DATES
Competition: Thursday, April 28 - Sunday, May 1, 2011.
Pool available for warm-ups Wednesday, April 27 from 3 - 7 p.m.

LOCATION
Kino Aquatics Center
848 North Horne
Mesa, AZ 85203
480-472-2545

FACILITIES
The Kino Aquatics Center is an outdoor complex with seating for 2,000 people (no admission fee for spectators). The venue includes two separate pools: a championship pool/diving well and a recreational pool. The championship pool is 70 meters by 25 yards, and will be divided into two 25-yard courses. Each course will have nine lanes measuring 7 feet wide, and a water depth ranging from 6 feet 9 inches to 8 feet. Seven warm-up lanes will also be available in the attached diving well that will be open for continuous warm-up and warm-down during the competition. The recreational pool will have an additional six lanes of 25 yards available for warm-up or warm-down.

ELIGIBILITY
Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of April 27, 2011. Eighteen-year-olds must enter the meet by the entry deadline and only 18-year-olds may register with USMS on April 27 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 Swimming 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 U.S. dollars.

AGE GROUPS
Age for the meet is determined as of May 1, 2011, except 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by April 27, 2011. 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 (10-year increments as high as necessary, determined by the age of the youngest relay member).

REGISTRATION
Prior to warm-ups or competition, all participants must register at the meet by signing an emergency card, safety information statement and liability release. Registration will be held at the aquatics center on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on all other days from 7 a.m. through the end of competition.

SEEDING
All events—with the exception of the 1650, 1000 and 500 freestyles and 400 IM—will be preseeded unless meet management determines that the meet cannot be completed in a timely manner. A decision regarding preseeding and deck seeding for all 100-yard and 200-yard events will be announced at usms.org by April 14, 2011. 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 1000 and 1650 freestyles. A decision regarding this will be announced at www.usms.org by April 14, 2011. The 1650 and 1000 freestyles and 400 IM will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 500 free may 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 group.

EVENT CHECK-IN
Coaches or teammates may check in online or in person 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.

CHECK-IN DEADLINES
Positive check-in is required for the 400 IM and 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyles, and will be required for the 100s and 200s if it is determined that deck seeding is necessary. Check-in may be done in person at the registration area or via internet at usms.org according to the following schedule:

Date	Events	In Person Check-in*	Online Check-in*
Thurs., April 28	1000 Free 1650 Free	Weds. 3-7 p.m.; Thurs. by 7 a.m. Weds. 3-7 p.m.; Thurs. by 9 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Thurs. by 7 a.m. Tues. 7 a.m. - Thurs. by 9 a.m.
Friday, April 29	400 IM	Weds. 3-7 p.m.; Fri. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Fri. by 7 a.m.
Sat., April 30	500 Free (women)	Weds. 3-7 p.m.; Sat. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Sat. by 7 a.m.
Sun, May 1	500 Free (men)	Weds. 3-7 p.m.; Sun. by 7 a.m.	Tues. 7 a.m. - Sun. by 7 a.m.

* All times are Mountain Standard Time. If the 100 and 200 events are deck-seeded, then all check-in deadlines for these events will be at 7 a.m. the day the event is swum.

HEAT AND PSYCH SHEETS
Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about April 14, 2011. Heat sheets for preseeded events will be available online around April 21, 2011. Heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be posted at various places around the pool deck for swimmers after the check-in deadlines.

WARM-UP TIMES
The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Wednesday, April 27, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6 a.m. until 7:50 a.m. and the warm-up pools will be available from 7:50 a.m. 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, April 28.

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. One or two lanes shall 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 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.

SCRATCHES
Any swimmer failing to report to the proper lane in the correct heat of an 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 attend the general meeting in the auditorium at the entrance to the aquatics center on Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m. There will be a discussion of matters pertaining to the operation and conduct of the meet.

GOLD MEDAL SPONSORSHIP
Gold Medal Sponsors will be recognized in the official program as supporters of Masters swimming and will be entitled to hospitality, including food services. Cost is $75 and can be ordered on the meet entry form.

ONLINE ENTRIES
Online entry is encouraged and provides immediate entry confirmation. Online registration will open soon and will close at midnight PDT on March 24, 2011.

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 for 18-year-olds who turn 18 after the meet deadline but before the first day of the meet who must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline but may register at the venue on April 27). A legible copy of the swimmer’s Masters registration card must accompany the entry form for foreign swimmers. A swimmer whose club affiliation differs from what is listed on his or her USMS registration card must send either a new USMS registration card or a 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 individual events without meeting the national qualifying time, or 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 two years. All swimmers are limited to three individual events per day. All events must include an entry time. If the meet is deemed too large, an athlete’s sixth event will be dropped. On the entry form, indicate this event with a “6” in the designated column.

FEES
Fees are $4 per individual event plus a surcharge per swimmer. The surcharge varies according to date of entry. (See Entry Deadline/Variable Surcharge below.) Fees must accompany the entry form and must be paid in U.S. dollars by check or money order. Do not mail cash. The entry 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 March 24, 2011. No refunds will be given for events not swum. The 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."

ENTRY DEADLINES/ VARIABLE SURCHARGE/ MAIL ENTRY
All U.S. entries must be postmarked with an official US postmark (no business meters).

Online entries are encouraged and will be accepted until midnight PDT on March 24, 2011. All mailed entries must be postmarked with an official U.S. postmark (no business meters).

SURCHARGES:
Entry Postmarked By: March 3 or Entry Received By: March 10
Amount: $50

or

Entry Postmarked By: March 17 or Entry Received By: March 24:
Amount: $60

Entries received after March 24 that are postmarked after March 17 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: Spring Nationals, USMS, 8 Rockwood Lane, Londonderry, NH 03053.

MAIL ENTRY TO:
Spring National Championships
U.S. Masters Swimming Membership Office
PO Box 185
Londonderry, NH 03053-0185.

RELAY INFORMATION
Swimmers can enter relays until 4 p.m. on the day before the relay is scheduled. Each competitor shall be allowed to swim only one freestyle relay, one medley relay, one mixed freestyle relay and one mixed medley relay. 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 at www.usms.org.

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 "U.S. Masters Swimming 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 combined clubs in the Regional and Local Club divisions.

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.org website will post complete results, including splits.

TIME VERIFICATION (FORMERLY OVCs)
Swimmers needing verification of time(s) or wishing to have their times entered into the USA Swimming SWIMS Database (for entry into USA-S national meets) should complete a form at the meet prior to the swim. Contact the Administrative Referee at the meet.

QUESTIONS / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Contact Meet Director Erin Shields at erinmbshields -AT- gmail -DOT- com. Phone: 602-469-0400.