2024 Colonies Zone & New England LMSC SCM Championship "WPI Meet"

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Registration Schedule

This competition is limited to the first 600 entrants.
Currently there are 1 entrants.

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Pre-Meet Reports:
Relay Deck Entry Form
Split Request Form

References:
World Aquatics Masters Records  
Monday, Dec. 9 – Relay Entries

• Online relay entries open: 12:00pm

Thursday, Dec. 12 – Check-In

• Online check-in opens for all events: 4:00pm

Friday, Dec. 13 – Session #1

• Building & warmup open: 4:00pm
• Check-in closes: 4:30pm
• Session starts: 5:00pm

Saturday, Dec. 14 – Session #2

• Warm-up opens: 9:30am
• Check-in closes: 10:00am
• 400 freestyle starts: 10:30am
• Saturday relay entries close: 10:45am
• 25-minute break after the 400 freestyle

Sunday, Dec. 15 – Session #3

• Warm-up opens: 9:30am
• Check-in closes: 10:00am
• 400 IM starts: 10:30am
• Sunday relay entries close: 10:45am
• 25-minute break after the 400 IM

FACILITY: The WPI Sports & Recreation Center's 35-meter stretch pool will be configured as a 10-lane, 25-meter, bulkhead-to-fixed-wall competition course plus five 25-yard auxiliary lanes for continuous warm-up. There is deck space for 500 swimmers, seating for over 400 people in the stands, and wheelchair access to all public spaces, including the pool, locker rooms, and stands.
 

POOL LENGTH CERTIFICATION & TIMING SYSTEM: The length of the competition course is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1, but as a bulkhead course is subject to length confirmation. Colorado Timing System with automatic touchpads, semiautomatic buttons, and an alphanumeric scoreboard. Eligibility of times achieved in this meet for world record, USMS record and USMS Top 10 consideration will be contingent on verification of bulkhead placement.

Thank you to WPI for accommodating this annual championship meet since 2015!

 
Meet Committee: Kysa Crusco, Jen Downing, Jason Eaddy, Jeremy Gross, Sue Jensen, Rick Osterberg, Douglas Sayles, Jason Weis.
Meet Director: Douglas Sayles | colonies@usms.org | (401) 633-5756
Meet Referee: Ken Galica | kennethgalica@gmail.com | (978) 808-0328

Volunteers Wanted: Coaches, teammates, friends, family, college and high school students may volunteer to time or help out. Clubs or organizations that provide a group of volunteers may be compensated. If needed, we may require participating teams to provide lane timers. To sign up to volunteer, contact the meet director or use the online signup sheet that will be posted here after meet entries open.
 
ENTRIES:

• Online Entries Only: https://bit.ly/cz-nelmsc-scmchamps24
• Entries Open: Thursday, August 8, 2024
• Entry Deadline: Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 11:59pm. We may close entries early upon reaching the meet's timeline limits.
• Entry Limits:
  • Friday: 1 individual event.
  • Saturday: 6 individual events + 3 relay events.
  • Sunday: 6 individual events + 2 relay events.
  • Event caps:
    • Any combo of 800 + 1500 freestyle heats totaling 3.5 hours (e.g., 50 entries each).
    • 400 freestyle ~ 120 entries.
    • 400 IM ~ 100 entries.
    • We may add or adjust event caps. Check back here for updates.
• Event Order: Scroll to the bottom of this page to view the Order of Events.
• Entry Fee: $45 + $9 per individual event. Nonrefundable credit card charge from "WWW.NELMSC.ORG."
• Change/Add Events: You may not change events but you may add events while entries are open for a fee of $9 per event by emailing your seed times to colonies@usms.org. We will charge your card on file.

ELIGIBILITY: Members aged 18 or older of U.S. Masters Swimming or another World Aquatics member organization. The age determining date is December 31, 2024, except 18-year-olds must be of age by December 12. International entries require verification — email a copy of your Masters Registration card/letter from your governing body to colonies@usms.org.

SWIMMERS WITH DISABILITIES: Before competing, please notify the meet director and meet referee of any desired accommodations.

RULES: 2024 USMS Rules & Regulations apply. We may use dive-over starting. If you want more time to exit the pool, notify the meet referee before your heat.

AGE GROUPS: The individual event age groups are 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, etc. in five-year increments. The relay event age groups are 72-99, 100-119, 120-159, 160-199, 200-239, 240-279, 280-319, etc. in 40-year increments. The aggregate age of the four relay team members shall determine the age group.

TEAM AFFILIATION: Your meet entry must match your club affiliation and, if applicable, the New England Masters Swim Club (NEM) workout-group affiliation in your USMS member record. Each NEM workout group will compete as a team against other registered NEM workout groups and USMS clubs. You cannot change your club or NEM workout-group affiliation after completing your first relay or individual event. If you have questions about your USMS registration or competition eligibility, see the NELMSC's Demystifying USMS primer or contact colonies@usms.org.

RELAYS:

• Relay entries are free, but every swimmer must be registered for at least one individual event.
• Swimmers should indicate their relay availability (non-binding) when entering the meet.
• Online relay entries (preferred) will open at noon, Monday, Dec. 9. We will also accept paper deck entries.
• Entries for each day's relays will close at 10:45am that day.
• Each relay team must retrieve their printed relay card at the meet admin table after relay entries have closed and been seeded and must present that card to the head lane timer before their heat starts.
• A swimmer cannot swim on both a same-sex relay and a mixed relay for the same event.
• All four swimmers in a relay must be affiliated with the same club in their USMS member records.
• NEM members affiliated with different workout groups or no workout group can record an official time by forming a nonscoring “NEM-Unattached” relay.
• UC unattached swimmers (i.e., no club affliliation) cannot compete in relays.

Online Relay Entry Procedure: One person should enter all their team's relays online. That person must be affiliated with the team in their USMS record.

1. When relay entries open, click the blue "Register Relays Online Now!" button at the top/bottom of this page.
2. Input your USMS membership credentials and verify your address, email, etc.
3. Bypass the biographical page — there should be no edits needed here.
4. Click an event to see your club's swimmers and create an entry for that event. You need not designate multiple entries as A, B, C, etc. The software will do it.
5. Enter the relay's estimated seed time and select four swimmers in the order they will swim.
6. Continue this process until you have entered all your relay teams/events.
7. Proceed to the review page and click to finalize and submit your team's relay entries.

Changing Relay Entries: Before relay entries close, you can change or add relay entries via the online relay entry procedure described above. After relay entries close, you can change the names or swim order in a relay entry by indicating changes on your relay card and notifying the head lane timer before your heat starts.

DISTANCE FREESTYLE EVENTS: You may enter the 800 or 1500 freestyle, not both. See the event entry caps listed above under "ENTRIES." Plastic lap counters will be available for the 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle, but swimmers are responsible for finding someone to count for them.

HEAT SEEDING:

• Timed finals, deck seeded from entry times after check-in closes.
• The 1500 freestyle will be seeded fast to slow; the 800 freestyle and all other events will be slow to fast.
• The 800 & 1500 freestyle will be seeded as mixed heats (men & women combined).
• Women's, men's and mixed relays may be swum in combined heats.
• The meet director or referee can change seed times that are obviously incorrect based on prior performances.
• Entries without seed times will not be accepted.

CHECK-IN REQUIRED:

• Online Check-In: All events require positive swimmer check-in online via SwimPhone. Check-in for all events will open Thursday, December 12, at 4:00pm. Check-in for each day's events will close Friday at 4:30pm, Saturday at 10:00am, and Sunday at 10:00am. Any check-in issues must be reported to and acknowledged by the meet director or meet admin table staff before check-in closes.
• WPI Security Policy: Separate from the above check-in process, WPI requires every meet attendee to provide their name and ID when entering the building.

SCRATCHES: If you check in for an event then decide not to swim it, please scratch online via SwimPhone before check-in closes.
    
WARM-UP/WARM-DOWN: The five auxiliary lanes will open for continuous warm-up at 4:00pm on Friday, at 9:30am on Saturday, and 9:30am on Sunday, and will close each day ~15 minutes after the last event ends. Warm-up in the 10 competition lanes will open at the same times, close 5 to 10 minutes before each day’s first event, and reopen for ~20 minutes on Saturday after the 400 freestyle and Sunday after the 400 IM.

Swimmers must enter warm-up lanes FEET FIRST (no diving) except in designated one-way sprint lanes.

SPLIT REQUESTS: All initial 800-meter splits in the 1500 freestyle and all relay leadoff splits (first 50 of 200 relay, first 100 of 400 relay, first 200 of 800 relay) will be recorded as automatic official splits. Official split requests for other distances or events must be submitted to the meet admin table using the Split Request Form.

For backstroke events, you must submit the form and notify the meet referee of your intent to record an initial split time after the heat sheet is posted but before you swim your event. For other events, you must submit the form to the meet admin table before the end of the meet; the meet staff will notify the meet referee of each split request in compliance with USMS Rule 103.18.1(B)(1).

RECORD-BREAKING SWIMS: Swimmers who may break a world record or USMS record should notify the meet referee before that event so an additional backup watch can be assigned to your lane.

SCORING:

• The first 16 places in each age group and sex will be scored 17, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points for individual events and double for relays.
• Each USMS-registered workout group of New England Masters Swim Club will compete as a team against other NEM workout groups and USMS clubs.
• NEM members with no workout group affiliation in their USMS member record will not score team points.
• Unattached (UC) swimmers cannot score team points.

PSYCH SHEETS: Psych sheets, entry lists, and an estimated meet timeline will be posted to this website, SwimPhone, and Meet Mobile.

HEAT SHEETS: Heat sheets will be posted onsite and uploaded to SwimPhone and Meet Mobile after check-in closes and that day’s events have been seeded.

RESULTS: Results will be posted onsite and uploaded to this website, SwimPhone, and Meet Mobile. Recorded times are not official until they are posted to the USMS meet results database.

AWARDS:

• Brief ceremony after Sunday’s final event to bestow awards to the:
  • Colonies Zone Champion banner for the top-scoring team overall.
  • Plaques for the top-two scoring teams in the large, medium, small, and squad divisions. (Sizes TBD based on swimmers entered in the meet.)
  • Meet towels for the top female and male scorer in each age group.
• Awards available for pickup on deck:
  • Ribbons for the top-three female and male finishers in each event by age group.
  • Rubber ducks for heat winners. Quack!
  • Athlete certificates with event results stickers for each individual and relay event.
• Team & individual results, points, and record-breaking swims will be posted on the meet web site.

WI-FI: Limited Wi-Fi access will be available onsite. Connect to the “wpi-open” network and follow the prompts. No support for Wi-Fi will be offered by WPI or the meet hosts.

TEAM BANNERS: You are encouraged to bring your team’s banner. Please use painter’s tape or Command hooks to hang your banners. Do not use duct tape or any other adhesive that will leave residue on the walls.

FOOD & DRINK: Food and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed on the pool deck, but glass containers are prohibited. On Saturday and Sunday, packaged snacks, beverages, and pizza will be for sale in the lower lobby while supplies last. Cash and Venmo accepted. Meet staff and officials will be afforded complimentary hospitality.

T-SHIRTS: Meet t-shirts can be purchased during online registration for pickup at the meet. A limited quantity may also be for sale at the meet. Cash and Venmo accepted onsite. We will not mail t-shirts or provide refunds.

PARKING: Last year, parking was available for this meet in the Park Avenue Garage by the pool. We cannot confirm the availability of this lot until September — please check back then for updated parking instructions.

DIRECTIONS TO POOL: The GPS address for the WPI Sports & Recreation access road is 153 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609.

From the East: Take Mass. Turnpike (I-90) to Exit 11A (I-495). Proceed north to exit 25B (I-290), then west into Worcester. Take Exit 18 (Lincoln Sq., Rte. 9), turn right at the end of the ramp, then an immediate right before next traffic light. At next light, proceed straight through, bearing to the right on Salisbury St. Turn left at the first entrance after the hill. Proceed straight towards the parking garage on the right.

From the North: Take I-495 south to I-290. Follow directions from east.

From the South and West: Take Mass. Turnpike (I-90) to Exit 10 (Auburn). Proceed east on I-290 into Worcester. Take Exit 17 (Lincoln Sq., Rte. 9), turn left at end of ramp, follow Rte. 9 west through Lincoln Sq., straight onto Highland St., then right at light onto Park Ave. Proceed through the first light, then turn right at the first entrance. Take the first right, then proceed to the entrance of the parking garage.

https://www.wpi.edu/coming-to-campus

THINGS TO DO: The Worcester Cultural Coalition and Discover Central Massachusetts websites list places to stay, restaurants, events, and other attractions and sights to see in and around Worcester.

CONDITIONS: Every participant must sign the USMS Participant Waiver built into the online meet registration process. By entering this meet, you give U.S. Masters Swimming and its subordinates and assignees permission to use your name and image, including photo and video recordings, for promotional purposes and in any broadcast or other accounts of this event.
 

Meet Course: 25 Meters

Note: If paying by credit card, your credit card statement will reflect a charge from "WWW.NELMSC.ORG."