2022 Summer Nationals Meet Information
Dates
Competition days are August 3-7, 2022
Pool will be open for open for warm-up on Tuesday, August 2, from 2 to 7 p.m. Eastern. Please note the instructional pool will not be available for warm-up during this time.
Location
Richmond, VA 23234
804-271-8271
Hosted By
Meet director: Adam Kennedy
Richmond Region Tourism liaison: Danny Bonifas
COVID-19 Protocols and Safety Information
Have Questions?
Please contact the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 941-256-USMS (8767).
Facility
SwimRVA is a 50-meter, 8-lane competition pool with movable bulkheads. This pool was used in the 2008 Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska. Twenty one American records and nine World records have been set in it. At 7′7″ deep and 79°F, this spectacular competition pool is the only 50-meter pool in Central Virginia and one of the finest along the East Coast.
The facility includes an indoor warm-up pool and a temporary outdoor 25-meter pool adjacent to the aquatic center as additional warm-up and cool-down space.
Outdoor Warm-Up Pool Update
Our host, SwimRVA, worked diligently to secure, build, and fill a temporary outdoor pool for additional warm-up space. Unfortunately, the filtration system isn't working to acceptable levels and the pool is not usable. SwimRVA does have a permanent a six-lane 25-yard indoor warm-up pool in addition to the competition pool. This is a similar setup to last year's event at SPIRE Institute. Here are hours for warm-up at SwimRVA and additional off-site options.
Entry Deadlines and Surcharge
May to June 21 at 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time $80*
June 22 to July 11 at 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time $100*
*Meet surcharge doesn’t include individual event and relay fees. Individual event fees are $6 per event.
Refund requests must be made to the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org by July 18. No refunds will be given for events not swum.
Relay-only swimmers must enter and pay the meet surcharge by the July 11 entry deadline. See the relay page for full details.
If you cannot enter online, call 941-256-USMS (8767) 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 the national qualifying times, 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 three years). Exception: Competitors entering the 1500 freestyle must meet the NQT. 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 14, 2022. 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.
Eligibility
Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of August 2, 2022. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by August 2, 2022, must enter the meet by the meet entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on August 2, 2022.
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).
Age Groups
Age for the meet is determined as of December 31, 2022, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by August 2. 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 arriving at the facility, all participants must complete a form which includes a liability waiver and emergency contact information. The form will be emailed two weeks prior to the event and replaces the paper waiver used in previous years.
Swimmers can then pick up goody bags upon arriving at the facility. Registration will be held at SwimRVA on August 2, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on all other days from 6:30 a.m. through the end of competition.
Seeding (updated 7/19)
- The sixth event will NOT be dropped. All swimmers may swim all of the events that they have entered.
- The 50s and 100s will be pre-seeded with the oldest groups first, slowest to fastest within each age group, men and women separate.
- Age groups will be swum oldest to youngest per USMS rules.
- All events 200 meters and longer, including the 400 IM, will require positive check-in.
- All events 200 meters and longer, including the 400 IM, will be deck seeded by time, slowest to fastest, men and women separate. .
- Women’s heats will precede men’s heats for each event.
Distance Events (800/1500)
Swimmers may enter the 800 or 1500 freestyle, but not both. Swimmers entering the 1500 free must meet the NQT.
Swimmers will need to supply their own counter (teammate, coach, etc.) for all distance events.
Check-In Deadlines
Swimmers must check in for events 200 meters or longer.
Check-in will be available on the event page available starting Monday, August 1. A link will be sent in an email to all swimmers and will be available on the event page. If you need assistance, please email events@usmastersswimming.org or visit the Solutions Table on-site near Registration during the hours of the meet.
The deadline to check in is 7 p.m. the night before the event is contested. Failure to check in by the following deadlines will result in the swimmer being scratched from the event and the swimmer will not be permitted to swim that event at another time.
Heat sheets for deck seeded events will be published online by 8 p.m. each evening.
| Date | Event | Online Check-in |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, August 3 | 1500 freestyle | Mon. 7 a.m. - Tues. by 7 p.m. |
| Thursday, August 4 | 800 freestyle | Mon. 7 a.m. - Wed. by 7 p.m. |
| Friday, August 5 | 400 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly | Mon. 7 a.m. - Thurs. by 7 p.m. |
| Saturday, August 6 | 200 IM, 200 breaststroke, 200 freestyle | Mon. 7 a.m. - Fri. by 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, August 7 | 400 IM | Mon. 7 a.m. - Sat. by 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 July 11, 2022.
Heat and Psych Sheets
Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website on or about July 20, 2022.
Heat sheets for pre-seeded events will be available online around July 25, 2022. Heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be posted at various places around the pool deck and on Meet Mobile and SwimPhone, once the events have been seeded.
Meet Start Times
The competition will start at 8 a.m. every day unless it is determined that the timeline will go too late into the day; then competition may start as early as 7:30 a.m. on any day. Meet start times will be announced at usms.org by July 21, 2022. Warm-ups in the competition pool will be shortened if necessary to accommodate an earlier start time.
Warm-up Times
The competition pool will be open for warm-up on Tuesday, August 2, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. On competition days, the competition pool will be open from 6:30 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 each day. The competition pool will also be open for warm-up for 30 minutes following the last event Thursday- Sunday. On August 3 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, hand paddles, etc.
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. All scratches must be submitted by July 18.
Relays
All relays must be entered online. Swimmers or coaches 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 as a printable PDF and a page searchable by age group, event, swimmer, or club.
Split Notification
Final results will indicate splits for all swims (excluding pad malfunctions). Splits will be recorded for all swimmers and submitted for records and Top 10 consideration, for initial distances of all individual events (except for backstroke) and for all relay lead-off splits. Therefore, swimmers need not submit split requests for those events. Split requests are required for initial distance(s) of an individual backstroke event. The swimmer is responsible for picking up the Split Notification Form from the administrative official, filling it out, and presenting it to the administrative official prior to the swim. Automatic split times will be submitted for USMS Top 10, however automatic split times from individual events will not automatically appear in the USMS event results database. If you would like a split time to be added to the event results database, please email your request after the meet to events@usmastersswimming.org.
Time Verification (SWIMS)
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 events@usmastersswimming.org by July 11, 2022 if you require this assistance.
Service Animals
Animals other than service animals will not be permitted on deck at the venue.
