Competition

COMSA invites you to the 2018 COMSA Masters Short Course Swimming Championships. The pool is 25 yards by 50 meters, and will be set up with 8-10 short course yards competition lanes. A Colorado Electronic Timing System with backup timing and scoreboard readout will be used. Bleacher seating is available, with additional on-deck seating available. We recommend bringing your own chairs if you plan to make use of on-deck seating.

Eligibility:  This is a USMS sanctioned meet. Swimmers must be at least 18 years of age on the day they swim. A valid 2018 United States Masters Swimming (USMS) membership is required to compete, and must be furnished with the entry. Online USMS registration is available on the COMSA website. Contact the COMSA Vice Chair at debbutler@comcast.net with questions.

Rules:  All 2018 USMS Rules apply, including a NO FALSE START RULE, and whistle alerts announcing the start of each race. Pull buoys, kickboards, fins, hand paddles, and snorkels are not allowed in the competition or warm-up pools.

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. One or two lanes will be designated as one-way sprint lanes during the pre-meet warm-up sessions in the competition pool only.

Any swimmer who acts in an unsporting or unsafe manner within the swimming venue may be considered for appropriate action or penalty by the referee (rule 102.13.3)

Entries and Fees:
$15 surcharge per swimmer
$4 per individual event (max of 6 events per day)
Those swimming Relay Events only will pay $15 surcharge fee.
Fees must accompany Registration, and must be paid in U.S. Dollars by credit card, check or money order.

Deadlines: 
All entries will be online and must be completed by April 6th, 2018 at midnight. 

Online entries receive email confirmation.  No entry verification will be made via telephone.

Event Seeding: The 1650 Freestyle and the 1000 Freestyle will be seeded FAST to SLOW.  All other events will be seeded SLOW to FAST. “No Time” entries will not be accepted. All events are timed finals, one swimmer per lane. Men and Women may be combined in events of 200 yards or longer at the discretion of the meet director. Deck seeding is strictly at the discretion of the meet director.

Meet Check-in and Positive Check-in:  All athletes must check-in upon arrival on their first day of competition. At check-in, athletes receive their T-Shirt and participation award. Each athlete need only check-in to the meet once, on their first day of competition.

ADDITIONALLY, participants in the 1650 Free, 1000 Free, 500 Free, and 400 IM, MUST positively check-in for those events, separately from the meet check-in process. THIS YEAR WE WILL BE USING SWIMPHONE ONLINE CHECK IN SO THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE THERE IN PERSON TO CHECK IN FOR THE LONGER EVENTS!   
Go to https://www.SwimPhone.com/meets/meet_menu.cfm?smid=9661 to check in.  If you cannot check in online you still will be able to check in in person.  See check in times below, they are valid for both online AND for in person check in! Deadlines for positive check-in are as follows:

Friday’s Events:

• 1000 Free Check-In opens Thursday, April 12th, at 6:00AM closes at 12pm on Friday, April 13th, 2018
• 1650 Free Check-In opens Thurdsay, April 12th, at 6:00AM and closes at 1pm on Friday April 13th, 2018

Saturday & Sunday:

• 400 IM Check-in opens Friday, April 13th, at 12:01AM and closes at 8:00am on Saturday, April 14th, 2018
• 500 Free Check-in opens Saturday, April 14th, at 12:01AM and closes at 8:00am on Sunday, April 15th, 2018

Lane assignments may be changed at any time, at the meet director’s discretion.

Age Groups and Relays:
Age for the meet is determined as of April 15th, 2018. Swimmers must be a minimum age of 18 on the day that they are swimming.
Individual Events: 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39,…100+
Relay Events: 18+, 25+, 35+, 45+, etc. 10-year increments as high as necessary determined by age of youngest relay member. Relay cards will be available on deck, and will be accepted each day according to deadlines announced at the meet. All relay members must be USMS members and be individually registered for the meet ($15 fee for relay-only swimmers).

Scoring:
Swimmers may enter up to 6 individual events per day; 14 maximum for the meet, plus relays. If more than 6 events are entered on any day, the meet host reserves the right to eliminate any of the additional events over 6.
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 Awards:
Scored by total point counts, Men and Women combined. Swimmers points go to the team specified during their State registration. Swimmers will not be allowed to change teams after registration has closed. Top six teams will receive an award. In order for relay points to count towards team awards, all swimmers on a relay must be registered for the meet under the same team. The 4x100 and 4x200 relays do not count toward team points.

Participation Awards/T-Shirts:
Each swimmer receives a participation award. To guarantee that you receive a meet T-Shirt (available for purchase); you must pre-order and indicate your size on the entry form. A limited number of extra T-shirts may be available at the meet.

Heat Sheets and Results:
Heat sheets will be posted online and in several locations around the pool deck. Results will be available on the COMSA website at www.comsa.org and at Swim Phone

Brute Squad Award:
The elite group of aquatic wonders who complete the 200 Fly, 400 IM, and 1650 Free will be presented a T-shirt after the events are concluded.

Sprint Squad Award:
The elite group of speedsters who manage to complete the 50 Free, 50 Fly, 50 Back, 50 Breast, and 100 IM will be presented a T-shirt after the events are concluded.

The Jack Buchannan Service Award:
This award is presented during the opening ceremony on Saturday to the male and female swimmers who have made major contributions to Masters Swimming. Nomination forms are available at www.comsa.org.

The Lou Parker Coaches Award:
This award is presented during the opening ceremony on Saturday to the outstanding COMSA Coach of the Year. Recipients must be current USMS members. Nomination forms are available at www.comsa.org.

Individual Awards:
The top 10 swimmers in each individual event will receive a ribbon. No awards for relays. An individual high-point award will be given to the highest scoring swimmer, male and female, in each age group.

Entry Confirmations:
All entry confirmations are via email from Club Assistant. Psych sheets will be posted at www.comsa.org 2-3 days before the first day of the meet. Contact the meet host with corrections to errors found on the psych sheet.

Pool Warm-up Times:
Friday warm-ups are 11:30-12:30, with continuous warm-up and warm-downs in the non-compitition pool. 
Saturday and Sunday warm-ups are 7:30-8:30am and for 30 min following the morning distance events, with continuous warm-up and warm-downs in the non-compitition pool. 

Annual Meeting:
Saturday immediately following the Mens 100 IM for approximately 10 minutes. An agenda will be available on the COMSA website. 

General Information:
*Longer Relays: The 4x100 and the 4x200 relays are swum Women, Men and Mixed together. A swimmer may swim only one relay in each event. These relays do not count toward team points.

**The length of the competition course is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with the current rule book, but as a bulkhead course, is subject to length confirmation. Eligibility of times for USMS Top 10 and Records will be contingent on verification of bulkhead placement.