The Captain Ransom J. Arthur M.D. Award is U.S. Masters Swimming's highest honor, given to the volunteer who does the most to further the objectives of Masters Swimming. This year, the award went to Hill Carrow of North Carolina Masters Swimming. Hill is a USMS Recognized Coach who also received the 2004 U.S. Masters Swimming National Championship Meets Award. Fellow volunteers probably know him best from the witty awards poems he presents at Convention every year. Congratulations, Hill, and thank you for your service!

The United States Aquatic Sports Convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront, Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 17-21, 2014. Registration forms, travel, shuttle, and tourist information are all available on the USAS website. 

USMS meetings begin on Wed., Sept. 17. The Convention page at usms.org contains the schedule. Other information will be posted soon. 

Delegate Registration: Everyone attending or presenting at any meeting at convention MUST be registered for convention. Online registration is available for individuals who prefer to pay by credit card, and you can register up to four attendees. For those who prefer to register by mail/check, please use the delegate registration form and mail it along with your check. For LMSCs with five or more attendees, you can opt to fill out the group registration form (and pay with just one check).

• Early bird Fee:
• Received by Aug. 26: $170
• Postmarked on Aug. 27 or later: $200

• Hotel Reservations: Hotel information can be found on the USAS website. You are responsible for making your hotel reservations directly with the Hyatt Regency Riverfront. Use the online registration form or call the reservation number at 904-588-1234. The system handles one room at a time. To make reservations for more than one room at a time, call 888-421-1442 (do not call the general Hyatt reservation number or the Hyatt Riverfront reservations). Reservations must be made by Aug. 20 to secure the convention room rate. IMPORTANT - due to so many double bookings, there is a one night ($130) cancellation fee if you cancel your reservation after 3:00 pm on Aug. 1, 2014.
• Air Transportation: Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
• Land Transportation: 
• GO Airport Shuttle (a shared ride transportation service) - $20 for one passenger and $8 for each additional passenger in the party
• Gator City Taxi - $37 for one to two passengers and $8 for each additional passenger in the party. For groups of four or more, request a van. There is no additional charge for the vehicle upgrade. 
• Advance arrangements for transportation can also be made at the concierge desk or via reservation at the dedicated Hyatt line 904-493-5240.
• Driving Directions: Driving directions can be obtained by typing the following address into MapQuest or Google: 225 East Coastline Drive, Jacksonville, FL  32202
• Parking: Self-park is $15/day, Valet parking is $20/day for delegates and volunteers.
• Internet: $14.95/day. 

LMSC Chairs: Please submit the names and contact information for your delegates ASAP to Convention Coordinator Tracy Grilli. 

Please send Delegate-At-Large requests to President Nadine Day and copy Tracy by July 15. Appointments will be made by the president on July 20.

Chairs of Finance, Legislation, Long Distance, and Rules Committees: Please contact your committee members and report to Convention Coordinator Tracy Grilli if there are any members from your committees who will not be attending Convention.

Below are IMPORTANT deadlines from the Working Calendar:

July 15: Committee chairs and special appointments send their annual reports to their vice presidents using the USMS Document Template. Those who will be having a meeting at Convention also send their agendas.

July 31: Vice presidents send their committees' annual reports and agendas to Convention Coordinator Tracy Grilli. Members of the Executive Committee also submit their annual reports.

August 1: All proposed rule or code changes from Rules, Long Distance, and Legislation due to Convention Coordinator Tracy Grilli from respective committee chairs, for inclusion in Convention packet.

August 1: Election Committee submits election information to Convention Coordinator Tracy Grilli for inclusion in Convention Packet.

In even-numbered years, proposed rule changes can be submitted to the Rules Committee for Part 1 and the Glossary and to the Long Distance Committee for Part 3 and also the Glossary. This is an "emergency" year for Legislation (Organizing Principles, Parts 2, 4, 5, and 6), so only proposed changes deemed emergency by that committee will be considered, and they will require a 90% vote to pass.   

See the convention section of the Guide to Operations for detailed instructions and the form for submitting proposed rule changes. Proposed rule changes are due July 10.

If your LMSC has elected any new officers, please remember to notify Membership Director Anna Lea Matysek of these changes. We need this information to be sure the right individuals are receiving information in a timely manner during their tenure.  

SCY Top 10 tabulations (both individual and relay swims) are due to Mary Beth Windrath, National Swims Administrator, by June 30. Late submissions will not be accepted. Instructions can be found in the USMS Records and Tabulation Document, located in the Guide to Operations.

The Open Water Committee is pleased to announce an Open Water Swimmer Safety webinar with Jim Wheeler on Sunday, June 22, 2014, 7 p.m. EDT. This is a 30- to 45-minute webinar providing an in-depth discussion of swimmer safety in open water activities based on the longer webinars presented in March and April. The call will feature a presentation plus a Q&A session with participants.

Additional information on upcoming educational opportunities will be published in STREAMLINES and the Convention packet. Register for the June webinar online by Thursday, June 19. Please direct all questions to the Open Water Committee. 

Each year U.S. Masters Swimming recognizes the extraordinary efforts of our members beyond the water's edge. USMS's success is a result of the amazing contributions of our talented and dedicated volunteers. Help us identify initiative and performance by nominating people you know who fulfill the ideals of the following awards. The deadline for nominations is July 1; please review the submission instructions for each award and help recognize an amazing volunteer.

• Speedo/USMS Coach of the Year
• Dot Donnelly Service Award
• Kerry O'Brien Coaching Award
• Club of the Year Award
• June Krauser Communications Award
• Fitness Award
• Open Water Service Award

Let us know who deserves to be recognized!

Want to host an ePostal or open water National Championship long distance event in 2016? The bidding process is open to events that have run successfully for three years in a row before bidding. Hosting a national championship provides lots of national exposure, which can help your event grow substantially. Bidding information is available on the Long Distance Championship page at usms.org. Bids are due July 15. Selection will be based on the overall suitability of the bid received, and in the case of open water, the committee will also be considering the area in which the event is to be held, safety, and the annual event schedule as a whole. For more information and detailed instructions, check out the Championship Bid Information page. Applications for both ePostal and open water events can be completed online. Apply today!

The LMSC Development Committee is coordinating peer-to-peer teleconference calls for a different LMSC volunteer position each month. The goal of these calls is to provide an opportunity for you to pose questions, get answers, discuss challenges, and share successes as you fulfill your role. In turn, we can use the information shared to help build a repository of best practices for each of our volunteer positions. Prior to the call, we encourage you to log on to the LMSC Administration Forum to post questions or topics of interest that you would like covered.

On June 1, Jerry Clark will be facilitating the Communications P2P, and in July, Jeff Strahota will be coordinating our Top 10 P2P. Email notifications are sent two to three weeks prior to the respective volunteer and to the LMSC chair. The remaining P2P teleconferences in the 2014 schedule include:

• June: Communications (Chairs, Editors, and Webmasters)
• July: Top 10 Recorders
• Aug.: Fitness Chairs
• Sept.: Registrars
• Oct.: Meet Directors
• Nov.: Treasurers
• Dec.: Sanctions/Safety

Notes from each P2P teleconference are posted to the appropriate USMS forum for that role (typically under LMSC Administration). Or contact the LMSC Development Committee for a copy. 

• Pacific: up 586 members
• Southern Pacific: up 266 members
• Florida Gold Coast: up 182 members
• Gulf: up 143 members
• South Texas: up 124 members
• Illinois: up 123 members
• North Carolina: up 95 members
• South Carolina: up 92 members
• Utah: up 75 members
• Southern: up 63 members

The USMS coaching staff will have limited resources to contact swimmers participating in the 2014 FINA World Masters Championships, to be held July 27 though Aug. 10 in Montréal, Québec.

Anyone with questions about the 2014 FINA World Championships may contact Head Coach Tim Waud directly.

The 2014 FINA World Championship Coaching Staff are:

• Tim Waud, Oregon City, Ore.
• Andrew LeVasseur, Denver, Colo.
• Jennifer Catucci-Crowther, Alexandria, Va.
• Dean Hawks, Carmel, Ind.