DOWNLOADS and LINKS:

• Enter online here
• Events Schedule and Timeline 
• Parking Information
• Frequently asked questions
• Relay Entry Form (Adobe PDF)
• Split Notification Form (Adobe PDF) 
• Find local hotels on Expedia.com

SANCTION: Sanctioned by the New England LMSC for USMS Inc.: 024-S001 

ENTRIES:

• Online Entries Only: Click here to enter online. Please submit a single entry for both weekends.
• No Paper Entries:  Paper entries will not be accepted. Please enter online.
• Events and Schedule: Click here.  
• Entries Open: January 1, 2024.
• Regular Entry Deadline: Friday, February 23, 2024. Entries for any or all sessions may close early due to timeline capacity. (This is expected at around 500 swimmers total, and around 230 entries on Distance Day.)
• Late Entries: If the meet is not full, we may accept late entries ($20 surcharge).
• Entry Limits: Distance Day: 1 event; Friday, March 15: 5 individual events plus 2 relays; Saturday, March 16: 4 individual events plus 2 relays. Total limit: 10 individual events plus 4 relays.
• Entry Fees: The regular entry fee is $40 + $9 per individual event. Late entries, if allowed, will incur a $20 surcharge. Entry fees are non-refundable. Your credit card will be charged by "WWW.NELMSC.ORG".
• Change Events: You may not change events after submitting your entry.
• Add Events: If the meet is not full, you may add events for a fee of $10 + $9/event by emailing nelmscscy@meetresults.com.

FACILITIES: The Distance Day session on March 9 will take place at Boston Sports Institute (BSI) Wellesley. Other sessions will take place at Harvard University’s Blodgett Pool.

• BSI-Wellesley: (900 Worcester Street, Wellesley MA 02482) The Boston Sports Institute (BSI) Wellesley pool opened in September 2019. The competition pool is a reconfiguration of the Myrtha Pool from the 2012 Olympic Trials. It features 10 competition lanes with Myrtha starting blocks, Colorado Time Systems electronic timing with touchpads and an alphanumeric scoreboard. The competition course has a fixed wall at the start end and a bulkhead at the turn end. There are three 25-yard lanes beyond the bulkhead for continuous warmup and warmdown. The competition course depth ranges from 12.5 feet to 7 feet. There is spectator seating for 300 and ample free parking.
• Harvard University Blodgett Pool: (65 North Harvard Street, Boston MA 02163) Blodgett Pool opened in February 1978, and is the site of numerous women’s and men’s Eastern and Ivy League Championship meets, as well as the 1981 USA Swimming National Championships and the 1980 NCAA Swimming and Diving National Championships. The facility features an 8-lane competition course with a depth of 7 feet, and a six-lane course for warmup/warmdown. During this event, there will be an additional five 28-yard warmup lanes in the diving well area. Daktronics electronic timing with touchpads, alphanumeric scoreboard, and Omega starting blocks. Deck space for 500 and spectator seating for 1200

POOL LENGTH CERTIFICATION: The length of the Boston Sports Institute competition course is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1, but as a bulkhead course is subject to length confirmation. The eligibility of times achieved at Boston Sports Institute for USMS Top 10 and records will be contingent on verification of bulkhead placement. The length of the Blodgett Pool competition course without a bulkhead is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1. Times achieved at Blodgett Pool will be eligible for USMS record and Top 10 consideration.

DIRECTIONS and PARKING: Please see the web site for directions and parking information.

ELIGIBILITY:  Swimmers aged 18 or older who are current (2024) members of U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) or another World Aquatics-recognized governing body. Age is determined as of March 16, 2024, except 18-year-olds must be of age on March 9, 2024. [Join USMS or check your USMS registration, click here.]

RULES: 2024 USMS Rules & Regulations apply. We will use dive-over starting. If you want more time to exit the pool, please notify the meet referee in advance.

TEAM AFFILIATION: Your meet entry must match your registered USMS club affiliation, and if applicable, New England Masters Swim Club workout group. You cannot change your team/club/workout group affiliation after completing your first individual or relay event. Swimmers registered with NEM Swim Club without a workout group will not accumulate team score points. Unattached swimmers from any LMSC will not accumulate team score points. If you have questions about your USMS registration or competition eligibility, please contact Douglas Sayles, NE-LMSC Membership Coordinator, at NEmembership@usms.org.  

SWIMMERS WITH DISABILITIES: Before competing, please notify the meet director or meet referee of any disability and requested accommodation. Boston Sports Institute has wheelchair access to all public spaces, including the pool, locker rooms, and spectator area. Blodgett Pool has wheelchair access to the pool, pool deck, and locker rooms. The spectator area of Blodgett Pool is not wheelchair accessible.

HEAT SEEDING: All events are timed finals. Individual events will be seeded by sex, slowest-to-fastest, except for the 1000 freestyle and 1650 freestyle, which will be seeded fastest-to-slowest. Relays may be seeded as combined heats of women, men, and mixed relays. The Meet Director or Meet Referee shall have the right to change seed times that are obviously incorrect based on previous performances. Entries without seed times or 'NT' will not be accepted.

SEED TIME PRIZE: The first 10 swimmers who finish with the exact time submitted on their entry will receive a $10 gift card. (Limit: 1 per swimmer)

ALL EVENTS REQUIRE ON-SITE POSITIVE CHECK-IN: All events will be deck seeded from entry times. Each event will close for check-in and will be seeded approximately one hour before it starts. An events timeline with a listing of when each event will close for check-in and seeding will be posted to the official meet web site. When you arrive at the pool, be sure to visit the check-in table immediately to check-in for your events. The first event each day will close for check-in 45 minutes before the session starts. (The women’s 1000 free closes at 11:15am, the women’s 500 free closes at 9:45am, and the women's 400 IM closes at 1:15pm.)

WARM-UP/WARM-DOWN: The entire pool will be available for warm-up for one hour before the start of each session. The non-competition warmup lanes will be available during all sessions, and all lanes will be available for warm-down 15 minutes after the last heat of each session. Swimmers must enter warm-up lanes feet first except in designated one-way sprint lanes.

RELAYS:  There is no relay entry fee, but relay swimmers must be entered in at least one individual event. Relays will be deck-entered at the meet and must be submitted by the deadline announced at the meet—approximately one hour before the event. Swimmers will be allowed one relay for each relay event; swimmers may not be on a single-sex and mixed-sex relay of the same event. Due to USMS rules, all four swimmers on a relay must be registered with the same USMS club. Swimmers from different NEM Swim Club workout groups may create ‘NEM-Unattached’ relays, which will not score points. The 800 free relay will be unscored, and will be limited to one combined heat of women's, men's, and mixed relays.  

SPLIT REQUESTS: All relay leadoff splits (first 50 of 200 relay; first 100 of 400 relay; or first 200 of 800 relay) will be recorded as automatic official splits. Official split requests for other distances or events must be submitted using the USMS Split Notification Form (download link above, or available at the check-in table). For backstroke events you must notify the Meet Referee of your intent to record an initial split time before swimming that event (after the heat sheet is posted). For other events you must submit the Split Notification Form to the Check-In Table before the end of the meet, and the Clerk of Course will notify the Meet Referee of each split request in compliance with USMS rule 103.18.1(B)(1).

SCORING: The first sixteen places in each individual age group and sex will score in the following sequence: 17, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The top sixteen relays in each age group and sex will score double points. The 800 free relay is unscored.

AWARDS:

• Top-two scoring teams in the Large (26+ swimmers), Medium (12-25), Small (5-11), and Squad (1-4) divisions. Team size is based on the number of swimmers entered in the meet.
• High-Point female and male scorer in each age group.
• Ribbons or other awards for top-8 finishers in each event in each age group.
• Rubber ducks for heat winners.
• Certificates with event results stickers for each individual and relay event
• Full team and individual results, points, and record-breaking swims will be posted on the meet web site.

FOOD and DRINK: Food and drink are allowed on the pool deck, but glass containers are prohibited. The meet hosts will be selling limited snacks and beverages on-site. Cash and Venmo accepted.

MERCHANDISE: Long-sleeved meet shirts will be sold online via the meet registration system for pickup at the meet, and a limited supply may also be available for sale at the meet. Cash, check, and Venmo accepted.     

HOTELS: Find local hotels on Expedia.com.

MEET WEB SITE: The official meet web site is: http://www.meetresults.com/nelmscscy/ The web site will provide current meet information, psych sheets, timelines and a list of entry problems with deadlines for resolution. During the meet, the web site will feature instant results and an updated events timeline. Please check the web site frequently to be sure there are no problems with your entry.

MEET COMMITTEE:  Sue Jensen (Chair), Kysa Crusco, Jason Eaddy, Jen Downing, Rick Osterberg (Meet Director), Douglas Sayles (Meet Director), Jason Weis.

MORE INFORMATION:  Contact Rick Osterberg at nelmscscy@meetresults.com. Please visit the meet web site for additional information and frequently asked questions about the meet. http://www.meetresults.com/nelmscscy/