open water swims.

April 27: USMS 3-6 Mile Open Water Championship; Miromar Lakes, Fla. Online Entry

May 18: USMS 6-9 Mile Open Water Championship; Lake Mead, Las Vegas, Nev. Online Entry

June 9: USMS 1-Mile Open Water Championship; Lake Del Valle, Livermore, Calif.

And more...

Need $ for New Gear?
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Coaches and clubs can fundraise with these special USMS partner programs

SwimOutlet

SwimOutlet.com's newest fundraising tool for swim clubs, the  SwimOutlet Team Store, enables clubs to set up their own online stores in minutes. You'll be able to feature products from SwimOutlet.com (e.g. USMS branded products, Arena, FINIS, Nike, Speedo, TYR, and many more), and earn 8-10% cash back or store credit on all orders referred through your store. Read more...  

Questions from Coaches
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with
Bill Brenner, Club and Coach Services Director

Health Insurance for USMS Coaches
Bill Brenner
Questions about growing your club, managing club business, or becoming a better coach? Club and Coach Services Director Bill Brenner has answers.

[email protected].



Q: Why doesn't USMS provide group health insurance for Masters coaches?

A: Group health insurance is a policy that is purchased by an employer for the benefit of the eligible employees of the company. Since there is no employee-employer relationship between Masters coaches and USMS, a group plan is not available.  

Masters coaches may have one or more of the following options to secure health insurance:

  • If you are an employee of a facility you may be eligible to participate in your employer's group plan. Ask the human resources department if you are eligible, and if you're not, ask them what it will take to become eligible. Don't be shy about asking. Remember, you're an asset to the facility. You bring your professional skills and knowledge to the pool deck for the benefit of the program and the facility.
  • If your own program employs you and others, you may qualify as your own group. Some states define a small employer group as those that have one to 50 employees. Most states require companies to have two eligible employees to qualify for group coverage. 
  • Masters coaches may also apply for an individual health insurance policy. Masters swimmer and insurance agent Blayne Gale of Eagle Strategies in Reno, Nev. says, "Individual policies are rated and priced based on zip codes and the losses being tracked by the insurance companies. Often, healthy insurance candidates can be eligible for the lowest insurance premium." A group policy does not automatically mean a lower rate, so contact an insurance agent for details.
What Rule is THAT?!
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with
Kathy Casey, USMS Rules Chair
Preventing errors in club affiliation status at Nationals
Cathy Kasey

 

Q:At a previous national championship meet, one of our new swimmers was listed as a member of his previous club. He had correctly changed his membership to our club just before Nationals began, but for some reason it couldn't be changed at the meet. How do we prevent that error again?  

 

A: Prevent errors in club affiliation at Nationals as stipulated in 104.5.4A(3): 

 

1. At the onsite registration at Nationals, all swimmers should check the club affiliation next to their names in the heat sheet and on the card received at registration that shows the name, club affiliation, and all events entered.  

 

2. If there is an error in club affiliation, notify the meet host immediately and show current USMS membership card.  

 

3. The error in club affiliation must be corrected BEFORE the swimmer competes at Nationals. After competing, it is too late for the swimmer to correct errors in club affiliation or become unattached.  

 

4. Coaches, check your club's roster in the heat sheet for accuracy BEFORE the meet begins. Have your swimmers correct club affiliation errors prior to the first events in which they compete.  

 

5. Note that if a valid club transfer was completed prior to the start of Nationals and the swimmer entered Nationals as a member of the previous club, the swimmer can correct the club affiliation prior to arriving at Nationals by contacting USMS.

 

For any questions about rules contact Kathy Casey, USMS Rules Chair  

Certification Opportunities
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Become a certified USMS coach
USMS Certification Pin

The USMS Coaches Committee and Club and Coach Services have developed new curricula for Levels 1, 2 and 3 USMS Masters Coach Certification. The new courses are taught in classroom settings throughout the country. Participants receive a "Certificate of Participation" once they finish the class. If participants wish to become certified, they must join ASCA and deliver to ASCA the completed tests from the coursework and the application for USMS/ASCA Masters Coach Certification. ASCA will grade the tests, process the applications and deliver the certificates.   

 

Level I & II

April 20, 2013 Denver, Colo. - Online Registration  

April 27, 2013 Indianapolis, Ind. - Online Registration 

May 4, 2013 Boston, Mass. - Online Registration    

June 22, 2013 McLean, Va.

June 29, 2013 Orlando, Fla. 

Sept. 6, 2013 New Orleans, La.

Sept. 11, 2013 Anaheim, Calif.  

Nov. 9, 2013 Chicago, Ill.    

 

Level III (Level II a prerequisite)      

April 21, 2013 Denver, Colo. - Online Registration

May 5, 2013 Boston, Mass. - Online Registration 

June 1, 2013 Alexandria, Va. - Online Registration 

Sept. 11, 2013 Anaheim, Calif.

Sept. 28, 2013 Novato, Calif. 

Oct. 12, 2013 Indianapolis, Ind.   

Nov. 10, 2013 Chicago, Ill.   

 

(Contact Bill Brenner for more information)

Visit the usms.org website to find the dates and locations of our certification courses in 2013.  http://www.usms.org/content/coachcertsched
Club and Coach Services
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Need help getting your club up and running?
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Club and Coach Services Director: Bill Brenner

 

Club and Coach Services Coordinator: Mel Goldstein 

 
Free marketing materials are available for USMS programs. Caps, stickers, brochures, etc. 

Small club? Just starting out? Don't have an advertising budget? We have created free templates that you can use to promote your program, your swim meets and your open water events.

Masters Coaching Opportunities
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Looking for a coach? Looking for a club?
Coaching on Deck
USMS maintains a discussion forum on usms.org to match up coaches and clubs. The Coaching Forum has several current threads posted; check back for frequently for updates. And remember, if you are hired in a position or you hire a coach, please update your posting to save time for others who follow you to this helpful forum.
 
Please Support USMS Partners!
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   TYR      TriSwim   The Swim Team Store   
  Swimoutlet.com      SPEEDO NEW 5_11    P2Life

 Nike New 5_27   Marriott Logo

          Kastaway Swimwear       Hammer Nutrition            
   2010 Finis Logo Black       Colorado Time Systems     blueseventy     
   
     Agon Swim  

Active Network Good All American Swim Supply


          
Media Partners
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Bearcat Masters   Swimming World  


About Us
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About U.S. Masters Swimming
U.S. Masters SwimmingU.S. Masters Swimming, founded in 1970, is a membership-operated national governing body that promotes health, wellness, fitness and competition for adults through swimming. It does so by partnering with more than 1,500 adult swim programs across the country; promoting information via the bimonthly member magazine, SWIMMER, monthly e-newsletters, STREAMLINES, and website, usms.org; and by sanctioning and promoting pool, open water and virtual events and competitions. More than 55,000 adults are registered members of U.S. Masters Swimming. 

About STREAMLINES for Coaches
Coach talking 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 USMS 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 bimonthly publication.