Dear Jillian,

I hope that you're well and that you've been able to return to the water safely or will be able to do so soon. I've been fortunate that my club, Walnut Creek Masters, restarted practices last week after a three-month layoff. We've had to get used to a new regimen -- weekly signups for lane time, a three-workout-per-week limit, shorter workouts, and a limit of one per lane (family members may share) -- that I'm sure some of you are also experiencing. Nevertheless, it's great to get back in the water. Three months away does take a toll, though. Despite my efforts to stay in shape with long daily walks, stretch cord work, and other dryland exercises, the first few days have been hard. The shorter practices turn out to be a blessing.

I wanted to update you on several important topics.

USMS COVID-19 Relief Program for Clubs

As my experience illustrates, there are plenty of challenges for clubs to restart their programs. Pool space may be limited, swimmers may have reduced opportunities, and coaches may have fewer swimmers to oversee. All this can mean higher costs and reduced revenue. For many clubs, this is added to the financial stress the mandatory shutdowns may have created.

To help address this situation, the USMS Board of Directors has approved up to $250,000 in matching grant funds that LMSCs may use to support local clubs’ efforts to restart Masters programs when safe and appropriate. A communication from me describing the program in detail was sent to national and local volunteers on June 24. A communication for club contacts and coaches is planned for late July to give LMSCs a month to discuss their plans. 

Supporting Our Members

Since most pools closed and clubs were forced to suspend swim workouts in mid-March, there has been an unparalleled amount of communication from USMS to support our members during these trying times. Over half a million emails have been sent to members, volunteers, coaches, and club contacts covering over 70 topics. Nearly 30 articles on how members can deal with the pandemic and time away from swimming have been published. Biweekly dryland workouts have been published, as well as more than 20 other dryland workout resources. There have been separate communications going to coaches offering ideas on how they can keep their programs intact and their members engaged during the pandemic. I couldn't be prouder of how USMS has supported our members during the crisis.

Continued Challenges Ahead

2020 has been a year like no other in the history of USMS, or the world for that matter. We have already made the painful decisions to cancel our Spring and Summer Nationals and our open water national championships. The board has recommended LMSCs not sanction any traditional competitive events since April. The fairness and integrity of our Top 10 rankings and the All-Star and All-American designations is under review. The in-person annual meeting has been switched to a virtual format the details of which are currently being planned. When pools have opened, there have been significant restrictions that limit the number of swimmers who can participate. Since few clubs are interested in recruiting new swimmers when there is not enough space for existing members, opportunities for growth are tough to come by.

Eventually a vaccine for the novel coronavirus will be developed and the world will begin to return to normal. The challenges we faced before the pandemic will still be there: an aging membership, retention rates that are lower than we would like, areas of the country with sparse opportunities for prospective members, and inflexible rules and policies that in many cases were created when digital communication was limited and USMS was a purely volunteer-run organization. 

The good news is the solutions developed to deal with pandemic can help address some of our longtime challenges. The tools developed to support swimmers when large practices are limited can appeal to prospective members who do not have the opportunity to join a club due to location or time constraints. Our inability to conduct in-person coach training is resulting in the development of more online learning that can be delivered when a new coach needs it. This year’s requirement to conduct our annual meeting remotely can show a path whereby more of our business activities can be accomplished with a smaller investment. This will free up resources that can be used for training and program development that will result in greater member value.

Despite the challenges of this year, I remain optimistic that USMS has a bright future. Please join me in our continued pursuit of our mission and vision of promoting adult swimming for fitness.

Sincerely,

Peter Guadagni
President | U.S. Masters Swimming