2011 USMS 5K Open Water National Championship

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Registration Schedule

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Race starts at 7:00 AM
Coney Island Beach, New York City

Sanctioned by METRO LMSC for USMS, Inc. Sanction # 061-12

HOST: Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers, Inc. (CIBBOWS) at the New York Aquarium

LOCATION: Coney Island & Brighton Beaches, Brooklyn. The event will be hosted at New York Aquarium, located at Surf Avenue & 8th Street in Brooklyn NY 11224

DIRECTIONS: Directions to the New York Aquarium race site can be found at www.nyaquarium.com/plan-your-trip/directions.aspx

FACILITY: Race headquarters will be located on the second floor of Glover's Reef inside the New York Aquarium facility. Restroom facilities are located on the lower levels of the Sea Cliffs exhibit and Glover's Reef. There are no locker room/changing/showers facilities. Race check-in and awards will be on the terrace of Glover's Reef. Entrants and their families will have complete access to all the exhibits at NY Aquarium after the race.

PARKING: Registered entrants may park at the New York Aquarium parking facility.  For GPS users enter: 602 Surf Ave., Brooklyn NY 11224.

INFORMATION: For the latest updates, please to go www.cibbows.org/races/

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all 2011 USMS and FINA Master Swimmers registered athletes. Age as of August 6, 2011 determines the age group. USMS National Championship events are not open to one-event memberships. Register or renew with USMS ahead of time at www.usms.org/reg/.

COURSE: The course is a 2.5K loop between Coney Island Pier and the end of Brighton Beach. The start/finish will be on the beach in front of the NY Aquarium. The course will be clearly marked by buoys. Waves and swim direction will be determined closer to race date as they are subject to number of entrants and weather conditions.  Expected water temperature is of 68-73 F, some chop due to wind, possibility of flotsam, jetsam and jellyfish.

RULES: All applicable 2011 USMS rules, regulations, and safety requirements will be enforced. All suits and equipment must conform to current USMS open water rule*.  Wet suits are NOT permitted. Support craft other than designated race craft are not permitted.

*The USMS House of Delegates voted in September, 2010, to follow new regulations regarding swimsuits for open water competitions, effective January 1,2011. For all Open Water National Championships, swimwear shall be made of textile materials. For men, the swimsuit shall not extend above the navel or below the knee. For women, the swimsuit shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor extend below the knees. There are no "fastener" specifications.

TIMING: Electronic CHAMPIONCHIP TIMING will be used. Each swimmer will wear an electronic timing chip on and ankle bracelet to automatically record their time.  Timing chips will be collected at the finish area and those swimmers who fail to return their chip, will be assessed a $30 charge.

TIME LIMIT: There is a 3 hour maximum time limit from race start time. Those not finished within the time limit will be asked to exit the water and scored as DNF (Did Not Finish).

AGE GROUPS: 18-24,25-29,30-34, etc. in five year increments, as high as necessary for men and women.

SAFETY: Lifeguards, Jet skis and kayaks will monitor the entire course. There will also be a safety boat possibly NY Harbor Police and Coast Guards to maintain other boaters away. EMT personal will be on-site. Any emergencies will be taken to Coney Island Hospital which is located 3 miles from race headquarters.  In case of inclement weather, the race director may close the course and prevent swimmers from completing the swim.  Swimmers will be given a highly visible numbered swim cap that must be worn as the top cap during the swim and all swimmers must have their race number on their arm. Because of massive starts it is recommended that swimmers check their finger nails and toe nails for length, if the nails are too long, they must be clipped to a reasonable length at the discretion of the official/referee.

RESULTS: To be posted at www.usms.org, www.metroswim.org and www.cibbows.org

AWARDS: USMS National Championship Medals will be awarded to the top ten (10) finishers, men & women, in each age group. National Championship patches will be awarded to the top finisher each gender/age group. Foreign swimmers are not eligible for USMS All-American awards. Special prizes will be awarded to overall winners. Awards will be presented at the terrace of the Glover's Reef, approximately 20 minutes after the last swimmer has exited the water.

TIMELINE: SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011 (USMS 5K Championship)
5:45 AM: Check-in opens
6:50 AM: Final briefing by course start
7:00 AM: Race begins; wave start will be at the discretion of the Race Director, depending on number of entries.
10:00 AM: Course Closes
10:20 AM: Awards

ENTRY FEES & DEADLINES:
Early Registration: $45.00 completed online by midnight EDT on June 21 or received by mail by June 21, 2011
$65.00 completed online by midnight EDT on July 19 or received by mail by July 19, 2011
$85.00 completed online by midnight EDT on August 2 or received by mail by August 2, 2011
Procrastinators: $125.00 race day.  Fees inlcude event t-shirt.
(Please note that $10 of your entry fee will be donated to the NY Aquarium)

INFORMATION: For more information, contact event director Cristian Vergara at (718) 938-4988 or, best by email at vergaracristian@hotmail.com. Race information will be delivered via email to all registered swimmers prior to race day.

OTHER INFORMATION: Admission to the New York Aquarium will be free of charge, to all participants, volunteers and their families, so we encourage to spend the day and enjoy Coney Island. Nathans, the "Cyclone" and amusement parks are just steps away on the Boardwalk.

Note: If paying by credit card, your credit card statement will reflect a charge from "ClubAssistant.com Events."