2015 USMS Speedo 5K and 10K ePostal National Championships

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Registration Schedule

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You MUST be a currently registered member of USMS or a FINA member National governing body on or before the day of your swim!

Swim First~~~Then enter the 5 and/or 10-km ePostal National Championship.
Have your completed split sheet handy to enter your splits at the prompt.

2015 Swim Date: The 5-km and /or 10-km ePostal must be swum in its entirety on or between May 15 and September 15, 2015.

2015 Entry Deadlines—ONLINE ONLY:

• All individual entries must be submitted by 11:59PM HT on September 25.
• Completed split sheets for individual National Record breakers must also be received by the Event Director by September 25.
• All relay entries must be submitted by 11:59PM HT on October 5.

Your online entry is not complete until you have received a confirmation of your entry by email.  If you do not receive this confirmation, please contact the Event Director.

Event Information

Objective:  To swim 5-kilometers and/or 10-kilometers in a 50-meter pool of your choosing, then submit your results online to compare yourself to other swimmers doing the same event.  Some people do these events for competition, some do it for the challenge, some do it for fitness, and others do it for fun—all who wish to participate are welcome.  Your submitted time determines the final order of finish.

Location:  Swimmers must swim the 5-kilometer and/or 10-kilometer ePostal events in a 50-meter pool ONLY—no other length of pool please!

Eligibility: All swimmers must be 2015 full members of USMS (or the equivalent FINA organization for foreign swimmers) on or before the day of their swim!  One-Event memberships are not available for this event.  USMS swimmers will have their membership verified automatically. Foreign swimmers must verify their FINA Organization membership by submitting an electronic or mailed copy of their FINA organization 2015 registration card to the event director by September 25.  Foreign swimmers are not eligible for USMS records or All-American status.  

Fees:  $12 for each individual swimmer ($15 for foreign swimmers) and $16 for each relay ($20 for foreign swimmers).  Fees are non-refundable.  Entries must be paid by credit card, either Visa or MasterCard.  Your credit card will reflect a charge from "ClubAssistant.com Events", our software and merchant account provider.

Rules: 

2015 USMS Rules govern these events, including USMS Rule 102.12.1 regarding swimwear. Drafting, flotation, and propulsive devices (pull buoys, fins, paddles, snorkels, wet suits, etc.) are not permitted. No more than two swimmers should share a lane. If a lane is shared, each swimmer must stay on his or her side of the lane during the entire race (i.e. no circle swimming).

Timing & Splits:

• An adult acting as a starter/head timer/referee shall be present at all times during the swim, having no additional responsibilities during the swim other than acting as a timer if necessary.  Each swimmer must have a timer who shall time and count lengths by recording cumulative split times every two lengths during the swim.  One person may serve as a timer for no more than two swimmers at the same time.
• Event timing may be done with a stopwatch or electronic timing device.
• Cumulative split times must be recorded to the nearest second on the official event split sheet available at http://www.usms.org/longdist/5k_10k_splits.pdf.  Any split or final time submitted without tenths or hundredths will be defaulted to .99 second, and any split or final time submitted with tenths (.x) will be defaulted to .x9 second.  Enter .99 if you have no tenths or hundredths of a second as a documented split!
• No adjustment will be made for swims completed at elevation.
• Save your split sheet!

Unsporting Conduct:  Any act of fraud, deception, dishonesty, or knowingly providing false information (including name, date of birth, age, or gender) in this event may result in disciplinary action by USMS pursuant to USMS Rule 402.3, 402.4.3, and 402.4.4

Individual Events: Men and women compete separately in age groups of five-year increments: 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, and as far as necessary.  The swimmer’s age on the day he or she actually completes his or her swim determines his or her age group.  Swimmers who change age groups during the event time frame may enter twice, once in each age group, only if they swim the event twice, once in each age group.

Individual Entries:  When submitting your results online, you will be asked to enter 500-meter splits for the 5-km swim and 1000-meter splits for the 10-km swim.  Swimmers are not required to submit a completed split sheet unless that swimmer has broken an individual national record.  However, the Event Director may request your entry sheet for verification; failure to do so may result in of individual and relay disqualification, so please retain a copy of your completed split sheet for one year after the entry deadline.  Note the deadline above.

Relay Events:  Cumulative relays will be contested in three categories: Women (3 female swimmers), Men (3 male swimmers), and Mixed (2 female & 2 male swimmers).  Each relay member MUST have entered the individual event and be registered with the same USMS Club (‘unattached’ swimmers are not permitted on relays by definition).  The cumulative time of the individual swims will be the relay time.  Swimmers may enter only one same-gender and one mixed-gender relay in each postal event.  Age groups are 18+, 25+, 35+, and as far as necessary; the youngest swimmer’s age will determine the relay’s age group.

Relay Entries:  All individual entries will be displayed by USMS Club and will include the entrant's time for the Club Relay Coordinator's reference.  You will only be able to view a listing of YOUR USMS Club's entries.  Note the deadline above.

Club Championship:  Each Club will be entered automatically in the Club Championships.  Individual swimmers will earn club points based on Quality Points, the ratio of individual time to the USMS record for the corresponding gender & age group.  The faster the swim, the more Quality Points a swimmer earns.  Club totals will be the sum of the Quality Points of its swimmers.  Since every swimmer earns Quality Points, every swimmer counts!

Records: 

• Completed split sheets for individual National Record breakers must be received by November 25.  Scan and email to: coachbob@bendbroadband.com or mail to ePostal National Championships, 61200 Parrell Road, Bend, OR 97702.
• A 5-km split in the 10-km swim may be submitted for a record if requested in writing and at least two dedicated handheld watches are used to record the record split to the nearest 100th of a second.  However, this result cannot be an entry for the 5-km swim, as the two swims must be done separately.
• Records will be updated on the USMS Long Distance National Records webpage and printed in the 2016 USMS Rule Book.

Awards:  The top eight finishers in each age group in the individual event, and the top three relay teams in each relay age group, will receive USMS Long Distance National Championship medals.  First place finishers in each individual and relay age group will also receive a USMS Long Distance National Championship patch--only one patch per event per participant will be awarded.

T-Shirts:  The USMS 5-km & 10-km ePostal National Championships T-shirt is available for $16 ($20 for foreign swimmers) with entry.

Results:  Preliminary results will be posted on at www.usms.org by October 9 for one week.  All corrections must be sent to the event director that week.  Final results will be posted promptly after that.

Questions: Contact Event Director: Bob Bruce  coachbob@bendbroadband.com  541-317-4851

Note: If paying by credit card, your credit card statement will reflect a charge from "US Masters Swimming."