SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

STREAMLINES for Volunteers

Another great annual meeting at the USAS Convention is in the rearview. We are grateful for your ongoing service and loved seeing so many of you in Kansas City! Thank you for all you do for USMS!

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

Convention Wrap-Up

Final minutes posted

Thank you all for a wonderful and productive 2015 Annual Meeting! House of Delegates minutes have been finalized and approved, including all the committee meeting minutes. You can access those online. You can also access the 2016 Committee Request form online. Completing this survey is required if you want to serve on a committee. The deadline to complete this survey is Friday, Oct. 9.

The 2015 Convention Evaluation survey is also available online. Please take this survey--we want your feedback so that we can make next year's Convention even better!

We've also published a press release announcing all election winners. Congratulations to the winners and thank you for your service!

Now that the 2015 Convention has been completed, be sure to mark your calendars for the 2016 Convention scheduled for Sept. 21 through Sept. 25 in Atlanta, Ga. We look forward to seeing you there!

Club Registration Now Open

Renew your club so members can find you

All club contacts will be receiving an email in the next week or two with an online renewal link. 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 2016 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.

Emergency Rule Interpretation, IM, Medley Relay

USMS Rules Committee notice to all USMS members

FINA originally issued an interpretation for officiating the freestyle portion of the IM and medley relay on June 1, 1997.
FINA issued an additional interpretation of the freestyle portion of the IM and medley relay, specifically regarding backstroke, on August 23, 2015.
USMS will follow both interpretations as published by FINA and subsequently published by USA Swimming on September 8, 2015.

USA Swimming has provided additional information regarding this emergency notice, including a series of FAQs. The USMS rule reference number and text of the rule are the same as USA-S. Please read the rest of the notice online. If you have additional questions please contact the USMS Rules Committee.

USA Swimming has provided additional information regarding this emergency notice, including a series of FAQs. The USMS rule reference number and text of the rule are the same as USA-S. Please read the rest of the notice online and an additional clarification document developed by the Rules Committee during Convention. If you have additional questions please contact the USMS Rules Committee.

Upcoming Peer-to-Peer Calls

Log on to teleconferences for best practices information

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

Registrars: Sunday, Oct. 25,
5 p.m. Pacific | 8 p.m. Eastern

Secretaries: Sunday, Nov. 8, 5 p.m. Pacific | 8 p.m. Eastern

General Call (priority items for 2016): December (date and time TBD)

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. Email notifications are sent 2 to 3 weeks prior to the respective volunteer and to the LMSC chair.

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.

LCM Top 10 Submissions Due

Don't miss the October 31 deadline

The deadline for LCM Top 10 tabulations (both individual and relay swims) are due to Mary Beth Windrath, National Swims Administrator, by October 31. Late submissions will not be accepted. Instructions can be found in the USMS Records and Tabulation Document, located in the Guide to Operations.

Reminder: Expense Reports

You have 30 days to submit for reimbursable expenses

Don't forget to submit your expense reports to Susan Kuhlman within 30 days of the conclusion of Convention if you'd like to be reimbursed for qualified Convention expenses. Please download an expense report form (in PDF or Word formats) from the LMSC Management section of the Guide to Operations page. Requests for reimbursement must include all receipts and a description of goods or services.

Member Registration Options

Two membership registration options now available

For your members still registering with USMS for 2015, beginning Sept. 1 the fee payable to USMS has been reduced from $37 to $25 (plus any LMSC fees). This is called an "End-of-Year" registration. (This registration will expire on Dec. 31, 2015 with everyone else who registered for 2015.)

USMS also offers a "Year-Plus" membership where prospective members can choose to register for the remainder of 2015 for $15 plus pre-pay for a full-year 2016 membership ($39 plus their local LMSC fee).

More information and links to individual registration are online.

Meeting Minutes

Catch up on all the news

Did you miss a meeting? Couldn't attend Convention? We have you covered. All meeting minutes are posted on the USMS Convention page.

Quick Links

For Chairs

Guide to Operations

USMS Policies & Governance

List of LMSC Officers

Working Calendar

For Registrars

Registrar Tutorials

Guide to Operations (Registration section)

For Meet Directors

Guide to Operations (Meet Management section)

For Officials

USMS Rule Book

Open Water Guidelines

For Top 10

Guide to Operations (Records & Tab section)

For Treasurers

Guide to Operations (Treasurer section)

Financial Policies & Guidelines