Meet Information

Location
Marguerite Aquatics Center
27474 Casta Del Sol
Mission Viejo, California 92692

Facilities
The Marguerite Aquatics Center is home to the Mission Viejo Nadadores. It has an outdoor 50 meter championship pool with eight 9-foot wide lanes and a water depth of 2 to 3-1/2 meters. Also included is a 25 meter by 25 yard diving pool with nine lanes and a 25 yard, four lane instructional pool for continuous warm-up during the meet.

Temperature and Climate
During August, the average outdoor high temperature is 85 degrees, with an average low of 65 degrees.

Website
Meet information, entry forms, on line registration, current hotel and car rental information are available here and at the host site.

Meet Shuttle Service & Parking
A free shuttle service will be offered between designated hotels and the Aquatic Center. A shuttle schedule will be available at meet registration and at the participating hotels. Parking is limited at the Aquatic Center and nearby streets - it is highly recommended that swimmers use the shuttle service.

Concessions, Vendors & Souvenir Items
A full concession bar will be available throughout the meet. Approved USMS sponsors will be on site selling merchandise. The Mission Viejo Nadadores Masters will sell a wide variety of meet souvenirs at the meet and on their web site prior to the meet.

Coaches Hospitality
Hospitality is available to coaches who are ASCA/USA coach members.

Registration
All participants must go through registration prior to competing. Here you will sign an emergency card, safety information statement, and liability release. You will receive a meet program, purchased social tickets, and other meet information. Registration will be held at the Aquatic Center on Wednesday, August 10, from noon to 8 pm and on Thursday, August 11 through Monday, August 15 from 6:30 am until the end of each day's last event. Check-in for all events and relays will be available in the same area.

Eligibility
The Championships are open to any registered Masters swimmer at least 18 years of age as of July 9, 2005. A swimmer can either swim with the club they are registered with or declare themselves unattached. If there are questions about affiliation, the swimmer shall be entered "unattached." Foreign entries must include a copy of swimmer's Masters Swimming registration card and fees in U.S. dollars.

Age Groups
Age for the meet is determined as of 12/31/05.
Individual events: 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49 ... 100-104. 
Relay events: 72-99, 100-119, 120-159, 160-199, ... (40-year increments as high as is necessary).

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 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. 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.

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.

Seeding
All events will be deck seeded unless meet management determines that the meet can be completed in a timely fashion by pre-seeded individual events of 200 yards or less. Men's heats will precede women's heats for each event except for the 400, 800 and 1500 Free. Odd heats will start from one end of the pool and even heats will start from the other end unless the meet can be run in a timely manner without using the Chase Start format. For the 400, 800 and 1500 Free, women's and men's heats may be seeded together and competitors of the same gender may be required to swim two-per-lane if the meet that day is projected to last longer than 12 hours. In all other events, all men's heats will be completed before the women's heats start. The 800 and 1500 Free will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time regardless of age (and gender if combined). The 400 IM will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time for each sex 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 Deadlines for All Events
This is a deck-seeded meet. Check-in is required each day for the next days events and may be done in person at the registration area or via the Internet at www.usms.org. 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 will be available on each morning for the day's events.

Check-in Times
For Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday's events, you must check-in the day before between 7 am and 6 pm for the events you plan to swim the next day. For Thursday's events, you must check-in on Wednesday between 12 pm and 8 pm. The USMS website check-in will open 24 hours before on site check-in.

Warm-up Times
The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Wednesday, August 10 from noon until 8 pm. On competition days, the competition pool will be open for warm-up from 6:30 am until 7:50 am and the warm-up pools will be available from 7:50 am until conclusion of the final event. On Thursday through Saturday, the competition pool will also be open for warm-up for 30 minutes following the completion of the first event, the 800 Free, 400 IM, and 400 Free. The competition pool will be open for warm-up for 30 minutes following the last event each day.

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 at the Aquatic Center on Wednesday, August 10 at 7 pm. Matters pertinent to the operation and conduct of the meet will be discussed.

Time Verification (formerly OVCs)
Swimmers needing verification of time(s) or who wish their time(s) 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 (Bob Brown) at the meet.

Social
The Nadadores Masters are planning a meet social lakeside at the beautiful Mission Viejo Lake. The social will include dinner and music. The social will be limited to the first 300 Tickets can be purchased in advance on this entry or at registration if available. Cos is $25.00.

Gold Medal Sponsorship
Gold Medal Sponsors are recognized in the official program as supporters of Masters swimming, entitled to V.I.P. hospitality on deck, and receive a commemorative gift. Cost of one sponsorship will be $50. Order sponsorships on the meet entry form.

Meet Management
Meet Director: Mark Moore
Meet Referee: Ed Ruth
Admin Referee: Bob Brown

On Line Entry Procedures
On line entries are encouraged. This method provides immediate confirmation that the entry has been received. On line entries will be accepted until midnight PDT on July 9, 2005

Mail-in 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. Foreign swimmers must include a legible copy of their Masters registration card. Failure to include a Masters registration card may result in swimmer being charged a fee before being allowed to compete. All U.S. entries must be postmarked with an official US postmark (no business meters) by July 2, 2005 OR received by July 9, 2005. Entries received after this date will be returned to sender. No telephone or email entries will be accepted. Mail entries early. Include a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) with entry for proof of receipt. Do not send certified or overnight mail requiring signature. Allow sufficient time for mail delivery. Photocopy completed entry form and personal checks for your records and verification. Mail to: Long Course Nationals, USMS National Office, 9 Wiley Hill Rd., Londonderry, NH 03053-3109.

Changing Club Affiliations
A USMS swimmer changing club affiliations prior to the meet must send either a USMS registration card or a letter from the local registrar with the new club affiliation and effective date.

National Qualifying Times
Competitors may enter a maximum of three (3) individual events without meeting the National Qualifying Times (NQTs) 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 two years. An NQT time is required to enter the 800 Free. You may enter both the 800 Free and the 1500 Free, if you meet the NQT in both events. The NQTs for all events are listed here. Enter the date that NQT's were met in the "Date" column. There are no NQTs for the 90 and over age groups.

Entry Times
All entered events must include an entry time. "NT" entries will be rejected.

Number of Events
If you qualify, you may enter up to three individual events per day with a maximum of six events during the meet. You may enter both the 800 and 1500 freestyle if you meet the NQT in both events.

Sixth Event Rule
If, in the opinion of the USMS Championship Committee, the meet is deemed too large to be run efficiently, every swimmer's sixth event will be dropped. If six events are entered, indicate with the number "6" your least desired event 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 6th events will be allowed after July 9, 2005. No refunds will be given for the dropped event.

Fees
Fees are $4 per individual event plus $38 surcharge per swimmer. Fees must accompany the entry form and must be paid in US dollars by check or money order. Do Not Send Cash. The entry is not complete until check has cleared the bank. If there are questions about an entrant's check, full cash payment in US dollars will be required before entrant is allowed to swim. Refund requests must be received in writing by July 9, 2005. No refunds will be given for events not swum. The $38 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
Relays may be entered at any time until 4:00 pm the day before that relay is scheduled to be swum. After that time, only the swimmers on the relay may be changed. Such changes must not affect the age group of the relay. The relay entry fee is $12.00 per relay. Forms are available for downloading here.

Questions?
Call Mark Moore between 6 am and 10 pm PDT at (949) 489-1847
Email: coachmark@mastersmvnswim.org

Travel Information