Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn  YouTube
MARCH/APRIL 2016
STREAMLINES for Volunteers

USMS is pleased to announce the hiring of our new CEO, Dawson Hughes. You can read more about him in our recent press release and below. 

Swimming for Life,
Your Friends at U.S. Masters Swimming
We Have A New CEO!
Welcome, Dawson Hughes
Dawson Hughes
Last week, the USMS Board of Directors announced it had concluded its search for our new CEO with the hiring of Dawson Hughes. A sports business executive with a strong background in revenue generation, corporate and community partnerships, and operations management for large-scale professional and collegiate sporting events, Dawson most recently led business development for the Orange Bowl Committee. Dawson was also an age-group and college swimmer--he's excited to return to swimming, a sport that has been an important part of his life. Please join us in welcoming Dawson to the USMS National Office! Beginning March 28, he can be reached at [email protected].
April is Adult Learn-to-Swim Month!
Help adults in your community learn to swim
Jerry McCormick ALTS
According the CDC, about 10 people drown every day in the US; the majority of them adults or young adults. USMS and our Swimming Saves Lives Foundation, want to change this and so, in 2014, we launched the April is Adult Learn-to-Swim Month campaign. We're looking forward to our third year in 2016. 

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

The Swimming Saves Lives Foundation also awards grants to further the cause of teaching adults to swim. These grants can give an existing program a boost, or, in some cases, can be used to start a program from scratch. Applications for the next grant cycle will be opening soon. 

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.

LMSC Minutes and Financials Due
Submit this info by April 30
big-bills-money.jpg
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 2015 minutes to Membership Director Anna Lea Matysek by April 30, 2016.
 
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, 2016.

At-Large Director Elections 
Want to run for one of these important positions in 2016?
elections
U.S. Masters Swimming will hold elections for all At-Large Directors (Breadbasket Zone, Colonies Zone, Dixie Zone, Great Lakes Zone, Northwest Zone, Oceana Zone, South Central Zone, and Southwest Zone) at its Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates, Sept. 13-17, 2016, during the United States Aquatic Sports Convention in Atlanta. The nomination deadline is April 30, 2016, and nomination packets may be obtained from the Election page of the USMS website or by contacting Elections Chair Cheryl Gettelfinger.
 
We're looking for energetic volunteers with a desire to help lead U.S. Masters Swimming. If you're interested in leadership and service at our highest level, or you know someone who would be willing to serve, please let us know.
 
To place your name in nomination for an officer position, download the nomination packet and election guidelines or request them by email from Cheryl Gettelfinger. Please read the entire packet, including the election operating guidelines, and return the Candidate Questionnaire/Consent-to-Run form to the elections chair by April 30, 2016.
 
To be eligible for nomination, candidates shall: 
  • Be members in good standing of U.S. Masters Swimming for the year when the election is held; 
  • Have attended more than one USMS annual meeting of the National House of Delegates in the preceding five years; 
  • Plan to attend the annual meeting of the National House of Delegates for the election year in which they are standing for election, and plan to attend all House of Delegates meetings during their tenure; and 
  • Candidates for director shall be a resident and a member of the Zone from which they are seeking election (applicable in even years only).
If after reading the materials, you have questions about the role of any USMS officer position or the nomination/election process, please contact Cheryl Gettelfinger.

Add a Vanity ID
Special designation shows your passion for swimming
camaraderie
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!

Peer-to-Peer Calls
Why reinvent the wheel when you can learn from others?
Need to Know
Mark your calendars for the next three peer-to-peer teleconference calls for:
  • Open Water Chairs:  Sunday, April 17, 5 p.m. PDT | 8 p.m. EDT
  • Coaches Chairs: Sunday, May 8, 5 p.m. PDT | 8 p.m. EDT
  • Top 10 Recorders: Sunday, June 12, 5 p.m. PDT | 8 p.m. EDT
Teleconferences will each take 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.

Bids for LD/OWS Champs Open
Want to host a national championship event in 2018?
Open Water, swimming, swimmers, race, 1v1, Tropical Splash
Want to host an ePostal or open water national championship long distance event in 2018? 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. Bids are due July 15, 2016. 

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 Volunteer Service Awards
Nominate a deserving volunteer today
Meg Smath
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 pageSend in your nominations today for Speedo USMS Coach of the Year, Dorothy Donnelly Service, June Krauser Communications, and others. See all the award categories on the Awards pageNominations for all awards are due July 1 (except the Capt. Ransom J. Arthur Award, which was due on March 15).
Bids for Check-Off Challenge Open
A fun and creative way to raise funds and build team unity!
Big Orange check-off challenge logo
Are you looking for a fun way to promote your swim club plus the fit and fun activity of swimming? Consider hosting the 2017 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 event as a fundraiser, a teambuilding 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.

Quick Links
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. Nearly 60,000 adults are registered members of U.S. Masters Swimming.
About STREAMLINES for Volunteers
A subscription to STREAMLINES for Volunteers is required for all LMSC and national-level USMS volunteers; please do not click "SafeUnsubscribe," as that will remove you from all other USMS National Office mailings. Rather, click on the "Update Profile/Email Address" link to manage your subscriptions to U.S. Masters Swimming electronic communications.
U.S. Masters Swimming
[email protected] | facebook.com/usmastersswimmingfanpage

Copyright © U.S. Masters Swimming 2009-2015
USMS.ORG