New England 13 & Over Age Group Championships July 27-30, 2000 Blodgett Pool, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Meet Information

Sanctioned by New England Swimming, # NE-2000-46
PRESENTED BY: Mass Bay Marlins in cooperation with New England Swimming
MEET DIRECTORS: Tony and Carol Healey, 47 May Street, Needham, MA 02492 (781) 444-2014
MEET REFEREE: To be announced
INFORMATION: Tony or Carol Healey, (781) 444-2014, healeymay@mediaone.net

TIMES: No one will be allowed in the building until 15 minutes before the start of warm-ups, except officials and those affiliated with the Mass Bay Marlins.

FACILITY: Blodgett Pool is an 8 lane, 50 meter facility with non-turbulent lane lines, a Colorado Timing System and Scoreboard. There is a diving well area that will be available for some warm-up and warm-down activities. The facility has ample seating.

DIRECTIONS: From the Mass Pike, get off at the Cambridge/Allston exit. Take the Cambridge ramp. Just before crossing the bridge into Cambridge, turn left onto the Storrow Drive entrance ramp. Go straight through the next intersection and take the next exit, marked Harvard Square, Cambridge. At the light at the top of the ramp, turn left onto North Harvard Street. The pool is the first building on the right (red brick). Blodgett Pool is bounded on the south by Harvard Stadium, on the east by North Harvard Street, and on the north by Storrow Drive. Swimmers should be dropped off at the pool gate on North Harvard Street.

PARKING: After dropping swimmers off at the gate on North Harvard Street, proceed down to the parking lot entrance, across the street, to the Harvard Business School parking lot. This will be in effect for all four days of the meet. Only cars with parking passes will be allowed to park around the stadium. All others will be towed. Street parking is limited, but allowed at available spaces.

ELIGIBILITY: All swimmers must be 2000 USS-registered swimmers with New England Swimming. Please include US Swimming numbers with entry. If there are any questions, please call Mary Riddell at the New England Swimming office at (781) 449-0270.

ENTRY FEES: $3.00 per individual event, $4.00 per individual distance event (400's, 800 and 1500), and $7.00 per relay event. In addition there is a $1.00 per swimmer New England Travel Fund Surcharge for every swimmer on the entry, including relay only swimmers. NOTE: All relay swimmers must be listed on the entry. Please include a separate check payable to New England Swimming for the surcharge.

ENTRY INFORMATION: Entry forms must be completed and received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, July 18, 2000. Mail completed forms to: Carol Healey, 47 May Street, Needham, MA 02492.

Entries must be sent US Postal Service certified mail or hand delivered. Please check the "no signature required" box on all overnight deliveries. All forms must be typed or legibly printed and must include all swimmers' USS numbers and ages. There will be no refunds for entries accepted or rejected for improper entry. The meet will be pre-seeded and will not use a bullpen or require seed cards. Checks should be made payable to: Mass Bay Marlins for entry fees and to New Enlgland Swimming for the Travel Fund surcharge.

Users of Hy-Tek's Team Manager program may submit as their meet entry, a 3 1/2" HD diskette, including a print-out to Carol at the above address. The times submitted on the paper print-out will be used as the official meet entry time in the case of any discrepancies between the times from the computer disks and the paper print out. Diskette entries will be accepted until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, July 19, 1999. All meet fees must be received with the diskette in order for the swimmers to be entered into the data base.

Entries for swimmers who qualify in a new event at the North Shore Swim Meet held on July 21-23rd must be received by 5 PM on Tuesday, July 25th with entry fees. You may call in a swimmer's times (Carol: 781-444-2014) but they will not be finalized without the written entry received by the above date. Due to late arrival, these swimmers may not be listed in the program. Only qualifying times in new events from the North Shore meet will be accepted on this date. Note: Bay State Games times are acceptable.

ENTRY TIMES: All swimmers must have achieved the minimum qualifying time standards from July 16th, 1999. Short course meter times must be converted to short course yard times by using the 0.9049 multiplier and entered on entry form as conforming yard times. Yard times will be seeded, fastest to slowest, after the meter times. All yard times must be circled in red pen on the entry form.

FORMAT: This is a timed final championship in all events and for all ages. The 800 Free and 1500 Free events will be swum fastest to slowest, combining both age groups. All relays will be swum at the end of each session. At the discretion of the Meet Referee, there may be a 10 minute break between the end of the individual event session and the beginning of the relays. Time Trials, if time allows, will be swum at the conclusion of the relays and at the discretion of the Meet Referee.

NUMBER OF EVENTS: A swimmer may enter any number of individual events he or she qualifies for, and must scratch down to a maximum of nine (9) individual events. A swimmer can swim no more than five (5) individual events per day, including Time Trials.

RELAYS: Relays will be swum as timed finals at the end of each Age Group session. Each team is limited to (2) entries per age group, per sex, per team for the 800 Free Relay, but may enter an unlimited number of relays for the 400m Freestyle and Medley Relays.

TIME TRIALS: Time Trials are open to all swimmers 13 years and older. Time trial swimmers do not have to be entered in the meet and the number of time trials offered is under the discretion of the meet referee. All time trial swimmers must provide at least (2) timers for their swims.

DISTANCE EVENTS: (800m & 1500m) In timed finals, the 800m & 1500m Freestyles will be swum fastest to slowest, alternating heats of women and men. Please note: both age groups will be combined for these events and seeded accordingly. All distance swimmers must provide at least two (2) timers with watches and one (1) counter for their swims. Please note the positive check-in times in the Positive Check-In section.

AWARDS: High Point Plaques: Top eight (8) individual male and female Team Plaques: Top eight (8) teams, combined scores from 12 & Unders Individual Events: Medals 1st - 8th place Relays: Medals 1st - 3rd place

AWARD CEREMONIES: There will be no individual award presentations unless time allows. This will be decided by the Meet Referee and the Meet Director. Medals will be distributed during the meet. Individual High Point Plaques will be presented at the conclusion of Sunday's sessions.

SCORING: Top 24:
Individual: 32 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 20 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 9 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Relays: 64 58 56 54 52 50 48 46 40 36 34 32 30 28 26 24 18 14 12 10 8 6 4 2

ADMISSIONS: $1.00 per session. No one will be permitted on the pool deck except swimmers, coaches, and officials. All coaches and officials must display their current USS membership cards while on deck.

PROGRAMS: $2.00 per session or $5.00 for whole meet per age group.

REFRESHMENTS: A concession stand will be located in the lobby of the second floor spectator area. Please, no food or drinks in the pool area.

LOCKERS: Both the men's and women's locker rooms will be made available during the meet. Lockers are not available for use by swimmers, coaches or officials. All competitors and coaches should keep their possessions on deck in their team area.

ENTRANCE: With the exception of MBM officials and MBM swimmers meeting early at Blodgett Pool, all swimmers, spectators, coaches, trainers and officials must enter from the Spectator Entrance on the second floor of the building. The lower level doors will not be available for use during the meet.

POSITIVE CHECK-IN: All 800m and 1500m Freestyle swimmers must confirm their intention to participate with a positive check-in to swim for those events by 2:00 PM on Thursday for the 1500m, and by 2:30 PM on Sunday for the 800m. Failure to check-in will result in the swimmer being eliminated from the event. Any swimmer who affirms his/her intent to swim and does not compete, unless excused by the Meet Referee, will be barred from further competition at the meet, including relays and time trials.

SCRATCH POLICIES: The scratch box will be located in the Control Office. Scratch deadlines are:
Wednesday, July 26th :by phone, from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM @ (617) 495-5213 ext.2 for Thursday events.
For Friday, Saturday and Sunday events, all scratches must be turned in by 6PM the night before the event.

SPECIAL SCRATCH NOTES:

1. Coaches are expected to understand the scratch, verification, and relay rules before the meet begins.
2. Any swimmer who fails to compete in an individual event heat in which he/she is entered and has not been scratched will be barred from further competition for that day, including time trials and relays. The swimmer will also be automatically scratched from the following day's events unless the Clerk of Course has been notified of the swimmer's intention to compete by 6:00 PM.
3. Any relay team that does not scratch (per above), or is not excused by the Meet Referee, must swim that event. If the relay team does not appear behind the blocks ready to compete, each member of the relay team will be barred from competing in the next relay event and the next individual event in which they are entered.

TIMERS AND OTHER WORKERS: All teams entering the meet will be required to provide timers for all sessions. The contact person listed on your entry form will be given timing assignments prior to the starting meet date. Teams who are unable to provide the assigned number of timers are required to arrange substitutes. Remember that each distance swimmer is required to provide his/her own counter and two (2) timers.

VERIFICATION: For verification rules, see the white sheet included in this packet.

DISABLED SWIMMERS: Disabled swimmer forms are available from the New England Swimming Office.

WARM-UPS: US Swimming warm-up policies will be in effect for the meet. Unattached swimmers must report to the Meet Referee before each session to be assigned to a USS-registered coach during warm-ups. Diving will be prohibited during warm-ups at all times during the meet. One-way sprint lanes will be announced during warm-ups for starting practice only. This policy will be strictly enforced at all times! Coaches must instruct their swimmers to obey these rules. Failure to comply with a designated Safety Marshal's request or an Official's order could result in disciplinary action.

OTHER MEET NOTES: All coaches should check-in with the control office upon arrival at the pool. Coaches' packets will be available at the beginning of warm-ups at each session from the office. These will include the heat sheets for that session and any notes that may be needed. There will be a coaches meeting on Friday, July 28th at 12:45 PM and 5:45 PM.

Coaches are responsible for the behavior of their swimmers at all times. Any damage to the premises or equipment is the responsibility of those doing the damage. Swimmers and spectators are restricted to the pool, spectator stands and the concession area. No glass bottles are allowed in the pool areas or locker rooms. No smoking is permitted inside the building. Harvard University and the Mass Bay Marlins will not assume responsibility for lost or stolen articles.

Please do NOT ask to change entry times or events after the entry deadline. No late deck entries will be accepted.

The meet will be run according to the 2000 US Swimming Rules and Regulations. The decisions of the Meet Referee as to procedures and conduct will be final.

There will be no shaving allowed anywhere in the swimming venue, including the locker room, bathrooms and shower areas. Violators may risk being eliminated from the meet.

LODGING:

Sheraton Hotel 320 Washington Street Newton, MA 02458 (617) 969-3010

Newton Days Inn Soldier's Field Road Boston, MA (617) 254-1234

Doubletree Guest Suites Soldier's Field Road Cambridge, MA (617) 783-0090

University Park Hotel 20 Sidney Street Central Square,Cambridge (617) 577-0200