Dear $firstname$,
As I write this note to our family of U.S. Masters Swimming volunteers around the country, close to half of our membership is under some form of stay-at-home guidelines and most of us have lost access to aquatic facilities for an undetermined amount of time. Here in Sarasota, Fla., many thought swimming in open water would be an alternative until last Saturday, when the beaches were officially closed. For swimmers around the country these are challenging times. Swimming isn’t possible! That is not a sentence I ever imagined writing in my time as CEO, but it is the reality in which we find ourselves. So, to adjust during this crisis, we have outlined two collective objectives:
- Support USMS members' efforts to stay healthy for a strong return to the water. This includes: providing them with motivation to remain active during this time period through dryland exercises and workout options, and to foster our swim community through social connections.
- USMS must ensure we are prepared to resume normal club and event activities quickly when pools re-open and social distancing guidelines are removed.
I want to express my gratitude for your continued support and work on behalf of USMS in your area. We are always so proud to see how our community rises to the occasion:
- Committees have continued to meet over the past few weeks. One item of particular note is that the Coaches and LMSC Development Committees have been collaborating with the National Office on a peer-to-peer call for coaches on Tuesday, March 31, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time to provide USMS coaches with a platform to share ideas on how to stay engaged with their swimmers. If you'd like to participate, please RSVP. The presentation link and call instructions are provided.
- Many LMSCs and Clubs have Facebook groups established to keep their members and swimmers connected. Here is one amazing example of the personal touch of a USMS coach.
- The Potomac Valley LMSC covered all hard costs for cancelled events in its LMSC. Although it has established policies that ensure meet directors break even at a minimum, this is a great example of a LMSC utilizing its reserves in a positive manner during this crisis.
In addition, as you saw in the member-wide email distributed last Thursday, www.usms.org now has a COVID-19 resources page for members and coaches that will be dynamically updated with new information regularly. (Messages distributed to all members will be updated on this page as well.)
As we develop new communication, messaging, and programs to navigate COVID-19, the National Office will facilitate idea sharing throughout USMS. Please share any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas through volunteer@usmastersswimming.org. You can also tag U.S. Masters Swimming in social media posts so we can share information nationally.
We promise to keep you informed with updates as they are available and will be soliciting thoughts from many of you as we build plans.
The USMS staff will be working remotely for the foreseeable future, and we have the resources and experience at our disposal to do so. All USMS communication channels (e.g., phone, email, forums, social media) remain in place and covered. Although this situation isn't a "business as usual" environment, the staff will be working to support USMS membership, volunteers, and business activities just as they would from the office.
Please connect with us if you have any questions or concerns. Most important, stay healthy and safe, and look out for each other during this crisis.
Dawson Hughes, CEO
U.S. Masters Swimming
dhughes@usmastersswimming.org
This message was sent to all national- and local-level volunteers.
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