Dates

Competition days are August 7-11, 2019

The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Tuesday, August 6, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m Pacific time. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 7:20 a.m. and the warm-up pools will be available from 6:30 a.m. until the conclusion of the final event.

Location

Marguerite Aquatic Center
27474 Casta Del Sol
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
949-380-2552

Hosted By

Meet hosts: Mission Viejo Nadadores and the City of Mission Viejo

Meet directors: Mark Moore and Vivian Pierre

Have Questions?

Please contact the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 1-800-550-SWIM (7946).

Facility

The Marguerite Aquatic 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 3.5 meters. Also included is a 25-meter by 25-yard diving pool with eight lanes and a 25-yard, four-lane instructional pool for continuous warm-up during the meet. At least one lane for swimmers over age 65 will be available at all times.

Entry

You can enter the meet here.

If you cannot enter online, call 1-800-555-SWIM (7946) 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.

Entry Deadline and Surcharge

Mid-May to Tuesday, June 18 at 11:59 p.m., PT* $55**
Wednesday, June 19 to Monday, July 8 at 11:59 p.m., PT* $65**
*Pacific time
**Meet surcharge doesn’t include individual event and relay fees

National Qualifying Times/Number of Events/Sixth Event

Competitors may enter up to three individual events without meeting the national qualifying time (NQT) or a maximum of six events if they meet the NQTs in three of them, i.e. have swum a time equal to or better than the NQTs during the past two years. Exception: All swimmers entering the 1500 must meet the NQT. 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. No refunds will be given if the sixth event is dropped. Note: the sixth event is likely to be dropped based on high attendance at this venue for previous USMS national championships and the eight-lane competition course. A decision on the sixth event will be announced at usms.org by July 12, 2019. If a swimmer enters an event with a time significantly slower or faster than that swimmer's recorded time in the previous two years, the Championship Committee may, after a discussion with the swimmer, change the seeded time to a realistic time.

Eligibility

Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of August 6, 2019. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by August 6, 2019, must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on August 6, 2019.

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 are subject to verification and may require additional documentation. Please submit a copy of your Masters Registration card/letter from your governing body to events@usmastersswimming.org. Verification is required at the time of online entry. If you do not present verification, you will not be permitted to swim in the competition.

Age Groups

Age for the meet is determined as of December 31, 2019, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by August 6. Age groups for individual events: 18–24, 25–29, 30–34, 35–39 … (five-year increments as high as necessary). Relay events: 72–99, 100–119, 120–159, 160–199, 200–239, 240–279, 280–319, 320–359, 360–399 … (40-year increments as high as necessary). The aggregate age of the four relay team members shall determine the age group.

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 Marguerite Aquatic Center on Tuesday, August 6, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on all other days from 6 a.m. through the end of competition.

Seeding

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 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle events. The 1500 and 800 freestyle events will be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 400 freestyle and 400 IM may be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 200-meter events will be deck seeded and may be seeded by entry time, regardless of age, for each sex. All 50 and 100 events will be preseeded by age group, with the oldest age groups first, slowest to fastest within each group. All seeding decisions will be announced at usms.org by July 15, 2019.

UPDATE: visit the Important Updates page for seeding decisions.

Distance Events (800/1500)

*Swimmers may enter the 800 freestyle or 1500 freestyle, but not both. All swimmers entering the 1500 must meet the NQT.

Fees

Fees are $6 per individual event, plus a surcharge per swimmer. The surcharge varies according to date of entry (see Entry Deadlines and Surcharge). Refund requests must be submitted to the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 1-800-555-SWIM (7946) by July 15. No refunds will be given for events not swum. Relay-only swimmers must enter and pay the meet surcharge by the entry deadline.

Meet Procedures

Event Sanction

Sanctioned by the Southern Pacific LMSC for USMS Inc. Sanction Number 339-S001.

The length of the competition courses without a bulkhead is in compliance and on file with USMS, in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 107.2.1.

Check-In Deadlines

Positive check-in is required for the 400 IM and 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle events, and will be required for the 200s if it is determined that deck seeding is necessary. Swimmers, or their coaches or teammates on their behalf, may check in online or in person by the deadlines below. Failure to check in will result in the swimmer being scratched from the event and the swimmer will not be permitted to swim that event at another time.

UPDATE: all events 200 meters and longer will be deck seeded and require positive check-in.

Date	Event	In-Person Check-in	Online Check-in
Wed., Aug 7, 2019	1500 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.- Wed. by 7 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m. - Wed by 7 a.m.
Thurs., Aug 8, 2019	200 backstroke 800 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p m.- Thurs. by 7 a.m.	Mon.. 7 a.m. - Thurs. by 7 a.m.
Fri., Aug 9, 2019	400 IM 200 butterfly	Tues. 3-7 p.m. - Fri. by 7 a.m.	Mon.. 7 a.m. - Fri. by 7 a.m.
Sat., Aug 10, 2019	200 IM 400 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.- Sat. by 7 a.m. Tues. 3-7 p.m.- Sat. by 9 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m. - Sat. by 7 a.m. Mon. 7 a.m. - Sat. by 9 a.m.
Sun., Aug 11, 2019	200 breaststroke 200 freestyle	Tues. 3-7 p.m.- Sun. by 7 a.m.	Mon. 7 a.m. - Sun. by 7 a.m.

*All times are Pacific time. All 200 events are deck seeded and check in deadline is 7 a.m. on the day the event is swum.

Meet Roster

A real-time meet roster including name, age, sex, and club is available. Please verify your information and contact events@usmastersswimming.org with any concerns by July 8.

Heat and Psych Sheets

Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about July 22. Heat sheets for preseeded events will be available online around July 29. Heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be posted at various places around the pool deck and on Meet Mobile and Swim Phone once the events have been seeded.

UPDATE: psych sheets and heat sheets are now available.

Meet Start Times

The competition will start at 7:30 a.m. each day. Warm-ups in the competition pool will be from 6:00 a.m. to 7:20 a.m.

Warm-up Times

The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Tuesday, August 6, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 7:20 a.m. and the warm-up pools will be available from 6:30 a.m. until the conclusion of the final event each day. The competition pool will also be open for warm-up for 30 minutes following the last heat of the 800 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 400 freestyle, and 200 freestyle on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The competition pool will be open for at least 30 minutes following the last event each day. On August 7, 2019 the competition pool will remain open until 5 p.m. or 30 minutes following the last heat of the 1500 freestyle, whichever is later.

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, paddles, etc.

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.

Relays

All relays must be entered online. Swimmers may enter relays until 3 p.m. on the day before the relay is scheduled. See the relay information page for complete information.

Scoring

Swimmers in individual events will be awarded points for first through tenth places as 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, respectively. Relays will be awarded double points for first through tenth 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 score points only in the combined division.

Awards

Medals will be awarded for first through tenth 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 (formerly OVCs)

Swimmers wishing to have times entered into SWIMS (USA Swimming 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 events@usmastersswimming.org by Tuesday, August 6 if you require this assistance.