Advantages of USMS membership? (or Should I get one?)
worthyadvisor
Chicago, ILMember
Hi all,
Now that I'm getting back into my swimming routine again, I'm wondering (again) if there is any advantage to becoming a USMS member as an open water swimmer? I didn't bother when I was training before, but I'm wondering if it's worth it now, since I plan on doing more swims in the next few years than just the Tiburon. Besides the training, can a membership get you access to swimming areas that you wouldn't normally be able to swim in? Do legal agencies ask if you are part of this organization? If there isn't an advantage to USMS, is there any other organization that I should look into?
Thanks
Gina
Now that I'm getting back into my swimming routine again, I'm wondering (again) if there is any advantage to becoming a USMS member as an open water swimmer? I didn't bother when I was training before, but I'm wondering if it's worth it now, since I plan on doing more swims in the next few years than just the Tiburon. Besides the training, can a membership get you access to swimming areas that you wouldn't normally be able to swim in? Do legal agencies ask if you are part of this organization? If there isn't an advantage to USMS, is there any other organization that I should look into?
Thanks
Gina
I'm the Wiccan Christian that was profiled in USMS's Swimmer Magazine in 2017. Soon, I'll be moving to Zurich, Switzerland. Also, I pray to St. Adjutor, the patron saint of open water swimmers.
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If you and one other person (maybe two) could create a USMS club and as long as one of you has eyes on the other two, you're covered by USMS insurance.
Other than that, I can't think of one. The Swimmer magazine isn't worth the $30-something bucks.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
I'm the Wiccan Christian that was profiled in USMS's Swimmer Magazine in 2017. Soon, I'll be moving to Zurich, Switzerland. Also, I pray to St. Adjutor, the patron saint of open water swimmers.
Luckily only half the pool is set aside the usms...the rest of the lanes are for anyone.
I'm the Wiccan Christian that was profiled in USMS's Swimmer Magazine in 2017. Soon, I'll be moving to Zurich, Switzerland. Also, I pray to St. Adjutor, the patron saint of open water swimmers.
USMS.... meh.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
I'm the Wiccan Christian that was profiled in USMS's Swimmer Magazine in 2017. Soon, I'll be moving to Zurich, Switzerland. Also, I pray to St. Adjutor, the patron saint of open water swimmers.
Not really...mostly curious, actually. There's a couple of groups here in the Bay Area that I'll probably be part of once I'm back into ocean swimming shape, but I was mostly wondering if there was a national/international organization that people thought it was useful to belong to (for whatever reason). The google search was a mixed bag, so...
I'm the Wiccan Christian that was profiled in USMS's Swimmer Magazine in 2017. Soon, I'll be moving to Zurich, Switzerland. Also, I pray to St. Adjutor, the patron saint of open water swimmers.
If you really don't have any interest in pool swimming (the coaching and/or the meets), then I really don't see any point in joining USMS. There are some USMS-sanctioned open water events, but you can participate in those without having an annual membership. And, since you're in the Bay Area, there are far more interesting swims available by joining the South End Rowing Club.
Good point!
Ok, that makes sense. I don't mind pool swimming for the training, but I'd rather be in the ocean (or river, or lake, or...). I remember reading a bit about the South End Rowing Club, and I've also been on Swim Art's mailing list for a long time. Like I said earlier, I'll hit them up once I'm back into swimming shape (in other words, I can do a mile in the pool again in an hour or less...darn injury...).
I'm the Wiccan Christian that was profiled in USMS's Swimmer Magazine in 2017. Soon, I'll be moving to Zurich, Switzerland. Also, I pray to St. Adjutor, the patron saint of open water swimmers.
It isn't expensive, and it seems to be paying for itself without any effort. Plus, I get to keep my CIBBOWS identity despite living on the other coast.
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
It's up to the individual state whether one-day registrations are allowed, or not, for OW swims (at least it was up to the state when I served on the Long Distance and Open Water Committee for Illinois). If one-day registrations are not allowed and USMS holds the sanction, then a full year's membership would be required to swim the event.
(I haven't paid much attention to such matters for a couple of years, so the regulations may have changed.)
USMS offers online workouts confected by top-notch swimmers and coaches that are viewable only by those with a USMS membership. I have found them quite useful. The OW workouts are written by a member here.
I think I'm gonna be a big boy this year and not re-up for 2015. (I said something different on this subject on another thread but I don't remember which one.) I'll be out of the swimming game for a couple years and just don't see the use of spending the dough. If, somehow, I get a chance to swim in the coming years, I'll buy a day's worth of membership if it is required.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
I don't know you but I know about your blog and it's sad to hear that you won't be able to swim!
It's not the same but what about an "infinity pool" and or one of those dryland indoor swim trainers in the meantime?
I don't want to commit to any open water swims without year-round training. Not even considering the expense of flying from Bishkek to, say, Windermere, lodging, rental car, crewing, logistics, I know that if I don't train year-long, I lose my swim fitness. Evidence: For reasons of busy-ness for this move, my swim training dropped off immensely April-July (did something like 10 miles total that entire time), yet I still wanted to do the local (National Harbor, MD) 5K in August, which took me just over 2 hours, when my normal slow-as-molasses pace brings me in around 1:40-1:45. So I daren't commit to something big w/o the training.
Yes, this is how they winterize outdoor pools here
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
The South Gravel pond at Chatfield State Park, Colorado
When I read that you couldn't find any where to swim, I actually felt slightly panicked when thinking how I'd feel in the same predicament. I wish you well in finding a substitute activity!
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
@Niek, this is Kyrgyzstan, where no one has ever heard of recycling, so the guys could just walk around the streets and get all the empty plastic bottles (and bags, and glass shards and other crap) they ever want!
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Leaving water in hasn't hurt anything. The concrete walls are still in good shape, but all the in-ground pipes leak to some degree. Most of that is from tree roots. Don't know if undrainable water in pipes that froze might have contributed. That tree closest to the pool was a really, really bad idea. The shade in July and August was nice, and it was pretty too, but the roots and the leaves... :-q
On the topic of USMS membership: If you use their FLOG to record your mileage, and swim 500+ miles, you'll get a free swim suit. That can at least partly or maybe fully offset the cost of the membership. Not worth it IMHO unless you have other reasons to join, like meets, workouts etc.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
As a younger marathoner I did much of my training with the Fort Lauderdale Swim Team (FLST) in my own lane. FLST is a team that I held a separate USS membership with on top of a USMS membership with their USMS program. My coaches (Duffy Dillon and Nobutaka Tan) would sometimes have me swim with the kids National Team if they thought it would be a good workout for me. I found it easier training hard with a group doing a shorter workout that didn't have sets like 12X1000. I was often alone because of those 1000s, which was necessary for what I was training for. Duffy and Nobu also wrote most of my workouts. I was disciplined enough to do the work, but having my coaches assume that responsibility made things easier for me.
The same goes for USMS. It is better to have a coach than not. I currently swim/coach with Nations Capital Swim Club (NCAP) along with Alexandria Masters. I'm willing to bet that most Masters programs don't give workouts designed for the marathoner. When I've come across this, I'd use the USMS workout as a long warm-up, and then pile on the yardage by myself when the group got out.
I know a bunch of swimmers who have subscribed to "on-line" coaching services. There's no way you can get a better workout from an online coach using your downloaded, and laminated pdf of your sets than you can from someone standing on deck watching the here and now. In addition, a set of eyes watching your stroke can help you fix any deficiencies you might have.
Winter is fast approaching and OW training is probably getting close to zero, so we're having to move indoors. Swimming alone during rec hours totally sucks.
Another benefit of being a USMS member is that you might have access to the pool at hours when it would be closed to the general public. This is a huge perk. Alexandria Masters uses many local pools for several hours before the rest do the center opens. When our group gets out of the water on Saturday mornings, it is a mad dash to the open lanes.
USMS resources are used by many races to promote and sanction their event(s), which means that the director has met (at least) a minimum standard in safety and rules.
When in peak training, I was swimming approximately 70-75000 meters a week. All but about 20K of that was done in the pool where I had a coach.
Dave,
I respectfully disagree with your earlier post. For the reasons I posted above, it is of great benefit to be a USMS member even if you don't do USMS events.
There's no way I would have been as successful in the sport if I went at it alone.
USMS membership covers that. In the summer, I swim with several different groups that don't require said membership. I prefer training with a group to training solo, but USMS doesn't have an exclusive claim to group training in the US.
They do occasionally have some great articles in Swimmer Mag
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
This is probably of little consolation but one thing I've found to be helpful when taking (forced) time off from the pool is body weight exercises - especially pull ups (for back/lats)
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
To my eye, the bottles serve the function of letting birds, animals, people know there is something there, and where that something is, by marking it and introducing perspective. Like putting decals on windows so birds don't fly into them. They also demarcate a corner for practicing skating spins.
Regarding the USMS membership, I have found the online workouts useful. Some seem downright inspired.
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USMS has implemented some major changes to its open water swimming rules at this year's convention. The changes involve water temperatures, water quality guidelines, drafting, swimwear, and independent safety monitors.
1. According to new rule 302.2.2A, an open water swim shall not begin if the water temperature is less than 60°F (15.6°C) unless heat-retaining swimwear is required of all swimmers. A swim in which heat-retaining swimwear is required of all swimmers shall not begin if the water temperature is less than 57°F (13.9°C). For swims of three miles or more, the swim shall not begin if the water temperature exceeds 29.45°C (85°F).
USMS Comments: "The rationale for these changes are due to athlete safety. This proposal aims to reduce significantly the risks from thermal issues from swimming in water that is dangerously cold or hot for most United States Masters Swimming members, but allows some flexibility for those who choose to swim in wetsuits. The United States Masters Swimming open water swimmer population, taken as a whole, are typically not elite athletes, in general do not acclimatize, spend more time (in some cases, much more time) in the water, have more health-related problems, and are much more likely to be using medications which can alter their adaptability."
That doesn't seem right as a way of buffering the expansion of water as it becomes ice. Ice expands about 9% as compared to water. There is no way the soda bottles displace anywhere near 9% of the surface area. Odd.
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
When the water temperature nears 60, most (USMS) swimmers opt for wetsuits anyway. Those who choose not to wear wetsuits usually don't need them.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
Exactly why I'm skipping USMS and sticking to being a member of MSF. We need to take care of our own.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
The rule approved by USMS states (the bold is mine and not in the rules):
(1) A swim shall not begin if the water temperature is less than 60° F. (15.6° C.), unless heat-retaining swimwear is required of all swimmers or a USMS-approved thermal plan is in place.
(2) A swim in which heat retaining swimwear is required of all swimmers shall not begin if the water temperature is less than 57° F. (13.9° C.) unless a USMS-approved thermal plan is in place.
I agree! Most pool and warm water open water swimmers aren’t prepared for swimming in the 5-‘s and 60’s; the first year I swam Tampa Bay one swimmer was pulled because he was too cold and that temp was in the low 70’s.
The purpose is not to to dissuade race directors from holding races, just to make sure they are prepared. And pretty much every cool/cold water race director does have a plan for dealing with thermal issues. We just don’t always have it in writing.
And for full disclosure, I am on the U.S. Masters Swimming Long Distance and Open Water committees, as well as the Board…so, my answer to the question “Should I get a a USMS membership?” I’d respectfully answer “Yes, please.”
I will now go and change my blog post entry...after I research and read what this "thermal plan" thing is.
Thanks @Rob_Copeland
@swimmer25k, Chris, no need for me to wait outside waiting for rec swim as I'm 8000 miles away. I'll save my $30-50 for the next few years, thank you very much.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
What are the criteria for USMS approving a "thermal plan," and who decides whether a plan is approved?
And forgive me for being a cynic, but if this plan puts more work on busy race directors, will they bother? And does it give them flexibility to mandate wetsuits for under 60* even if the thermal plan is in place?
And depending upon how you read it, it looks like even with a thermal plan and water under 57*, wetsuits are still mandatory.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Evan, if you haven’t been contacted, I’d like to hear from you (and any other race directors on the forum) on your cold water planning and preparation for events you run. And I know USMS hasn’t reached beyond US borders, but I’d love to hear from event directors anywhere there are cold water swims. And this forum is a great place for this feedback. I should probable be soliciting this information on a different thread.
As for who decides, Bill Roach the USMS Open Water Coordinator will be evaluating the plans.
Hopefully it isn’t just busy work. I’d be surprised if any race directors of sub-16C events don’t already have plans for dealing with cold swimmers, it should just another part of the safety plan. I see the real benefit to new event directors who will be able to draw on the experiences and plans for established events.
I agree, the rules could be written better, but as I understand them, wetsuits are not mandatory under 57F.
Here in San Francisco, I belong to the South End Rowing Club. Next door to our building on Aquatic Park is the Dolphin Club. Most SERC members swim without wetsuits, and the DC doesn't even allow them on their club swims.
My off-the-cuff guess is that between the two clubs, we put on more organized "cold water" (sub-16C) swims each year than the rest of the United States, combined.
Just curious, Rob... has USMS reached out to anyone affiliated with SERC or the Dolphin Club in formulating these new policies?
I think both SERC and DC have been USMS member clubs in the past (mostly for insurance?). I don't know how these new USMS policies will affect our operations, but I'd guess they will probably be seen mostly as a nuisance.
You are welcome to do so.
So rules were changed and/or adopted, mentioning a "USMS-approved thermal plan," before this thermal plan has even been defined? Hmmm...
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
To be clear, the "open water website" he refers to is the DNOWS, not this one. In fairness to the DNOWS, I think USMS could avoid these sorts of misunderstandings with more proactive communication.
I will however still get a USMS card as it is required for my pool training..
The whole rule roll out has been VERY poorly communicated and frankly , poorly written IMHO.
If it has caused this much discussion, consternation and confusion.... something wasn't "vetted" before it got sent out.
I repeat what I alluded to above. A rule change shouldn't be adopted until all the parts of it are figured out, to include a requirement for an undefined thermal plan.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams