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USA Swimming Organization and Services
Section 1 through 5
Section 1 - Introduction to USA Swimming
USA Swimming succeeds what has been known as United States Swimming as the National Governing Body for amateur competitive swimming in the United States. USA Swimming was conceived in 1978 with the passage of the Amateur Sports Act (36 U.S.C. §371 et seq.), which specified independent administration for all United States' Olympic sports. Prior to this act, USA Swimming was the Competitive Swimming Committee of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). USA Swimming Headquarters was established in
Colorado Springs, Colorado at the US Olympic Training Center.
As the national governing body of the sport, USA Swimming is responsible for the conduct and administration of swimming in the United States. In this capacity, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts the national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects the athletes to represent the United States in international competition.
Organization
The international federation for aquatic sports is the Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA). USA Swimming is affiliated with FINA through United States Aquatic Sports (USAS) made up of the four aquatic sports--swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, and water polo.
USA Swimming is a Group A member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and has voting representation in the USOC House of Delegates.
Within the United States, USA Swimming is divided into fifty-nine (59) Local Swimming Committees (LSC), each responsible for administering USA Swimming activities in a defined geographical area. A House of Delegates with representation by athletes, coaches, members of the Board of Directors, and clubs is responsible for managing the business affairs of each LSC.
LSC's are combined into both Regions and Zones for some swimming competitions. Regions are formed to reduce the travel distance for athletes competing in regional competitions and to equalize the competitions. Competition at this level is discretionary with those LSC's involved. The Zone Age Group Junior Olympic Championship Meet is conducted and administered by the Zone Championship Committee as set out in USA Swimming rules and regulations. Regional and Zone alignments are set forth
below.
Decision making
USA Swimming is a non-profit organization made up of dedicated volunteers. Interested individuals donate their time, energy and expertise at every level from the national Board of Directors to the local swim clubs. All policy decisions are made through a chain of committees reporting to elected vice presidents. The USA Swimming House of Delegates meets once a year at the annual USAS Convention and determines the rules and regulations for swimming for the following year. In between yearly
meetings of the House of Delegates, an elected USA Swimming Board of Directors is charged with the responsibility of making decisions for the Corporation.
USA Swimming Headquarters Services
The USA Swimming Headquarters provides a variety of services and programs for its membership including publications, educational programs, fund-raising activities, sports medicine programs, video resources and general information about swimming. Much of this information is also available on the USA Swimming website at http://www.usa-swimming.org/. USA Swimming staff are also available to answer questions. For information, contact
USA Swimming at the address listed in the "Contact" section of this site.
Regional Alignments
Region 1: Adirondack, Connecticut, Maine, Metropolitan, New England, New Jersey, Niagara.
Region 2: Allegheny Mountain, Maryland, Middle Atlantic, Potomac Valley, Virginia.
Region 3: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Southeastern.
Region 4: Florida, Florida Gold Coast.
Region 5: Hawaii.
Region 6: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Lake Erie, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia.
Region 7: Iowa, Midwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin.
Region 8: Arkansas, Missouri Valley, Oklahoma, Ozark.
Region 9: Gulf, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Texas, Southwestern, West Texas.
Region 10: Arizona, Border, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah.
Region 11: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming.
Region 12: Inland Empire, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, Snake River.
Region 13: Central California, Pacific, San Diego-Imperial, Sierra Nevada, Southern California.
Region 14: Alaska.
Zone Alignments
Eastern Zone: Adirondack, Allegheny Mountain, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Metropolitan, Middle Atlantic, New England, New Jersey, Niagara, Potomac Valley, Virginia.
Southern Zone: Border, Florida, Florida Gold Coast, Georgia, Gulf, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Texas, Southeastern, Southwestern, West Texas, West Virginia.
Central Zone: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Lake Erie, Michigan, Midwestern, Minnesota, Missouri Valley, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ozark, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
Western Zone: Alaska, Arizona, Central California, Colorado, Hawaii, Inland Empire, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, San Diego-Imperial, Sierra Nevada, Snake River, Southern California, Utah, Wyoming.
To implement USA Swimming's policy of membership protection, USA Swimming has two major insurance programs:
A. Secondary Accident Medical Protection;
B. Liability Insurance Program.
A. Secondary Accident Medical Protection
1. Who is Covered: Registered USA Swimming members (both athletes and non-athletes);
2. When Coverage Starts: Coverage begins upon receipt of the completed application form with appropriate fee by the LSC registration chair or their designee.
3. When Coverage is in Effect: Athlete and non-athlete members are covered during:
a. participation in competitions, meets or events sponsored or sanctioned by USA Swimming;
b. participation in organized, scheduled practices;
c. organized, supervised travel to and from sponsored and sanctioned events or organized supervised practice sessions.
4. Benefits:
a. Maximum of $25,000.00 per occurrence for medical or dental expense;
b. $5,000 for accidental death, dismemberment and loss of sight.
c. Maximum of $1,000 per occurrence for Chiropractic or Physical Therapy treatment
5. Limitations:
a. The amounts payable are limited to medical/dental expenses that are "medically necessary" and which are incurred within one year of the date of the accident;
b. The amounts payable are secondary to other primary insurance in place through the athlete or non-athlete's employment, school or family.
c. There is a deductible equal to the greater of the total of other collectable benefits from primary insurance sources applicable to the covered injury or $100.00 of medical expense where there is no primary insurance coverage.
d. Any covered charges must be as a "direct result" of an accident and must first occur within 90 days of that accident;
e. Any covered charges must be incurred within one year from the date of the accident;
6. More Information: For further information on this insurance program, contact the Missouri Valley Office, whose address and telephone number is listed in the "Contact" section of this site.
B. Liability Insurance Program
1. Who is Covered: USA Swimming, Inc. Member Clubs as well as any member of USA Swimming, Inc., or volunteer while acting on behalf of and with the approval of the Board of Directors of USA Swimming, Inc.
2. What is Covered: This is a liability insurance program. Accordingly, clubs and persons insured are covered for:
a. claims of negligence against the insured by participants or any other person for bodily injury or property damage for insured activities;
b. contractual liability for claims of negligence arising from a written contract relating to insured activities;
c. "insured activities" include:
i. Swimming events where a USA Swimming (Missouri Valley) sanction has been issued. This includes all Open Water events;
ii. Approved meets, including Open Water meets;
iii. Swimming practices where all participating athletes and coaches are members of USA Swimming and are conducted under the sole and direct supervision of USA Swimming Member Coaches;
iv. Learn to Swim Programs where all participating athletes and coaches are members of USA Swimming and are conducted under the sole and direct supervision of USA Swimming Member Coaches;
v. Swimming tryouts under direct supervision of USA Swimming Member Club Coaches;
a) Such tryouts may not last for a period of more than 30 consecutive calendar days in a 12 month period for any one individual.
b) The person trying out need not join USA Swimming during the initial 30 days. However, any such person will have no USA Swimming Secondary Accident Medical Insurance during the period they are not USA Swimming members.
vi.
USA Swimming-contracted Swim-a-Thons ("Lap-a-Thons and other "derivatives" are not covered);
vii.
Certain Approved Social and Fund-raising functions, but only with specific approval by the insurance underwriter. Contact the MVS Office for information about insurance coverage of social and fund-raising events.
d.
Exclusions -- Certain things are not covered. Among them, and this list is not inclusive:
i.
diving from other than starting platforms or pool side (diving from diving boards, diving platforms, their supporting structures--including ladders and steps--is not covered);
ii.
a claim arising from racing starts in water depths less than the minimum stated in the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations;
iii.
actual or threatened abuse or molestation by anyone of any person while under the care, custody or control of any insured;
iv.
underwater sports activities;
v.
water polo except intra-squad water polo;
vi.
operation, ownership, maintenance, loading or unloading, or use of any automobile or motor vehicle, including the use of an automobile to transport swimmers to or from a meet or practice by a parent, swimmer or coach;
vii.
any obligation or liability under workers' compensation, employers liability, unemployment compensation, disability benefits or similar law;
viii.
employment related practices, policies, acts or omissions such as wrongful termination, demotion or reassignment;
ix.
any property in an insured's care, custody or control;
x.
intentional acts.
e.
Limits of Coverage -- Coverage is provided for bodily injury or property damage up to the following amounts:
i.
$1,000,000 for each occurrence subject to a $4,000,000 aggregate limit per year;
ii.
$2,000,000 in the aggregate for Products/Completed operations;
iii.
$100,000 fire legal liability;
iv.
$1,000,000 Personal/Advertising Injury in the aggregate.
f.
Excess Liability Coverage -- Under a separate policy, all USA Swimming Clubs, members and volunteers are covered fro insured activities by an excess policy with aggregates of $4,000,000 per occurrence and an aggregate annual limit of $8,000,000. This excess coverage is applicable to any events or occurrences to which the Liability Insurance coverage is applicable;
g.
Questions -- All questions about USA Swimming insurance coverage should be directed to the MVS Office, whose address and phone number are listed on the "Contact Us" page for this site;
h.
Report of Occurrence Forms -- A sample "Report of Occurrence Form" is contained in the "E-Forms" section of this site. It is imperative that all incidents, regardless of how minor, be reported immediately.
C. Optional Insurance Programs -- In addition to insurance that is automatically part of USA Swimming membership, optional insurance is available to USA Swimming Clubs for Directors and Officers Employment Practices and for loss or damage to "personal property." For information about either of these optional coverage's, contact:
Peak Insurance Group
P.O. Box 32712
Phoenix, AZ 85064-2712
Voice: (800) 777-4930 x 245
Fax: (602) 274-1117.
Swim-A-Thon, a registered trademark of USA Swimming, Inc., is a program to help teams raise funds for operations. Many Missouri Valley Swim Clubs have held successful Swim-A-Thons.
A Swim-A-Thon can be held at any time. The last week in October is national Swim-A-Thon week. Swim-A-Thon is promoted through media advertising and national magazine articles. Many swim clubs use this time for holding their Swim-A-Thon program. Work should start at least eight weeks in advance.
USAS Clubs keep 95% of the proceeds raised by Swim-A-Thons they hold. The other 5% is sent to USAS.
YMCA / YWCA Clubs keep 90% of the proceeds raised by their Swim-A-Thons. The remaining 10% is sent to USAS.
Interested clubs and individuals may obtain Swim-A-Thon information by contacting USA Swimming at the number listed in the "Contact" section of this site, or through the USA Swimming website (http://www.usa-swimming.org). The Missouri Valley Swim-a-Thon Chair is also listed on the "Officers and Committee Chairs" page of this site.
At its meeting in October, 1998, USA Swimming adopted a Code of Conduct, applicable to all member athletes, coaches, officials and other non-athletes. This Code of Conduct is part of Article 304 of the By-Laws of USA Swimming. It is reprinted here without specific section numbers.
ARTICLE 304 CODE OF CONDUCT
304.1. The mission of USA Swimming is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of swimming. USA Swimming grants the privilege of membership to individuals and organizations committed to that mission. The privilege of membership may, therefore, be withdrawn or denied by USA Swimming at any time where USA Swimming determines that a member or prospective member's conduct is inconsistent with the mission of the organization or the best interest of
the sport and those who participate in it.
In order to assist all members to better serve the interests of those who participate in swimming, USA Swimming has adopted this Code of Conduct.
304.2. Any member or prospective member of USA Swimming may be denied membership, censured, placed on probation, suspended for a definite or indefinite period of time with or without terms of probation, fined or expelled from USA Swimming if such member violates the provisions of the USA Swimming Code of Conduct, set forth in 304.3, or aids, abets or encourages another person to violate any of the provisions of the USAS Code of Conduct.
304.3. The following shall be considered violations of the USA Swimming Code of Conduct:
304.3.1 Violation of the right to compete provisions set forth in Sections 301.1 through 301.4 (of the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations)
304.3.2 Violation of the anti-doping provisions set forth in Sections 303.4 or 303.5 (of the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations).
304.3.3 Discrimination in violation of Part Five of the USA Swimming Corporate Code of Regulations or any other section of the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations, or in violation of Section 201(b)(6) of the Amateur Sports Act which requires that USA Swimming must provide: "an equal opportunity to amateur athletes; coaches, trainers, managers, administrators, and officials to participate in amateur athletic competition, without discrimination on the basis of race, color,
religion, age, sex, or national origin";
304.3.4 Conviction of, imposition of a deferred sentence for, or any plea of guilty or no contest at any time, past or present, or the existence of any pending charges, for (i) any felony, (ii) any offense involving use, possession, distribution or intent to distribute illegal drugs or substances, or (iii) any crime involving sexual misconduct;
304.3.5 Any sexual contact or advance directed towards an athlete by a coach, official, trainer, or other person who, in the context of swimming, is in a position of authority over that athlete;
304.3.6 The sale or distribution of illegal drugs or the illegal sale or distribution of any substance listed on FINA's recognized list of banned substances;
304.3.7 The use of illegal drugs in the presence of an athlete, by a coach, official, trainer of, or a person who, in the context of swimming, is in a position of authority over, that athlete;
304.3.8 The providing of alcohol to an athlete by a coach, official, trainer, manager or any other person where the athlete is under the legal age allowed to consume or purchase alcohol in the state where the alcohol is provided;
304.3.9 The abuse of alcohol in the presence of an athlete under the age of 18, by a coach, official, trainer of, or a person who who, in the context of swimming, is in a position of authority over, that athlete;
304.3.10 Physical abuse of an athlete by any person who, in the context of swimming, is in a position of authority over that athlete;
304.3.11 Any act of fraud, deception or dishonesty in connection with any USA Swimming-related activity.
304.3.12 Any non-consensual physical contact, obscene language or gesture, or other threatening language or conduct directed towards any meet official and which is related to any decision made by such official in connection with a USA Swimming-sanctioned competition;
304.3.13 Action, other than through general advertising, by a coach, owner, officer, volunteer, representative, or employee of a swim club, or a USA Swimming or LSC employee, either through direct contact with an athlete or the encouragement of others, to recruit or otherwise encourage an athlete who is already a member of a USA Swimming member swim club to compete for or become a member of the swim club with which the acting party is affiliated, unless the acting party
receives prior written approval to recruit or encourage the athlete from the coach of the athlete's existing USA Swimming-member swim club or contact is initiated by the athlete, the athlete's parent or authorized representative;
304.3.14 Violation of any team misconduct rule as established by the USOC, USA Swimming, any Zone or LSC team authority;
304.3.15 Any other act, conduct or omission which is detrimental to the image or reputation of USA Swimming, a LSC or the sport of swimming.
304.4. A complaint alleging violations of 304.3.12, 304.3.13, 304.3.14 and/or 304.3.15 of the USA Swimming Code of Conduct involving only one or more members or prospective members of one LSC, and not brought by USA Swimming shall be filed directly with the LSC. The procedure to be taken and the rules to be followed for hearing shall be as set forth in the Bylaws of the LSC. Any appeal of the LSC's decision shall be made to the National Board of Review pursuant to Part Four
of the USA Swimming Rules.
304.5. With respect to those alleged violations of the USA Swimming Code of Conduct which do not fall under the parameters of Section 304.4, a complaint setting forth the allegations shall be filed with the USAS President and Chairman of the National Board of Review, who shall promptly initiate a review of the matter as set forth below.
304.5.1 In those matters occurring during the course of a national or regional event, the Vice President of Program Operations, or his/her designee, shall make the investigation and report.
304.5.2 In those matters occurring during the course of an international event, the Olympic International Operations Committee Coordinator, or his/her designee, shall make the investigation and report.
304.5.3 In those matters involving an alleged violation of 304.3.11 by a coach, the investigation shall be conducted and report made by a committee of three coaches appointed by the President.
304.5.4 In all other instances, the investigation and report shall be made by the Executive Director or his/her designee.
After the initial review is completed, the President may decide to either (i) cause further investigation into the alleged violations to be conducted; (ii) seek to mediate the complaint; (iii) take interim action as set forth in 304.6. Either the President or Chairman of the National Board of Review may then decide to assign the matter to the National Board of Review for hearing or jointly decide to dismiss the complaint.
304.6. After the initial review, depending on the severity of the alleged misconduct, the President may suspend the member who is the subject of the complaint pending the outcome of the National Board of Review hearing. If an interim suspension is ordered, the National Board of Review shall conduct its hearing and publish its results within twenty-one (21) days, except as provided herein. The member who is the subject of the complaint and the complainant shall be notified of
such action when the matter is referred to the National Board of Review. The review process shall then proceed as outlined in 401.6 (of the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations). Until such time as the National Board of Review makes a decision all proceedings shall be confidential and not subject to disclosure to anyone other than the parties to the review and witnesses.
Effective June 5, 2004
BACKGROUND REGARDING PACE MAKING DEVICES
FINA has recently determined that certain wearable radio receivers that have recently been brought to market are not permitted. These devices, designed to be worn by swimmers in the water, can transmit information from a coach or someone else on deck. FINA rule SW 10.15 with language prohibiting pace making is the basis for this FINA determination. The Rules & Regulations Committee has conformed our rules to those of FINA.
102.10 DISQUALIFICATIONS
.10 No swimmer is permitted to wear or use any device or substance to help his/her speed, pace or buoyancy during a race. Goggles may be worn, and rubdown oil applied if not considered excessive by the Referee.
INTERPRETATION
The official interpretation of 102.10.10 as amended to conform to FINA rule SW 10.15 is that no mechanical or electronic device that can convey pace or speed may be worn in competition.
AUTHORITY
Article 510.1 states in part that “the Rules & Regulations Committee may alter, amend or repeal any portion of Part One at any time to conform to the rules of the Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA).”
The USA Swimming Rules & Regulations Committee approved the change to USA Swimming 102.10.10 and the interpretation, both shown above, on June 5, 2004, effective immediately.
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