MARCH/APRIL 2015

STREAMLINES for Volunteers

Some of you recently gathered for the first LMSC Leadership Summit, held in Phoenix, Ariz. Many thanks for your dedicated service and for your commitment to continued improvement and collaboration. This organization is great because of your efforts and those of your predecessors and successors. We are powered by volunteers! In case you want to review or share, the presentation materials can be found at the bottom of the LMSC Management page in the Guide to Operations.

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

Election Nominations Due April 30

Get your nominations in today!

U.S. Masters Swimming will hold elections for all officers (President, Vice President of Administration, Vice President of Community Services, Vice President of Local Operations, Vice President of Programs, Secretary, and Treasurer) at its Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates, Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, 2015, during the United States Aquatic Sports Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

The nomination deadline is April 30, 2015. Nomination packets can be obtained from the Elections page of the USMS website or by contacting Elections Chair Cheryl Gettelfinger.

USMS National Coaches Clinic

The USMS Coaches Committee is pleased to host its first-ever

National Coaches Clinic from

June 5-7, 2015. This exciting learning and networking clinic is specifically tailored for Masters coaches and presented by award-winning U.S. Masters Swimming coaches. The three-day weekend includes several stroke technique workshops and classroom presentations on topics relative to your role as a Masters coach. More information and online registration is now available.

Peer-to-Peer Calls

Why reinvent the wheel when you can learn from others?

Mark your calendars for the next three peer-to-peer teleconference calls for:

Fitness chairs: Tues., Apr 7
Officials chairs: Mon., Apr 20
LMSC chairs and vice-chairs: Tues., May 12 (Focus: Bylaws/Governance Practices)

Teleconferences will be held at 5:30 p.m. Pacific | 8:30 p.m. Eastern time for approximately 1 hour. Email invitations are sent to those in each role in advance with dial-in information. Contact the LMSC Development Committee for more information.

The goal of these facilitated calls is to provide an opportunity for you to converse with your peers, pose questions, get answers, discuss challenges, and share successes related to your LMSC volunteer role. In turn, the LMSC Development Committee can use the information shared to help build a repository of best practices for each of our volunteer positions.

April is Adult Learn-to-Swim Month!

Get involved in helping adults learn to swim!

Many USMS swimmers might be surprised to learn that 37 percent of American adults can't swim the length of a standard swimming pool. What's worse, 10 people--8 of whom are adults or young adults--drown every day. USMS and our charitable arm, the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation, wants to change these figures, and so we launched the April is Adult Learn-to-Swim Month campaign in 2014, and we're looking forward to an even bigger response in 2015.

If you want to help, it's easy! Start by finding out if your swimming facility offers adult learn-to-swim lessons. If it doesn't, ask the manager to consider adding ALTS lessons. If your facility does offer lessons, make sure that information is listed alongside your Masters program entry in the Places to Swim database.

If you'd like to establish and run a learn-to-swim program, you can apply for a $5,000 grant from the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation to get that program off the ground. Applications for the next grant cycle will be accepted through July 24, 2015.

Perhaps the easiest way to help is by donating to the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation, which you can do anytime online. SSLF is a donor-funded charitable organization, and 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes to provide swimming lessons for adults around the country. Let's help more adults learn to swim.

2015 Volunteer Service Awards

Nominate a deserving volunteer today!

USMS presents a number of awards annually to members who have excelled in various areas. The details and recipients of each type of award may be found on our Awards page. Send in your nominations today for Speedo USMS Coach of the Year, Dorothy Donnelly Service, June Krauser Communications, and other awards. See all the award categories on the Awards page. Nominations for all awards are due July 1 (except the Capt. Ransom J. Arthur Award, which was due on March 15).

Minutes and Financials Due April 30

File your meeting minutes and financial reports today

LMSC Annual Meeting Minutes

Per USMS Rule 502.3, each LMSC is required to hold an annual meeting that is open to all individual members of the LMSC. Your LMSC is required to take minutes at that meeting and, per Rule 502.7, send a copy of your 2014 minutes to Membership Director Anna Lea Matysek by April 30, 2015.

LMSC Annual Financial Statements
Per USMS Rule 502.7, each LMSC must submit an annual financial report to the national office. Instructions for creating the report can be found in the USMS Guide to Operations. Please submit your report to Membership Director Anna Lea Matysek by April 30, 2015.

Add a Vanity ID or Coach Affiliation

Special designations show your passion for swimming

Scrimmage, coaching, swimming, pool, ball sport, football

In 2014, USMS added Vanity IDs and Recognized Coach status to the registration system. If you did not purchase either of these items at the time of renewal, but would like to do so now, you still can. Just go to the membership update page to begin.

Becoming a recognized Masters coach lends credibility to your business and also gives you access to special sponsor discounts. As a Recognized Coach, you'll also be eligible for hospitality at Spring and Summer Nationals, select volunteer opportunities, stipends for writing technique articles and workouts, and a slew of other exclusive benefits.

Your permanent ID is the last five characters of your annual registration number. These characters uniquely identify you as a USMS member, so why not have some fun with them? For a one-time fee of $50, you can get your own, customized string of identifying characters--think of it as a personalized license plate for Masters swimmers. Get your own special ID and see how creative you can get with designating who you are to the Masters world!

Bids for LD National Championships

Apply to make your event a national championship

Open Water, swimming, swimmers, race, 1v1, Tropical Splash

Want to host an ePostal or o pen water national championship long distance event in 2017? 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, 2015. 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.

2016 Bids for Check-Off Challenge Open

A fun and creative way to raise funds and build team unity!

Are you looking for a fun way to promote your swim club plus the fit and fun activity of swimming? Consider hosting the 2016 Check-Off Challenge! Simply create a catchy T-shirt (caps, bag tags, etc.) with check-off spots for all the events in a swim meet. Promote your theme and shirt through the USMS website and STREAMLINES publications and make monthly shipments to the purchasers of your shirt.

Use this for a fundraiser, a team building activity, and as a goodwill activity for your swimming buddies all over the USA. For more information or to place a bid contact Robin Walker.

Insurance Certificates Available Online

Online resource makes compliance easy

Some facilities require their clubs or event directors to provide them with a certificate of insurance. We now have an online certificate request system. For information about certificates of insurance and to access the online form, go to usms.org, mouse over the For Coaches tab, and select Insurance.