47th Annual Sunbelt Swimming Championships

Registration Schedule

Meet Host:  MSA Masters and Charlotte Swim Masters

Meet Referee: Marty Fehr

Meet Directors: Patty Waldron & Heather Hageman

Special Note: Please be aware, this meet will need 200 athletes to cover the cost of running the meet. Pease do not wait until the last moment to register. We all understand that COVID life is dynamic and changes. Predictions are for things to be worse for a period and then get better. We are hopeful for this event to happen. We have projected commitments from two teams already totaling 130 swimmers. We need YOU to make this meet happen. If COVID, weather or numbers dictate the meet gets cancelled you will get $30.00 refunded. 

Facility: The Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center (MCAC) is located at 800 East Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Charlotte NC 28202. Parking is across the street on Saturday and in the facility parking lot on Sunday. The length of the ten lane competition course without a bulkhead is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1.  Water temperature is at 78 degrees.

Rules: Swimmers must be registered with USMS for 2022. USMS One Day Registration will not be allowed. USMS rules govern the meet. Swimmers are limited to 5 individual events per day. When warming up, you must enter the pool feet first except in sprint lanes. No paddles or kickboards are allowed.

Deadline: Online entries only by 11:59 PM EST Sunday, February 20, 2022. There is a $10 late fee for registrations received after February 15, 2022. No paper entries will be accepted and no deck entries will be accepted at the meet. Relay entries will be accepted at the meet by filling out relay cards and turning them in to the computer operator during the warmup session.

Fee: $60.00 flat fee which includes a long sleeve meet T-shirt for entrants registering before or on February 2, 2022.  No additional relay fee.  Relay-only participants pay a $30 flat fee and will not receive a free T-shirt.  T-shirt purchase is available at the meet, though supplies will be limited. There is a $10 late fee for registrations received after February 15, 2022. 

Relay only registration:  We are offering the option to enter only relay events and not individual events. The cost for this is $30.00. A $10 late fee is charged for registrations received after February 15, 2022. The relay-only registrations must be done online in advance and will not be offered at the meet. Only those swimmers who have registered for individual events can enter a relay at the relay table at the meet. This is included in the $60.00 registration fee.
Each swimmer in a relay must be a member of the same affiliated team. All swimmers must be USMS members.

Covid/Inclement Weather: There will be no refunds unless the meet is cancelled, in which case $30.00 will be refunded. If inclement weather occurs, the staff at the MCAC will determine by 7:00 PM Friday, February 25, 2022, if the Aquatic Center will or will not open the following morning. If the facility is open,  the meet will be held. 

• MSA Masters and Charlotte Swim Masters are not requiring COVID-19 vaccination for participation in this meet, however, MSA Masters and Charlotte Swim Masters encourage participants to be vaccinated for COVID-19, but we understand it is a personal decision based on individual factors.
•  Do not attend if you’re experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. If you experience symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 within two weeks after the conclusion of the event, please contact martinfehr21@icloud.com
• MCAC is a large facility that can typically accommodate up to 1000 people. Social distancing will be required by all participants, volunteers and spectators. There is ample seating areas to spread out. Please don’t congregate in crowded areas. Spectators will be seated in the balcony bleachers. No folding chairs on deck.
• Please be flexible with your warm-up routine to avoid overcrowding and be considerate of your fellow swimmers. Do not stay on the wall for an extended period of time at any point during warm-up. 
• The most recent USMS liability release form must be executed by each participant during the event registration process. To be clear, USMS liability insurance doesn’t cover transmission of viral or bacterial infections.
• Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the facility.
• Common areas and surfaces will be sanitized by MCAC personnel.
• Attendees will be required to wear a mask covering the nose and mouth inside the facility at all times except while swimming. Swimmers should remove their mask just before entering the water and put their mask on as soon as they exit the water. Please bring extra masks and Ziploc bags to keep your masks dry. It’s also recommended you write your name on your mask(s) and/or your ziplock bag.
• Officials will be spaced, as needed, for social distancing.
• Timers will be given ample space behind the blocks during events and will only step forward to record the finish of each heat.
• Relays will be held with one heat of swimmers behind the blocks at one time. Once the relay heat has concluded, relay swimmers need to clear the area before the next heat assembles behind the blocks.

Scoring & Awards: Individual events will be scored 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1; relays doubled. If a swimmer is attempting a record swim, the swimmer must notify the Meet Director before the event on the day of the meet.  A slick paper plaque for peel-off stickers showing your place and time for each event you swim will be available to all entrants. These labels will be staged in folders on tables in the hallway outside the locker rooms once the event is completed. Swimmers will social distance while getting their labels. 
Team awards will be given for first and second place in state and out of state teams.

Heat Sheets: Please bring your own heat sheets; there will be a limited number available for sale and a few posted in the pool area.
 
Seeding: All events will be seeded by sex and time except the following events which will be seeded by time only: 1650, 1000, 400 IM, and 500 free. The 1650 Swim, Event 1, will be limited to 30 spots. The 1000 Swim, Event 2, will be limited to 40 spots.  First come, first serve.  In order to be seeded in the 1,650, 1,000, 400 IM, and 500 free, you must re-confirm at the clerk of course that you will swim. All events will be seeded from slow to fast, except the 500 free, which will be seeded fast to slow. The Meet Director reserves the right to combine sexes in any other events.
There will be POSITIVE CHECK IN for the following events: 1650 Free, 1000 Free, 400 IM, 500 Free.

Schedule:
Saturday morning: Warm up at 7:45 AM; first heat of the 1650 starts at 8:30 AM.
Saturday afternoon: Warm up at conclusion of 1000 – approx. 11:15 AM.
Sunday morning: Warm up 7:30 AM; first heat of the Women's 200 Free Relay starts at 8:15 AM.

Lodging:  There are numerous downtown hotels within blocks of the pool.

Note: If paying by credit card, your credit card statement will reflect a charge from "CHARLOTTE SWIM MASTERS."