Dixie Zone Committee Minutes | LMSC News | USMS Convention Report
ZONE COMMITTEE MINUTES
Zone Meeting Minutes - Saturday, September 18, 1999 - submitted by Lisa Watson
There were 22 voting delegates present with two not voting and a guest from Lake Erie. Representing FL were Margie Hutinger, Larry Peck, Dick Brewer, Katie Cooper, Joe Kurtzman, Frank Tillotson; FGC - June Krauser, Randy Nutt, Debbie Cavanaugh, Lil Haneman, Eddie Ames, Carl House; GA - Lisa Watson, Edward Saltzman; NC - George Simon, Jerry Clark, Rhea Wilkins; SC - Jacque Grossman; SE - Mary Lee Watson, Jean Fox, Rick Harris; SO - Scott Rabalais, Darrin Anderson.
FINANCIAL REPORT
The financial report was distributed and as of Sept. 18, 1999, the Dixie Zone treasury has a balance of $1,550.34 (no Top Ten times in the last year). $263.24 of the balance will be used to cover a portion of June's expenses to this year's convention.
TOP TEN
Dick Brewer suggested that instead of mailing Dixie Zone Top Ten results, we can save money and time by having Dick scan the results and put them on the internet. Each LMSC can be responsible for downloading the results and distributing to its members. The Dixie Zone voted to do this and thanked Dick for his help. Rick Harris reported that current Dixie Zone Top Ten Recorder Karen Crossen is having difficulty compiling Top Ten results because many of the meet results are not sent to her is disk form. The Dixie Zone voted to issue the following mandate to its LMSC's: If a meet is managed electronically, results shall be sent on disk or via e-mail for submission to Dixie Zone Top Ten. All meet directors are encouraged to use meet management software to report results. A suggestion was made that LMSC's should include the above information in instructions to meet directors on receiving sanctions.
DIXIE ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR 2000
The following sites were designated for 2000:
COACHES MENTOR PROGRAM
Scott Rabalais discussed the USMS Coaches Mentor program. This program provides for 4 clinics throughout the country, which can be in varied formats. USMS will give $500 which should cover the coach's expenses. This program has proved very valuable for coaches and swimmers. There is a similar program being offered for Open Water clinics, which can be held in conjunction with a scheduled Open Water event. Interested groups should contact Scott.
COACHES ON DECK PROGRAM
This program has been implemented at Nationals and proven very successful and helpful to swimmers during warm-up. Scott hopes that this program can be expanded to be utilized at the regional and local levels.
CONVENTION TOPICS
Lisa Watson encouraged all Dixie Zone members to vote in favor of the Emergency Rule Proposal from Championship Committee which would increase the $20 surcharge at Nationals to $30. Lisa stressed that this rule proposal would be a crucial element in attracting quality bids for Nationals in the future. Carl House encouraged the use of 3-mail among LMSC's whenever possible as a means of communication.
DIXIE ZONE REP ELECTIONS
The Dixie Zone unanimously re-elected June Krauser as Dixie Zone Rep for the next 2-year term. The following is a partial resume of June's accomplishments, compiled by Scott Rabalais:
RESUME OF JUNE KRAUSER
The Dixie Zone expresses appreciation for June's service during her past 2 terms.
NEW BUSINESS
June reported that Paul Hutinger and Bill Specht have been placed on a list of nominees for selection to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. After reviewing the accomplishments of those on the list, one male and one female will be selected for the year 2000. Mary Lee Watson encouraged LMSC's to use vendors listed in the rule book. Meets can also be advertised in the rule book.
OLD BUSINESS
The Dixie Zone voted to order Dixie Zone Top Ten patches to be made available to swimmers who qualify. Debbie Cavanaugh volunteered to take care of ordering the patches.
When final dates and contact information is available, these meets will be placed in the regular Calendar and on the Dixie Zone website.
LMSC NEWS
LMSC MEETINGS
As your annual meetings are taking place this fall, please send your new (or old) list of officers and committee members to June Krauser and to Tracy Grilli. Also remember to send a copy of your minutes and your financial reports. Please obtain as many e-mails as possible.
LMSC NEWSLETTERS
It is nice to receive the various newsletters. There is a lot of good information found in them. I will report on a few.
Florida Gold Coast: The Latycar'99 meet was held at the Hall of Fame pool in Fort Lauderdale on the 6-11 of September. It was restricted to the Latin American and Caribbean Masters swimmers plus those in the United States born in those countries and three individuals that were made lifetime members of Latycar (June Krauser, Ron Johnson, and Dave Tree). There were 1086 swimmers entered from 111 teams in 19 countries. Seven Gold Coast Masters participated as did swimmers from five other LMSC's.
Georgia: The Georgia super team, GAJA, plans on invading SC on Nov. 13-14 for the Anderson SC SCM meet. Georgia's annual meeting will be held Oct. 24. They have a new Top Ten Chairman, Marty Hamburger, and Ed Saltzman is compiling data to assist Marty in his new endeavor. There is a fine article on the Memories from the swimming life of Igor Vazhenin which is real interesting.
Florida: THREEPEAT! Last year's newsletter (Maverick Lane Lines) mentioned the possibility of a threepeat. For the third year in a row, The Maverick men's team has claimed the title of National Champion. This year, the 10 men were placed with the Medium Teams, 10-16 swimmers. Although they didn't have quantity, they had quality, and from day one, David never relinquished the advantage to the Goliaths in the battle for 1st place, winning by 38 points. Their combined team, 14, crushed all other Small Teams to clinch their first National Championship by 144 points. St. Petersburg Masters is glad to have coach George Bole back as George is glad to be back! He arrived home on June 3rd after having a treble by-pass in England. On June 12th he was seen at Key West and on June 19-20 he was at Sarasota for the LC T-shirt meet. George is very busy getting the St. Pete team ready for the Munich World Championships. Many fund raisers are being held to help everyone going to Germany. George says, "I just know that I've never been happier. I'm walking six miles a day at brisk pace. My senses are sharper in every way. My appetite for coaching has increased! It's just so good to be alive and in St. Petersburg, with St. Pete Masters, and I'm leaner (12 lb.) and meaner than ever!" Long live George!
North Carolina: Jim Enyart, editor of ACROSS THE LANES, was requested for a description of USMS. He researched and offered a general overview which may help you answer the question he was asked. It is a great article and here are a few excerpts: "United States Masters Swimming (USMS) is an organization founded in 1972 and dedicated to the premise that the lives of the participants will be enhanced through aquatic physical conditioning. Masters swimming is an organized program of swimming for adults. Members participate in a variety of ways ranging from pool lap swimming and open water distance swimming to international competition. Anyone 19 or over can join Masters swimming. USMS has over 36,0-00 members, a few of whom are in their 90's. Everyone has his or her reason for belonging - health, fitness, camaraderie, fun, the thrill of competition, travel, and coaching are but a few. About 30% of all Masters swimmers compete in swim meets on a regular basis. For those who are serious competitors, there are an incredible number of opportunities to test your skill and conditioning. But if competing is not your style, there is no need to feel pressured. Swimming is one of the best (and most popular) aerobic activities known, which makes it an excellent activity for those who wish to stay fit. Thousands of Masters swimmers are "fitness" swimmers - those who swim for only the fitness benefits of the sport. To these swimmers, a workout is an end in itself, an opportunity to improve one's health in the company of friends. The fitness-oriented members are an important part of USMS, and Masters provide the resources and activities to help the fitness swimmer maintain a lifelong interest in swimming. A wealth of Masters swimming information is also available from their website: www.usms.org."
1999 USMS CONVENTION SUMMARY
MASTERS SWIMMING FOR LIFE
Masters Swimming for Life was the theme of the XX Convention held in San Diego, CA September 15-19, 1999. The convention is held in conjunction with United States Aquatic Sports, and there were over 1,300 in attendance. 182 were Masters delegates. We all needed to carry a property map of the Town and Country Resort Hotel to help find our meeting rooms and it was a little tough. The convention went very well with only one little 'glitch.'
BREAKOUT GROUPS
At the first House of Delegates meeting we separated into five groups: Fun, Leadership, Communications, Public Relations, and LMSC Events. Many interesting suggestions came out of these groups.
CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE
Surcharge is increased to $30. All swimmers will be required to sign a safety waiver form upon check-in. No copy of USMS card will be required with entry. Meet hosts may eliminate phone call check-in but allow check-in up to the morning of the event. 20% of SC entries and 23% of LC entries were internet entries. 2001 SCY at Santa Clara, May 17-20, and 2001 LCM at Federal Way August 16-19. A survey will be made of Top Ten swimmers to help identify possible areas of improvement for Nationals. New designs for the National Championship Patch will be solicited.
COACHES COMMITTEE
The Coach's Manual will be available as a .pdf file in the USMS website. Will develop a method of registering and identifying coaches and develop a group of LMSC Coach Reps. Still have USMS Mentor Clinics, NIKE Champions Clinics, and beginning to offer Open Water clinics. The Victor Olympic Training Center Camp was a huge success and the goal is to run two or three a year. There is a Video Library and a Book Library for rental. The MACA News comes out bi-monthly as an e-mail .pdf file. Ron Johnson was the 1999 recipient of Speedo's Coach of the Year Award. The committee is going to subsidize three to four coaches to the Munich World Championships and next year study and develop a proposal for a National Coaching Director.
COMPUTER ON-LINE COMMITTEE
Technology is moving so fast that everyone should at least have e-mail. Requesting the Executive Committee to draft a privacy statement to place on our web site. Recommend changing the Webmaster position to a contract position. Schedule a web site demonstration at next year's convention. Discontinue offering new personal email aliases unless a replacement volunteer can be found. On-line database through Hy-Tek can now be shown on the web site. Missing date on 70% of 3,000 All Americans (please help). A registration area is under test that refers the swimmer directly to the LMSC registration web page and a .pdf registration form for the LMSC.
CONVENTION COMMITTEE
All new delegates should be assigned to the committee (we need help!). Closing the Hospitality Suite during meeting hours next year will depend on the availability of local volunteers.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Cash and cash equivalents as of 9/15/99 are $785,610. We come out a little ahead each year. Some of the reserves might be used for USMS committee projects, the USMS Endowment Fund, or for our insurance reserves. A monthly report will be sent to each registrar as so many are not paid up. An investigation will be made as to why USMS has not received payment for the past two years.
FITNESS COMMITTEE
Currently there are two USMS Fitness events: the Postal Pentathlon and the Check-Off Challenge. New events proposed are the Y2K Triathlon and the USMS 500 Swim. The Fitness Committee Quarterly was renamed Fitness Tips. The goal is to send out four a year to the LMSC Newsletter editors.
INSURANCE COMMITTEE
The Policies are extended to 1/1/2001 from various dates. Voted to conditionally approve Foreign Accident coverage. Voted to increase policy liability coverage Director and Officer limits from $500k to $1M. Secondary Accident Insurance changes effective 1/1/2000: deductible now $100 (was $250); reduced from $.60 to $.55 per swimmer; $250 per tooth limit eliminated; chiropractic and physical therapy limited to a maximum of $1,000 each.
1998 INTERNAL AUDIT
Research revealed that the 1998 financial records of the organization are in excellent order. Reimbursements are now being made in a timely manner. Advised sending a monthly report to registrars.
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE
The USMS Executive Secretary to send letters to venues that might be interested in bidding for the 2002 or 2004 World Masters Championships. We have compiled a list of USMS International Contacts and eventually it will be on our web site. We need an article in Swim Magazine on the starting command procedure and false start rule for International meets. The entry book for Munich is available from Tracy Grilli for $3.
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
All recognitions shall be singed by the LMSC's authorized representative. Entry forms shall contain the language of the liability release as stated but may be modified by naming the sanctioning LMSC, sponsoring USMS club(s) and/or addition insured(s) following "United States Masters Swimming, Inc." The Board of Directors of USMS include each member of the Executive Committee, each zone rep, past presidents, the chairmen of all standing committees, the internal auditor, the controller, and the liaison from USA Swimming. All standing committees have been revised. No final report from this committee as yet.
LONG DISTANCE COMMITTEE
The One-Hour Postal Swim set a new record with 1,838 swimmers. LMSC's have the option of recognizing events when a sanction is inappropriate. Championship bids selected for 2001:
If USMS recognizes an OW event, the USMS swimmers will be fully covered with liability and medical insurance. A non-USMS host would not be covered. The 3000/6000 Postal Swim is restricted to a 25-yard pool.
MARKETING/PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
The web site has increased our visibility. Please support our sponsors: Alamo (car rental), Destinations (nation's leading hotel discount program), Earthlink (pre-pay phone card), Kast-A-Way Swimwear (swim wear and swimming equipment), MBNA MasterCard (USMS Preferred and Gold affinity credit card), Mindspring (dial-up internet service), NIKE (active sportswear), Speedo (innovative swim suits, apparel, and accessories), The Victor (swim wear and training accessories), TYR (manufacturer of swim wear and accessories), Ultra Swim (hair and skin care products), and VASA Trainer (versatile sport-specific conditioning equipment for all sports). There is a proposal to be investigated to produce for TV a health program built around swimming and human interest snippets of individuals. It would be used to market USMS as an organization.
OFFICIALS COMMITTEE
All certifying bodies rule differences should be added to our Appendix B. Those bodies include USA, YMCA, CSOPA, and NFHS. Rule change information should be added to the MACA Newsletter, Swim Magazine, and sent to LMSC Official's Chairs. Officials Liaisons are appointed to our championships.
PLANNING COMMITTEE
Suggested that a USMS liaison be appointed to the Senior Games and that the LMSC's need to become more involved to make the quality of these games more consistent. It was recommended that USMS have a booth at the Senior Game sin Orlando. Also recommended was that the committee develop a pre-packaged booth and materials display to be used at a wide range of both aquatic and non-aquatic events.
RECORDS AND TABULATION COMMITTEE
The "as of November 1, yyyy" date will be placed on the web listed records. There will be written guidelines for Top Ten recorders to generate their Top 10 submissions. The goal is to limit the number of formats used for submission. Lake Erie LMSC will continue with the USMS Top 10 Patches.
REGISTRATION COMMITTEE
The Registration software will be updated with all the changes discussed on one update to be mailed to all Registrars hopefully by the end of October (single sheet or tractor-fed) cards to be mailed in October. The new forms will be two up because of all the information requested. Registrar's portion of the handbook will be mailed at the beginning of October. Each LMSC registration form will be put on the internet. Reports will be sent each month detailing the transactions that have occurred during the month. All LMSC's are requested to send registration website links or paper forms to Craig Campesi as soon as possible to facilitate registration through the USMS website. All 1999 business goes to the Blacks -- all 2000 business goes to the National Office!
RULE BOOK COMMITTEE
Full-size rule books will be distributed to the Board of Directors, members of the Rules, Long Distance, Legislation, and Rule Book Committees, and all registered USMS clubs. Both full and mini-rule books will be distributed to all LMSC registrars. Mini-rule books will be sent to the LMSC Officials Chairmen. Let clubs know about the mini-rule book.
RULES COMMITTEE
Adopted the USA Relay Take-Off Judges rule. Referees may prohibit the use of any device that disrupts or interferes. I am not quite sure about the final outcome of the whistle start rule and the new false start rule, but if you are swimming in a meet outside of the USA, you should be aware of them. They are being used widely around the world.
SAFETY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The committee is going to produce a Club Safety Handbook that should be ready by the 2000 convention. Articles are written for Swim Magazine.
SPORTS MEDICINE COMMITTEE
The committee's goal is to have articles widely disseminated in national publication. The committee has a strict observance of the editorial process. Many articles are in that process.
ZONE COMMITTEE
The guidelines and procedures used for next year's election of the Zone Committee chairman will be the same as those used for this year's election of officers with the exception that there will be a candidates forum at the House of Delegates meeting when championships are voted on.
AD HOC RECOGNITION AND AWARDS
USMS Service Award number of recipients will be left to the discretion of the committee. The Award Ring will be forwarded to the Marketing committee for further evaluation.
AD HOC 1999 LEGAL COUNSELORS
While the law is evolving, at this time a hard copy of the liability release will need to be signed by swimmers who seek membership in USMS and swimmers who want to enter our national championships. A "Want Ad" for USMS member-lawyers will be created and distributed nationally. The committee will research the issue of privacy and pursue the drafting of a privacy policy for the organization.
AD HOC 1999 USMS HISTORIAN
The committee needs to create a scheme for organizing, cataloging, documenting, and retrieving information. Encourage local Masters members to find and interview Masters Pioneers. Much of this information needs to be on the web.
AD HOC 1999 USMS ENDOWMENT FUND
The fund now has $18,356.35. USMS will increase the matching fund to $20,000 for the year 2000 and make a 1-to-1 match instead of 50 cents to the dollar. Encourage the members to use the check-off on the registration form.
AD HOC 1999 ISHOF NOMINATING
A group of individuals were suggested for consideration for 2000 and 2001. We need to collect the criteria data to determine the nominees. A letter will be sent to the LMSC of the individuals suggested to help gather this information.