Starting a Masters Club

Starting a Masters Swim Club

Revised 10/30/1997

1. Visit nearby pools, particularly where there is adult or lap swimming, to discern any interest in forming a Masters club.

2. Post notices of the intention to form a Masters swim club in pools, shopping malls, sports facilities, community halls, or other appropriate places.

3. Contact various organizations such as Parks and Recreation, YM/YWCA, university and community colleges, high schools, and community pools to ascertain pool availability and cost.

4. Contact triathlon organizations for prospective members.

5. Advertise in community newspapers. Many radio and television stations will air public service announcements as a free community service.

6. Extol the benefits of Masters Swimming: fitness, fun, friendship and participation.

7. Ask other Masters swim clubs how they got started. Invite some of their members to a meeting. Frequently, a member of the Pacific Masters Swimming Committee would be pleased to address a group to explain the benefits of Masters swimming and how to get started.

8. Form an executive from the interested people contacted and choose a name for the swim club. Decide on membership fees, coach's remuneration, and frequency, starting time and length of workouts. Set some goals: to host a swim meet, publish a club newsletter, or hold social activities. Decide what equipment you will need, e.g. pace clocks, kick boards, pull buoys, hand paddles, stopwatches or lap counters. Major equipment purchases may have to be delayed until sufficient funding is available or a cost-sharing arrangement is worked out with pool management.

9. Register your club and each individual swimmer with Pacific Masters Swimming, your Local Masters Swimming Committee swimming organization. The annual fee is reasonable and includes several benefits including several from your national Masters organization, United States Masters Swimming . If you are in Northern California or Northern Nevada contact :

Nancy Ridout at the

Pacific Masters Swimming Office
(phone and fax (415) 892.0771)
Monday-Friday 10:30 am 4:30 pm Pacific Time or Email

nancyridout@mindspring.com

For information about United States Masters Swimming in other parts of the United States you can call:

United States Masters Swimming

Traci Grilli

261 High Range Road

Londonderry NH 03053

Email United States Masters Swimming Executive office usms@usms.org

(603) 537 0203

FAX (603) 537 0204

All Masters swimmers in sanctioned swim meets must be registered with a Masters organization in order to compete and to gain official recognition of their times (in Pacific Masters Swimming, nationally or internationally). However, keep in mind that the majority of Unites States Masters swimmers are non-competitive and there are benefits (like Swim Magazine) of registering as a Masters swimmer even if you choose to never compete.

10. To locate more information on your Local Masters Swim Committee, please refer to the USMS map of US and List of LMSC's.

Return to Pacific Masters Swimming Homepage

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