2009 USMS 3000-Yard and 6000-Yard Postal National Championships

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Registration Schedule

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Hosted by Clemson Aquatic Team
Sanctioned by South Carolina LMSC for USMS, Inc. # 559-004

Date:  The 3000-Yard Postal and/or the 6000-Yard Postal must be swum in its entirety on or between September 15 and November 15, 2009.  All online individual entry submissions must be completed by 11:59PM PDT on November 25, 2009 (See Records below), and complete split sheets must be received by the event director by December 5, 2009 (see Splits below). Paper mail individual entries must be received by November 25, 2009. All online relay entry submissions must be completed by 11:59PM PDT on December 5, 2009. Paper mail relay entries must be received by December 5, 2009.

Objective:  To swim 3000 yards and/or 6000 yards in its entirety in any 25-yard pool you choose. Event results are sent in electronically or by mail so you can compare yourself to other swimmers doing the same event. Some people do the 3000-yard Postal and/or the 6000-yard Postal event for competition, while others do it for fitness; all who wish to participate are welcome. The recorded time you submit determines the order of finish.  If two or more swimmers report the same time, a tie will be declared.

Location:   You may swim the 3000-yard Postal and/or the 6000-yard Postal in any 25-yard pool, no exceptions.

Eligibility:   This is a USMS-sanctioned event and all participants must be registered for 2009 with USMS (or the equivalent organization for non-U.S. swimmers).  Foreign swimmers are not eligible for USMS records or All-American status.  Entries submitted by mail must include a copy of your current 2009 registration card.  Online entries will be verified automatically.

Individual Events:  Men and women compete separately in age groups of five-year increments:  18-24, 25-29, 30-34,…100+.  The swimmer’s age on the day he or she actually completes his or her swim will determine his or her age group. Swimmers who change age groups during the event may enter twice, but must swim the event twice, once in each age group.

Relay Events:  Relay events will be contested in three categories:  3 men, 3 women, or 4 mixed (2 men, 2 women).  Each relay member MUST also enter the individual event and be registered with the same USMS Club.  Unattached swimmers are not permitted on relays. The youngest relay member’s age shall determine the relay’s age group. Age groups are 18+, 25+, 35+,…95+. The cumulative time for the individual swims will be the relay time.

Club Event:  Each Club will be entered automatically in the Club event.  Club point scoring will be calculated based on Quality Points, which are ratios of each individual time to the corresponding USMS record for the 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 will receive Quality Points, every swimmer counts! 

Fees:  $12.00 for each individual entry ($14.00 for non-US swimmers) and $18.00 for each relay entry.  Fees are non-refundable. Online entries must be paid by credit card (Visa or MasterCard). Mailed in entries must be paid by check or money order only – no cash.  Foreign entrants may enter online with a credit card, or enter by mail submitting fees in U.S. funds via international money order or bank check drawn on a bank with a U.S. affiliate.

Awards:  The top 10 finishers in each age group in the individual event and the top 3 relay teams in relay events will receive USMS Long Distance National Championship medals.  First place finishers in each individual and relay age group will also receive a USMS championship patch, Only one patch per event per participant will be awarded. 

Rules: The 2009 USMS Rules govern these events. Drafting, flotation, and propulsive devices (pull buoys, fins, paddles, wet suits, etc.) are not permitted. No more than two swimmers may 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).  An adult acting as a starter/head timer/referee shall be present at all times during the swim.  Each swimmer must have a verifier to count laps and record cumulative splits every 50 yards.The timing of the event may be done with a stopwatch or electronic timing device. One person may serve as a counter for no more than two swimmers per heat. No adjustment may be made for swims completed at altitude.

Records: If you break a national age group record and would like the time to be included in the next year's USMS Rule Book, your entry must be received no later than October 26. Please e-mail the event director, Jacque Grossman at jelg@innova.net, and let her know that you have submitted an online entry which is a potential USMS record.

Splits: Cumulative split times must be recorded to the nearest second (final times for national records to the nearest 100th) on the official event split sheet available at  http://www.usms.org/longdist/1hr_3000_6000_splits.pdf . This split sheet must be kept for each swimmer, and a copy with the swimmer information completed at the top must be sent to the event director. ONLINE ENTRIES: If submitting your results online, you will be asked to enter only 300 yard splits for the 3000-yard Postal and only 600 yard splits for the 6000-yard Postal. Enter the splits when asked. Online entrants MUST mail or scan/email their official split sheets to the event director for the entry to be deemed complete. Split sheets for online entries must be received no later than Saturday, December 5, 2009. MAILED ENTRIES: If mailing in an entry, you must mail the split sheet with the entry form which must be received by November 25, 2009.

T-Shirts/Caps:  The 2009 USMS 3000/6000 yard Postal National Championships T-shirts with the LOGO design as seen above on the right is avaiable for $17. International orders cost $22 per shirt.

Results:  Complete results will be available by mail or via the internet. Preliminary results will be posted on the USMS website at www.usms.org by December 26, 2009, for two weeks.  All corrections must be sent to the event director during those two weeks. Final results will be posted approximately one week later.

Online Relay Entries: Online relay entries are available.

Mailed Relay Entries: Please visit www.usms.org/longdist/ldnats09/3000_6000entry_relay.pdf  or ClemsonAquaticTeam.org to download relay entry forms or send a SASE to: CAT, PO Box 411, Clemson, SC 29633-0411.

Questions: Contact event director: Jacque Grossman at 864.646.8836 (11-5 EST) or email jelg@innova.net.
 

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