Dates
Wednesday-Sunday, July 21-25, 2021
Location
Greensboro Aquatic Center
1921 W. Gate City Blvd.
Greensboro, NC 27403
Hosted By
North Carolina Host Committee
Hill Carrow, Chair
Mark Rubacky, Meet Director
COVID-19 Protocols and Safety Information
U.S. Masters Swimming is committed to providing a safe and fun championship environment for this event. USMS reserves the right to alter COVID-19 protocols based on local, state, and national guidelines at the time of the event. Here’s what’s currently planned for the 2021 USMS Short Course National Championship.
Have Questions?
Please contact the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 1-800-550-SWIM (7946).
Facility
In 2019, the Greensboro Aquatic Center became the largest indoor aquatic facility in the U.S. with the addition of a second 50-meter pool, providing the center with four pools and a total of 54 25-yard lanes. The four pools consist of a six-lane instructional pool, 22-lane competition pool, seven-lane diving well, and the new 50-meter warm-up pool with 19 short course lanes. For Short Course Nationals, the competition pool will be divided into two eight-lane courses with 9-foot-wide lanes. The water depth in the competition pool is 9 to 10 feet throughout. During the meet warm-up, swimmers can use all 18 lanes in the competition pool (includes two lanes between the two bulkheads), seven lanes in the adjacent diving well, and 19 lanes in the new 50-meter pool. During actual competition, warm-up and cool-down can be done in the seven-lane diving well and 19 lanes in the second 50-meter pool.
The turn end of the competition courses is a bulkhead. The length of the competition courses are in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1, but as bulkhead courses, are subject to length confirmation. Eligibility of times for USMS Top 10 and records will be contingent on verification of bulkhead placement. Total seating is 2,500, with off-deck seating for 1,800 available. Here are directions to the GAC.
GAC was host site for the 2012 and 2016 USMS Spring Nationals. This year, the GAC has hosted the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Swimming Championships and the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
The GAC is located on the campus of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, the premier sports and entertainment facility in the Southeast. In addition, the GAC is located in close proximity to the Atlantic Coast Conference Hall of Champions, Greensboro Visitors Center, and area hotels and restaurants.
Entering the Meet
Entries will open May 24 and close June 21 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time unless capacity is reached prior to the June 21 deadline. Don’t delay!
The meet will be split into sessions by event Wednesday-Thursday and by age groups Friday-Sunday to limit attendance to approximately 300-500 per session. Spectators will not be allowed (with certain exceptions: see Coaches, Spectators, and Volunteers). Swimmers will only be able to access the facility during sessions in which they are entered.
Fees
The fee to enter is $90 plus $6 per individual event. Because of COVID-19, the surcharge increased by $25 to help cover additional operating costs to ensure safety and provide a championship atmosphere despite limited attendance.
Refund requests must be made to the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org by July 7. No refunds will be given for events not swum.
If you cannot enter online, call 1-800-555-SWIM (7946) between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time during the online entry periods above to provide your entry information. A member services representative will complete the entry for you. Please have your desired events, times, and credit card information available.
National Qualifying Times/Number of Events/Sixth Event
Competitors may enter up to three individual events without meeting theNational Qualifying Timesor a maximum of six events if they meet the NQTs (i.e., have swum a time equal to or better than the NQTs during the past three years). Exception: All swimmers must meet the NQT in the 1650 freestyle. All swimmers are limited to three individual events per day. If the meet is deemed too large, an athlete’s sixth event will be dropped. Swimmers entering six events must indicate which event is to be dropped in case the timeline is too long. No refunds will be given if the sixth event is dropped. A decision on the sixth event will be announced at usms.org by July 2. If a swimmer enters an event with a time significantly slower or faster than that swimmer's recorded time in the previous three years, the Championship Committee may, after a discussion with the swimmer, change the seeded time to a realistic time.
With limited meets held since March 2020 because of COVID-19, times from the past three (3) years will be accepted for NQTs rather than the typical two (2) years. Swimmers are encouraged to enter realistic times accounting for any extended breaks from the pool. We hope you find a chance to shake off the racing rust at a local meet, but times from a time trial or a workout are also accepted. See the National Qualifying Times FAQs.
Eligibility
Participants must be U.S. Masters Swimming members. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by July 20 must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on July 20.
If a swimmer wishes to affiliate with a Masters club, the club and swimmer must both be registered with the same Local Masters Swimming Committee (LMSC). If there are questions about affiliation, the swimmer will be entered with the affiliation “UC” (Unattached).
International entries will not be accepted due to space limitations and travel restrictions.
Age Groups
Age for the meet is determined as of July 25, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by July 20. Age groups for individual events: 18–24, 25–29, 30–34, 35–39, etc., (five-year increments as high as necessary). Relay events (if contested): 18+, 25+, 35+, 45+, etc., (10-year increments as high as necessary, determined by the age of the youngest relay member).
Registration
Prior to entering the facility, all participants must register and pick up credentials that will be required to enter the Greensboro Aquatic Center for each session. Rather than the paper waiver and emergency contact form swimmers completed at registration in previous years, these forms will be sent in a pre-event email to complete online prior to arriving at the facility. Registration will be held in the plaza just outside the main GAC entrance on Tuesday, July 20, from 3-7 p.m. and on all other days from 30 minutes prior to warm-up of the first session through the end of the final session each day.
Seeding
Two courses will be used for all events. Men’s heats will precede women’s heats for each event, except that men’s and women’s heats may be seeded together for the 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyle events. The 1650 and 1000 freestyle events will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 500 freestyle and 400 IM may be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 200-yard events may be deck-seeded and may be seeded by entry time, regardless of age, for each sex. All 50 and 100 events will be pre-seeded by age group, with the oldest age groups first, slowest to fastest within each age group. All seeding decisions will be announced at usms.org by July 12.
Distance Events
Competitors may enter both the 1000 and 1650 freestyle events but must meet the NQT for the 1650 freestyle.
Because spectators will not be allowed, volunteers will be available as counters for the 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyle events if you do not have a teammate or coach who can be your counter.
Meet Procedures
Event Sanction
Sanctioned by the North Carolina LMSC for USMS Inc. Sanction Number 131-S002
The length of the competition courses are in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1, but as bulkhead courses, are subject to length confirmation. Eligibility of times for USMS Top 10 and records will be contingent on verification of bulkhead placement.
Check-In Deadlines
Swimmers must check in for events 400 yards or longer. Swimmers, or their coaches or teammates on their behalf, may check in online by the deadlines below. Failure to check in will result in the swimmer being scratched from the event. The swimmer won’t be permitted to swim that event at another time.
The check-in deadline has been moved to 7 p.m. Eastern time the day prior to the event (rather than 7 a.m. the morning of the event in previous years) so swimmers can be better prepared for when to arrive at the pool. Heat sheets will be posted online by approximately 8 p.m. Eastern time the night before each distance event.
For health and safety reasons, check-in will only be available online rather than both online and in-person like in previous years. If you need assistance, please visit the Solutions Table near Registration.
Date
Event
Online Check-in*
Wednesday, July 21
1650 freestyle
1000 freestyle
Monday 7 a.m.-Tuesday 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 22
500 freestyle
400 IM
Monday 7 a.m.-Wednesday 7 p.m.
*All times are Eastern time.
Meet Roster
A real-time meet roster including name, age, sex, and club will be available on the meet information page. Please verify your information and contact events@usmastersswimming.org with any concerns by June 21.
Heat and Psych Sheets
Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website by June 28. Heat sheets for preseeded events will be available online by July 16. Heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be posted on Meet Mobile and SwimPhone once the events have been seeded.
Note: To provide flexibility in the planning timeline with the added benefit of going green, we are not providing printed meet programs for this event. All pertinent information, including heat and psych sheets, will be available online.
Sessions and Meet Start Times
The competition will be split into sessions to allow for social distancing with approximately 300-500 swimmers anticipated for each session. Only swimmers who are competing will be allowed into the facility for each session. Credentials will be provided at registration.
Sessions will be split by event on Wednesday (1650 and 1000 freestyle) and Thursday (500 freestyle and 400 IM) and by age group Friday-Sunday (50s, 100s, and 200s). For example, sessions could be divided by age groups between 18-39, 40-54, and 55+.
The exact age groups in each Friday-Sunday session and the start times for each session will be posted by July 16. We currently anticipate the first session of each day will start between 7:00-8:00 a.m. There will be a 30-minute break after each session to clear and clean the facility followed by a one-hour warm-up prior to the next session starting.
Warm-up Times
On competition days (Wednesday-Sunday), swimmers will only have access to the facility for warm-up starting one hour prior to a session in which they are entered. The competition pool will be open for one hour prior to the start of each session, and the warm-up pools will be open starting one hour prior to the start of each session through the conclusion of each session.
On Tuesday, July 20, the GAC is planning to have lap swim lanes available from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in the competition pool and 12:00-4:00 p.m. in the training pool. The drop in fee is $5 ($4 for 65+).
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. A few lanes will be designated as one-way sprint lanes during the pre-meet warm-up sessions in the competition pools 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). Swim equipment is not allowed in the competition or warm-up pools. This includes pull buoys, kickboards, fins, hand paddles, etc.
To allow for social distancing, USMS recommends a max of six swimmers per lane during warm-up. Swimmers are discouraged from hanging on the walls during warm-up. Please be flexible with your warm-up routine to avoid overcrowding and be considerate of your fellow swimmers.
Scratches
Any swimmer failing to report to the proper lane in the correct heat of an event will be scratched from that event and will not be permitted to swim that event at another time.
Relays
Because of timeline constraints and safety concerns, relays are unlikely to be contested during this event. If contested, relays would most likely be a separate session on Friday and Saturday. A determination will be made after the meet is seeded and posted by July 16.
Scoring
Swimmers in individual events will be awarded points for first through 10th places as 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, respectively. Relays (if contested) will be awarded double points for first through 10th places as 22-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2, respectively.
Club Scoring
Club scoring will be tabulated in two categories (regional clubs and local clubs) and three divisions (men, women, and combined). Mixed relays (if contested) score points only in the combined division.
Awards
Medals will be awarded for first through 10th places in each age group, for all events. A U.S. Masters Swimming national champion 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. Club awards will be presented to the top 10 clubs in the local club division and top five clubs in the regional division.
Final Results
The complete results, including splits, will be posted at usms.org. A paper copy of the complete final results may be ordered with your online entry and will be mailed to you from the National Office. Cost is $15 per copy.
Time Verification
Swimmers wishing to have times entered into SWIMS (USA Swimming’s times database) must complete a form, obtained from the administrative referee at the meet, prior to the swim.
Hearing Impaired Start Assistance
Any athlete with a hearing impairment may request starting assistance from the meet referee. The request must be made prior to the start of the meet. If portable strobes are available, one may be located in a manner to provide a visual aid. Otherwise, another appropriate method may be employed to visually assist the affected swimmer. Please contact the events@usmastersswimming.org by June 21 if you require this assistance.
Service Animals
Animals other than service animals will not be permitted on deck at the venue.