Meet Information

Location
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250
From I-95, take exit 47 - Rt 195/166. From I-695, take exit 12 west. Consult campus map for pool location.

Facilities
The competition pool is an outdoor facility with temporary bleacher seating for 1000. The pool is 50 meters long with eight lanes, each lane nine feet wide, and a water depth of 6 to 6-1/2 feet. The facility also includes an indoor 25 yard 8 lane pool and diving pool for warm-up throughout the meet.

E-Mail
Direct questions to Barbara Protzman at swimbarb@hotmail.com.

Emergency Phone Number:
(410) 455-2670

Meet Management
Meet Director: Barb Protzman. 
USMS Championship Liaison: Jim Miller.
Meet Referee: Joe Whelan.
Officials provided by the Maryland Officials Club and Maryland Swimming, Inc.

General Meeting
All swimmers, coaches and officials should be represented at the general meeting at the pool on Wednesday, August 16 at 7:00 pm. Matters pertinent to the operation and conduct of the meet will be discussed.

MACA Coaches School / Meeting
A MACA coaches school will be held August 16 from 1pm to 5 pm. For more information, contact Brian Stack, phone: (510) 235-6842, E-mail: StackB@aol.com. A MACA Meeting will be held on Thursday at 6:30pm, at the conclusion of the distance events.

Registration
All participants must register prior to competing in order to sign an emergency card, safety information statement, and liability release and receive a meet program and other meet information. Registration will be by the indoor pool on Wednesday, August 16 from 12:00 - 7:00 pm and on Thursday through Sunday from 6:30 am until the end of each day's events. Check-in for distance events and relays will be available in the same area.

Distance Events
CHECK-IN IS REQUIRED FOR 400 IM, 400 FREE, 800 FREE AND 1500 FREE --NO EXCEPTIONS! and may be done in person at registration area. Coaches and teammates may check in for those swimmers whose travel plans do not permit check-in by deadlines. There will be NO telephone or internet check-in on any day either preceding or during the meet. Failure to check-in will result in a swimmer being scratched from the event.

Check-in Deadlines
The following times are the check-in deadlines for each deck seeded event.

800 Free Women	Thurs.	8/17	6:30 AM
800 Free Men	Thurs.	8/17	8:00 AM
1500 Free Women	Thurs.	8/17	9:00 AM
1500 Free Men	Thurs.	8/17	11:00 AM
400 IM W	Friday	8/18	6:30 AM
400 IM M	Friday	8/18	7:30 AM
400 Free M	Sat.	8/19	6:30 AM
400 Free W	Sun.	8/20	6:30 AM

Eligibility
The National Championships are open to any swimmer at least 19 years of age as of July 13, 2000. If a swimmer wishes to affiliate with a Masters club, the club and swimmer must both be registered with the same Local Masters Swim Committee (LMSC). If there are questions about affiliation, the swimmer shall be entered "unattached." Foreign entries must include a copy of swimmer's International Travel Permit and fees in U. S. dollars.

Age Groups
Individual events: 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49 ... 100-104. Relay events: 76-99, 100-119, 120-159, 160-199 (forty year increments calculated as the aggregate age of the relay members as high as necessary). Age for the meet is determined as of 12/31/2000.

Scoring
Individual events: 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Relay events: 22-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2

Team Scoring
Team scoring will be divided into three divisions: Division I (large team), Division II (medium team), and Division III (small team), each containing three categories - men, women, and combined. Mixed relays are scored only in the combined category.

The USMS Championship Committee will determine divisions after the entry deadline based on number of entrants from each club.

Awards
Medals will be awarded for first through tenth places in each age group. A USMS Championship patch will be given to each individual and relay team member for the first event won. Swimmers winning more than one event may purchase additional patches for each additional event won. Unclaimed awards will not be mailed unless arrangements are made in advance at the meet. Awards will be presented to the top three teams in each category of each division.

Final Results
Final results may be ordered for $10. Individual swimmer's final results including splits will be available at the meet for $5 each. Results will be posted on the USMS web site.

Seeding
Individual events 200 meters or less will be pre-seeded and swum slowest to fastest within each age group, oldest to youngest. Partial heats may be combined. Women's heats will precede men's heats for each event. The 400 Free shall be deck seeded by age group, with the oldest age group first, slowest heats seeded first within each age group. The 400 IM will be deck-seeded by a) entry time only, slowest to fastest, b) by age group, the oldest age group first, slowest heats seeded first within each age group, then by time, or c) by combination of (a) and (b). The 800 Free and 1500 Free will be deck seeded slowest to fastest by time for each sex regardless of age. If two-per-lane seeding is used for the 800 and/or 1500 Free, two per lane swimmers will swim before single lane swimmers.

Warm-up Times
On Wed, August 16, the competition pool will be available for warm-up from 12:00 noon until 7:00 pm. On competition days, only the competition pool will be open at 6:30 am for warm-up prior to competition. Competition will start at 7:30 am each day. The indoor pools will be open 15 minutes prior to competition. There will be a 30-minute warm-up period in the competition pool following the 400 IM (Fri.), the men's 400 free (Sat.), and the women's 400 free (Sun.). The competition pool will re-open after each day's final event for 30 minutes.

Warm-up Procedures
Swimmers must enter the pool feet first in a cautious manner. No diving is allowed at any time in the indoor pools. Racing starts, including backstroke starts, are allowed only in designated sprint lanes during the pre-meet warm-up sessions.
ANY SWIMMER WHO ACTS IN AN UNSPORTSMANLIKE OR UNSAFE MANNER WITHIN THE SWIMMING VENUE MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR APPROPRIATE ACTION OR PENALTY AT THE DISCRETION OF THE REFEREE (USMS Rule 102.15.2).
Pull-buoys, kick boards, fins, and hand paddles are not allowed in the competition pool or warm-up pools.

Scratches
Any swimmer who fails to report to the proper lane in the correct heat of his/ her event will be considered scratched from that event and will not be permitted to swim that event at another time.

Official Verification Card (OVC)
For an OVC (USA Swimmers only), contact the following official prior to the meet: 
Joe Whelan
249 Meadowvale Rd.
Lutherville, MD 21093
Phone (410) 321-0750.

Social Event
A traditional Maryland crab feast will be held on Saturday night. A complete buffet will be available in addition to steamed crabs, beer, and sodas. A live band will perform. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $30.

Concessions, Vendors, Souvenir Items
A snack bar will be open each day of the competition. Exhibitors will offer merchandise in the tented areas around the pool. Meet T-shirts and other merchandise will be available.

Coaches Hospitality
Coaches hospitality is available to all MACA/ ASCA members. For information about joining MACA, contact Emmett Hines (emmett@csi.com).

Temperature and Climate
Daytime temperatures range from the mid-70s to the mid-90s with averages in the mid-80s. Overnight lows should be in the upper 60s. Shade is provided over the bleachers.

Entry Procedures
Use official entry form or photocopy of the entire form. Read all instructions and fill out form completely. Incomplete forms or forms with "pending" in place of a registration number on the entry form will be rejected. A legible copy of each swimmer's International Travel Permit (foreign entries) must accompany entry form. Failure to include International Travel Permit may result in the swimmer being charged a fee before being allowed to compete. A USMS swimmer changing club affiliation prior to Nationals must send either a USMS registration card or a letter from local registrar with new club affiliation and effective date.

National Qualifying Times
Competitors may enter a maximum of three individual events without meeting the National Qualifying Time (NQT) established for those events. Competitors may enter up to three additional events in which they have swum a time equal to or better than the NQT in the past 2 years. The NQTs for all events are listed here. Designate the events in which NQTs have been met with a T in the designated column. There are no NQTs for the 90 and over age groups.

Entry Times
All events must be entered with a time. "NT" entries will be rejected.

Number of Events
If a swimmer qualifies, they may swim up to three events per day with a maximum of 6 events during the meet. A swimmer may enter either the 800 or 1500 freestyle, but not both.

Sixth Event Rule
If, in the opinion of the USMS Championship Committee, the meet is deemed too large to be run in an efficient manner, all swimmers' sixth events will be dropped. If six events are entered, indicate with the number "6" your least-desired event in the column designated with the number "6." If not indicated, your last event on the entry form will be dropped. No changes of designated 6th event will be allowed after July 13, 2000. No refunds for dropped events.

Relay Events
Relays may be entered at any time until 6:00 pm the day before that relay is scheduled to swim. After that time, only the swimmers on the relay may be changed. The relay entry fee is $12.00 per relay. Forms will be mailed to USMS clubs and are available here.

Entry Fees
$4 per individual event plus $30 surcharge per swimmer. Fees must accompany entry form and must be paid in U. S. dollars by check or money order. DO NOT SEND CASH. Entry is not complete until check has cleared the bank. If the entrant's check is questionable, full cash payment in U. S. dollars will be required before the entrant is allowed to swim. Refund requests must be received in writing by July 13, 2000. No refunds for events not swum. Relay only swimmers must submit an entry form, mail in the $30 surcharge, and be received before July 13, 2000. ALL FEES ARE PAYABLE TO "Maryland Masters LC2000".

Mail Entry and Fees to:
Barbara Protzman, Meet Director
7919 Main Falls Circle
Catonsville, MD 21228
(410) 788-2964 - home
(410) 992-3760 x3320 - work
Phone calls returned collect.

Entry Deadline
All U. S. entries must be postmarked with official U. S. postmark (no business meters) by July 6, 2000, OR received by July 13, 2000. Online entries will be accepted until midnight EDT on July 13. Entries received after this date will be returned to sender. MAIL EARLY. Include a SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) with entry for proof of receipt. Allow sufficient time for mail delivery. Photocopy completed entry forms and personal checks for your records and verification.

Travel Information