Meet Information

Dates
Competition: Thursday, May 17 - Sunday, May 20 2007.
Pool available for warm-ups Wednesday, May 16 from 3 - 8 p.m.

Location
Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center
650 SW Campus Drive
Federal Way WA 98023
206-296-4444

Facilities
The Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center is an indoor complex with seating for 2500 people (no admission charge for spectators) and elevator access to the deck level. The venue includes three separate pools: the championship pool, the diving well, and the recreational pool. The championship pool is 50 meters x 25 yards and will be divided into two 25-yard courses, each with eight nine-foot-wide lanes and a water depth range of nine feet to ten and one-half feet. The diving pool will be the primary warm-up pool during competition; it will have seven lanes open for continuous warm-up and warm-down. The recreational pool will have an additional three 25-yard lanes available for warm-up or warm-down. The championship pool is rated one of the fastest pools in the world. Deck-level, concrete surge gutters and lane lines minimize wave action. An Omega timing system is linked to a state-of-the-art, eight lane readout scoreboard. Men's and women's locker rooms are available on the deck level with a limited number of showers and lockers.

Eligibility
Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of May 16, 2007. Eighteen-year-olds must enter the meet by the entry deadline and only 18-year-olds may register with USMS on May 16 at the venue. 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 as "unattached" (see entry procedures). International entries must include a copy of the swimmer's Masters swimming registration card and fees in US dollars.

Age Groups
Age for the meet is determined as of May 20, 2007, except 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by May 16, 2007.
Age groups for Individual events: 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 ... (five year increments as high as necessary). 
Relay events: 18+, 25+, 35+, 45+, etc. (in ten year increments as high as necessary determined by the age of the youngest relay member).

Registration
Prior to warm-up or competition, all participants must register at the meet by signing an emergency card, safety information statement, and liability release. Registered swimmers will receive a meet program and other meet information. Registration will be held at the Aquatic Center on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 from 3 to 8 p.m. and on Thursday, May 17 through Sunday, May 20 from 7 a.m. until the end of each day's last event. Check-in for all events and relays will be available in the same area.

Seeding
All events - with the exception of the 1650, 1000, and 500 Frees, and 400 IM - will be pre-seeded unless meet management determines that the meet cannot be completed in a timely manner. Two courses will be used for all events. Men's heats will precede women's heats for each event, with the exception that men's and women's heats may be seeded together for the 1000 and 1650 Frees. A decision regarding this will be announced online at this web site by May 2, 2007. The 1650, 1000, and 500 Frees, and 400 IM will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. All other events will be seeded by age group, with the oldest age groups first, slowest to fastest within each age group.

Check-in
Coaches or teammates may check in for those swimmers whose travel plans do not permit check-in by the deadlines. Failure to check-in will result in the swimmer being scratched from the event. Heat sheets for the deck-seeded events will be available each morning and posted around the facility.

Check-in Deadlines for Free Events 500 yards and longer and 400 IIM
Positive check in is required for the 400 IM and 500, 1000, and 1650 free. This may be done in person at the registration area or via internet at www.usms.org.

Date	Event	In Person Check-in Deadlines*	Online Check-in Deadlines*
Thurs, May 17	1000 Free	Wed 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. or Thurs by 7 a.m.	Tues 7 a.m. - Thurs 7 a.m.
Thurs, May 17	1650 Free	Wed 3 - 8 p.m. or Thurs one hour before start time	Tues 7 a.m. - Thurs 9 a.m.
Fri, May 18	400 IM	Thurs noon - Fri 11 a.m	Wed 7 a.m. - Fri 7 a.m.
Sat, May 19	500 Free Women	Fri noon - Sat 11 a.m.	Thurs 7 a.m. - Sat 7 a.m.
Sun, May 20	500 Free Men	Sat noon - Sun 11 a.m.	Fri 7 a.m. - Sun 7 a.m.

* All times are Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

Heat and Psych Sheets
Psych sheets will be available on the www.usms.org website on or about April 26, 2007 for all individual events. Heat sheets for pre-seeded events will be available online around May 7, 2007. The heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be available at the pool deck for swimmers after the check-in deadlines.

Warm-up Times
The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Wednesday, May 16, from 3 to 8 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6:30 am until 7:50 a.m. and the warm-up pools will be available from 7:50 am until the conclusion of the final event. The competition pool will be open for at least 30 minutes following the last event each day and until at least 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 17.

Warm-up Procedures
Swimmers must enter the pool feet first in a cautious and controlled manner. No diving or backstroke starts will be allowed except in designated sprint lanes. No diving or backstroke starts will be allowed into warm-up pool. One or two lanes shall be designated as one-way sprint lanes during the pre-meet warm-up sessions in the competition pool only. No sprint lanes will be designated in the warm-up pool. Any swimmer who acts in an unsportsmanlike or unsafe manner within the swimming venue may be considered for appropriate action or penalty by the referee. (Rule 102.15.3). Pull-buoys, kick boards, fins, and hand paddles are not allowed in the competition pool or warm-up pool.

Scratches
Any swimmer failing to report to the proper lane in the correct heat of their event shall be scratched from that event and shall not be permitted to swim that event at another time.

General Meeting
All swimmers, coaches and officials should be represented at the General Meeting in the Banquet Hall at the Aquatic Center on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. There will be a discussion of matters pertaining to the operation and conduct of the meet.

Time Verification (formerly OVCs)
Swimmers needing verification of time(s) or wish their times to be entered into the USA Swimming SWIMS Database (for entry into USA-S national meets) should complete a form at the meet and prior to the swim. Contact the Administrative Referee at the meet.

Social
Make plans to attend the swimmers' social Saturday, May 19. Held at a banquet hall adjacent to the Aquatic Center, the social will include a buffet dinner with a Pacific Northwest flavor: salmon, pasta, salad, bread and dessert. Coffee, tea, soft drinks, beer and wine will be available. After dinner, enjoy a live band and dancing. Cost for the social is $35. Attendance is limited to the first 300 registrants. See entry form.

Gold Medal Sponsorship
Gold Medal Sponsors will be recognized in the official program as supporters of Masters swimming, will be entitled to hospitality on deck, including food, and will receive a commemorative gift. Cost is $65 and can be ordered on the meet entry form.

On Line Entries
On line entries are encouraged. This method provides immediate confirmation that the entry has been received. On line registration will close at midnight PDT on April 12, 2007

Entry Procedures
Use official entry form or a photocopy of the entire form. Read all instructions and fill out the form completely. Incomplete forms or forms with "pending" in place of a USMS registration number will be rejected (except 18 year olds who must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline, but may register at the venue on May 16th). A legible copy of the swimmer's Masters registration card must accompany the entry form for foreign swimmers. Failure to include a Masters registration card may result in the swimmer being charged a fee before being allowed to compete. A USMS swimmer whose club affiliation differs from what is listed on his/her USMS registration card must send either a new USMS registration card or letter from the local registrar with the new club affiliation and effective date.

National Qualifying Times/Number of Events/Sixth Event
Competitors may enter up to three events without meeting the national qualifying time (NQT), or a maximum of six events if you meet the NQTs, i.e. have swum a time equal to or better than the NQTs in the past two years. The NQTs for all events are listed here (PDF version). Designate the events in which the NQTs have been met with a date in the "Date" column of the entry form. All swimmers are limited to three individual events per day. All events must include an entry time. If the meet is deemed too large by the USMS Championship Committee, an athlete's sixth event will be dropped. On the entry form, indicate this event with a "6" in the designated column. If no indication is given, the last event entered on the entry form will be dropped. No changes of the designated sixth event will be allowed after April 12, 2007. No refunds will be given for the dropped event.

Fees
Fees are $4 per individual event plus a $40 surcharge per swimmer. Fees must accompany the entry form and must be paid in U.S dollars by check or money order. Do not send cash. The entry form is not complete until the check has cleared the bank. If there are questions about an entrant's check, 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 April 12, 2007. No refunds will be given for events not swum. The $40 surcharge also applies to relay swimmers not entered in an individual event. Relay-only swimmers must submit an entry form with payment by the entry deadline. All fees should be payable to "United States Masters Swimming."

Relay Events
Swimmers can enter relays until 4 p.m. on the day before the relay is scheduled. The entry fee for each relay is $12. Relay entries may be submitted at the relay desk in the registration area. Each of the four members of any relay team must be registered with the same Masters club. Relay entry fee is in addition to individual events. Relay entry forms are available for download here.

Entry Deadline / Mail Entry
Online entries are encouraged and will be accepted until midnight PDT on April 12, 2007. All mailed entries must be postmarked with an official U.S. postmark (no business meters) by April 5, 2007 or received by April 12. 2007. Entries received after this date will be returned to sender. No telephone or email entries will be accepted. Mail entries early. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope with entry for proof of receipt. Do not send certified or overnight mail requiring a signature. Photocopy completed entry forms and personal checks for your records and verification.

Mail to: 
Short Course Nationals, USMS National Office
9 Wiley Hill Road
Londonderry, NH 03053-3109

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

Team Scoring
Team scoring will be tabulated in three categories: Men, Women, and Combined. Mixed relays score points only in the Combined category.

Awards
Medals will be awarded for first through 10th 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. Unclaimed awards will not be mailed unless arrangements are made at the meet. There will be a charge for mailing awards. Awards will be presented to the top ten teams in each category (Men, Women, and Combined).

Final Results
Complete final results may be ordered in advance or at the Awards Table during the meet. Cost will be $15.00 per copy. The USMS website will post results.

Concessions, Vendors & Souvenir Items
Food will be available for purchase during the meet from Subway, the exclusive vendor for the Aquatic Center. USMS Sponsors will be on site selling merchandise. PNA Masters will have a wide variety of meet souvenirs for sale at the meet.

Temperature and Climate
Average temperature is a low of 50 and high of 70. Sweats are recommended.

Meet Management
Meet Director: Jane Moore
Meet Organizing Committee Chair: Hugh Moore
USMS Championship Committee Liaison: Sandi Rousseau
USMS Officials Liaison: Jan Kavadas
Head Referee: Ron Van Pool
Administrative Referee: Ed Ruth
Head Starter: Bruce Stratton
Head Chief Judge: Dave Coddington
Clerk of Course: Patty Stratton

Coaches Hospitality
Hospitality is available to coaches who are actively coaching at the meet. Coaches must check in at the Registration table to receive credentials for hospitality

Questions?
Contact Jane or Hugh Moore at 253-759-4956 (before 9 p.m. PT) or via email to 2007scnationals -AT- comcast -DOT- net.

Travel Information