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Greetings!
Don't forget to renew your club's registration for 2014 during the month of October. Details below!
Swimming for Life,
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 | 2014 Club Registration
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 Club registration begins October 1
Every club contact will receive an email with a renewal link in the first week of October that will allow the club to renew its membership online with a credit card.
It's important to have your club registered before November 1 because on that date, individual members can begin registering or renewing with USMS for the 2014 membership year. If your club is not registered, it will not appear in the pull-down lists and your members will not be able to register with you.
If your club cannot renew online, please contact your local registrar. Don't know who that is? You can find out here.
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| Space, The Final Frontier
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| by Coach Scott Bay, Team Blu Frog |  |
Sneaky ways to get more pool time and space
 While at dinner with some coaches a few months back, the subject of water time and pool space came up. Several coaches lamented the fact that they want to grow but can't because of restrictions on water space or time imposed by their facilities. These facilities are trying to juggle the needs of various different groups using the pool, so there isn't always a cut-and-dried answer. Read more...
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| Chaos Drills
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| by Coach Bob Jennings, The Villages Aquatic Swim Team | |
 How to cope with utter disorder or confusion
You've probably witnessed or heard of one of your swimmers having something chaotic happen in a swim event. Here are three common occurrences and three practice activities that can provide the knowledge swimmers need to handle these difficult situations with comfort and confidence. Read more...
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| Coach and Club of the Year
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 Honors bestowed at Convention
Congratulations to Whitney Hedgepeth, of Longhorn Aquatics, the Speedo/USMS Coach of the Year, and to Blue Wave Aquatics, the USMS Club of the Year. Be sure to read the press release for the scoop on all the other USMS awards and honorees, as well as elections results, from this year's annual meeting.
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| Reduced Registration Fees
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End-of-year members can save some green
For your members still registering with USMS for 2013, starting September 1, the fee payable to USMS has been reduced from $33 to $28. End-of-year registrations still expire on December 31, 2013 with everyone else. Check with your LMSC, as it may also have a reduced end-of-year registration fee.
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| Questions from Coaches
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| with Bill Brenner, Club and Coach Services Director | |
How do I find a coach for our Masters program?
Questions about growing your club, managing club business, or becoming a better coach? Club and Coach Services Director Bill Brenner has answers.
Q: How do I find a coach for our Masters program?
A: Finding a qualified Masters coach takes time and patience. Before you begin your search, it's important to define the job description. More importantly, you should determine the goals of your program.
Once you have your program identity and goals defined, you can search for a coach with the same values. It's critical to hire a coach who understands that swimming needs to be fun while helping swimmers and the program meet stated goals and objectives.
Programs can advertise for a Masters coach in the USMS Discussion Forums, in the local print media, or any number of online employment services. Contact local age group, high school, and college swim teams; they often have swim coaches interested in additional coaching opportunities. The more irons you put in the fire, the greater the chance the most qualified coach will apply for the position.
Applicants should be required to send a résumé and cover letter. I recommend having applicants write a one-paragraph statement of why they want to coach Masters swimming--give applicants an opportunity to do some homework on Masters.
After reviewing the applications, determine which applicants are worthy of further review. Schedule phone interviews with out-of-town applicants and in-person interviews with local candidates. Make your final selection and negotiate the compensation and benefits. Both parties should sign a letter of agreement outlining each other's responsibilities.
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What Rule is THAT?!
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with
Kathy Casey, USMS Rules Chair
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How many officials do we need to run a meet?
 Q: Our meet director believes that two officials are enough to run a meet. I say there should be a minimum of four officials. Who is correct? A: You are both correct: There should be a minimum of four officials, but the rule book explains that two people can fill four positions. Two people can fulfill the duties of four officials by having one person fulfill the roles of: 1. a referee and, 2. a stroke and turn judge (103.2.1A), while the other person fulfills the roles of 1. a starter and, 2. a stroke and turn judge (103.2.1B). At least two people must fulfill the roles of stroke and turn judges (103.2.1C), but those two people can also be the referee and the starter (103.2.1A&B, page 15). One person cannot serve as the referee and the starter. The second role served by each of these two people has to be as a stroke and turn judge. The person who fulfills the role of the referee must be certified as a referee, but may serve as a referee only if certified as a starter or a stroke and turn judge by receiving training in the specific duties of a referee (103.3.1). The other person who fulfills the roles of a starter and a stroke and turn judge must be certified in those capacities or, if uncertified, must be trained in the specific duties of each position and be under the direct supervision of a certified official (103.3.2). Therefore, two people can equal four officials. That is the bare minimum allowed for officials. USMS highly encourages staffing decks with more officials. All rule references are from the 2013 USMS Rule Book. For any questions about rules contact Kathy Casey, USMS Rules Chair |
| Certification Opportunities
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Become a certified USMS coach
 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. Levels 1 and 2 Oct. 25, 2013 Salt Lake City, Utah - Online Registration Nov. 9, 2013 Chicago, Ill. - Online Registration Level 3 (Level II a prerequisite) Sept. 28, 2013 Novato, Calif. - Online Registration Oct. 12, 2013 Indianapolis, Ind. - Online Registration Oct. 26, 2013 Salt Lake City, Utah - Online Registration Nov. 10, 2013 Chicago, Ill. - Online Registration Nov. 16, 2013 Portland, Ore. (Contact Bill Brenner for more information)
Visit the usms.org website to find the dates and locations of our certification courses in 2013.
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| Club and Coach Services
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Need help getting your club up and running?
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?
USMS maintains a discussion forum on usms.org to match coaches with the clubs that need them. The Coaching Forum has several current threads posted; check back frequently for updates. And remember, if you are hired as a coach or you hire another coach for your club, please update your posting on this helpful forum to save time for others.
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| Please Support USMS Partners!
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| Media Partners
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About Us
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About U.S. Masters Swimming
 U.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. |
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About STREAMLINES for Coaches
 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. |
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