Senior Circuit Meet

2008 New England Senior Circuit Meet

December 18 – 21, 2008

Fitness and Recreation Center, Boston University, Boston, MA

Hosted by Greenwood Memorial Swim Club

Proudly hosted by the

Greenwood Memorial Swim Club, Inc. and

New England Swimming

In association with Boston University

Sanctioned by New England Swimming

Sanction #NE-08-117(TT)

Meet Information

Note: Bonus Event policy updated on November 2, 2008. Please see below.

Events List

Online Entry System (link to USA Swimming)

Time Trial Pre-Registration Form (Adobe PDF)

Email Entry Form (MS Word) (new events after December 9 only)

Results (corrected 1/16/09)

Results (Adobe PDF) (corrected 1/16/09)

Hy-Tek CL2 Results File for Team Manager (no time trials) (corrected 1/16/09)
Hy-Tek CL2 Results File for Team Manager (time trials only)

CONTACTS

Meet Director: Phil Harty (978) 632-8070 (Phil.Harty@sedexhoUSA.com)

Meet Referee: Walt Meissner (978) 203-6982 (wcm@bu.edu)

Administrative Referee: TBD

Entry Chairperson: Rosemarie Meissner (978) 827-4580 (remecon@comcast.net)

For the most up-to-date information about warm-up schedules, timing needs, and/or “day-of-the-meet” weather or emergency notices, access the GMSC web page at: http://www.greenwoodswim.com/

MEET FORMAT: In an effort to enhance competitive opportunities for senior swimmers, New England Swimming has initiated a “Senior Circuit” with the first of a series of circuit meets to be this meet hosted by Greenwood Memorial Swim Club at Boston University. The meet will be swum in Short Course Yards with circle-seeded preliminary heats in the morning session with C‑Final, B‑Final, and A‑Final (in that order) in the evening or final sessions, unless otherwise noted. All relay events, as well as the 1000 freestyle and 1650 freestyle will be swum as timed final events. Ten lane heats will be swum in timed-finals and prelim sessions. For the trials/finals events, the top 30 swimmers will advance to swim in three 10-lane final heats. The standard USA Swimming approved procedures for scratching finals events will be applied (e.g., once trial results are announced, swimmers will have 30 minutes to declare their intention to scratch).

Positive check-in will be required for the 1000 freestyle and 1650 freestyle with swimmers reporting to the Clerk of Course no later than 45 minutes before the start of the session in which these events will be swum. For all other events, the preliminary sessions will be seeded after the scratch deadline – 6:00pm the evening before the day that the event(s) are to be held. Each day, coaches and swimmers must check-in before they will be allowed onto the deck. Heat and lane assignments will be posted and handed out to officials and coaches prior to the start of competition. Swimmers are to report directly to their assigned lanes before their event and heat is called. Additional format considerations are as follows:

Relays are to be swum as timed-final events in the evening sessions with a limit of two relays per team. All relay teams must positively check-in by the announced scratch deadline the day of the event. Relays that do not check-in by the scratch deadline will be scratched.
The 1000 freestyle will be swum fastest-to-slowest, alternating heats of women and men. These events are timed finals. Swimmers must provide two timers and one counter for their swim. The meet director reserves the right to seed these events with two swimmers per lane if the event is over-subscribed. Swimmers must positively check-in at the Clerk of Course by 5:15pm on Thursday.
The fastest heat of the women’s 1650 freestyle and men’s 1650 freestyle will swim with the evening finals. All other heats will be swum fastest-to-slowest, alternating heats of women and men, at the end of the morning preliminaries session on Sunday. These events are timed finals. Swimmers in all but the fastest heat must provide two timers and one counter for their swim. The meet director reserves the right to seed these events with two swimmers per lane if the event is over-subscribed. Swimmers must positively check-in at the Clerk of Course by noon on Sunday.
A/B flight format: Dependent on the number of entries, and at the discretion of the Meet Referee, the 400 IM and/or 500 freestyle preliminaries may be conducted in an "A/B flight" format.

FACILITY: Boston University’s Fitness and Recreation Center includes a 10-lane by 16-lane competition pool with the ability to change from meters to yards using a movable bulkhead. The depth slopes from 7 feet to 13.5 feet. The course will be set in short course (25) yards, thus allowing 10 lanes with non-turbulent lane lines for competition and an additional five to six lanes for continuous warm up in the diving end of the pool. The facility is equipped with a Daktronics Timing System, touch pads, and a ten lane electronic scoreboard. Spectator seating is available for approximately 400 spectators. Directions to the Aquatics Center and parking instructions may be found later in this notice.

TIME STANDARDS: Time Standards for all events are established by New England Swimming and are equal to New England Senior qualifying times. Bonus events will be offered (see the Bonus Events section below).

SESSIONS: Swimmer access to the Center will not be permitted prior to 8:30 AM each morning, and swimmers arriving early for the afternoon and evening sessions will not be allowed access to the deck until 15 minutes before warm ups begin.

	Warm-up	Start
Evening Sessions (Thursday & Finals)	5:00 PM	6:00 PM
Morning Sessions (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)	9:00 AM	10:00 AM

ELIGIBILITY: All contestants must be 2008/2009 USA Swimming registered athletes and must be registered before the entry is submitted. Any swimmer registered with United States Swimming and with qualifying times is eligible to swim in this meet. In accordance with NE Swimming rules, teams that enter unregistered swimmers will be subject to a fine of $100 per unregistered swimmer. Please contact the New England Swimming Office for registration information. Disabled swimmer forms are available from the New England Swimming Office. New England Swimming Office: 20 Cleveland Road, Needham MA 02492, 781-449-0270, office@neswim.com. All coaches on deck must be registered with USA Swimming and must provide a valid registration card.

ENTRY INFORMATION:

Entering On-Line

US Teams/Athletes must enter this meet on-line at www.usaswimming.org/ome

On-line entries will be accepted from Monday, October 20 until Tuesday, December 9 at 11:59 PM EST. You will be required to pay for on-line entries with a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover. OME is not an eligibility report; It is the coaches responsibility to know the events your athlete is qualified for. You can modify your entry on-line by adding to the original entry. You may not delete an on-line entry.

Once you complete your on-line entry, you will be sent confirmations via e-mail. Please keep all of these and bring them with you to the meet.

E-Mail Entries

Athletes achieving the qualifying time standards for the first time from Tuesday, December 9 through Monday, December 15 may be sent via email. These entries must be received no later than 11:59 PM EST and cannot improve their seed time of the prior entry. Please use the official “E-Mail Entry Form” (see above). Email electronic entries in CL2 or SD3/SDIF format (such as from Hy-Tek Team Manager or other team management software) to the entry chairperson at remecon@comcast.net. Full payment and a printed copy of the entry, including the swimmer facilities fee, must be received by December 17, 2008. If payment is not received by December 17, 2008, then the swimmers will be scratched from the meet. Make checks payable to Greenwood Memorial Swim Club, Inc. and overnight mail hard copy of the entry (including signed entry cover page and waiver) and payment to the entry chairperson, Rosemarie Meissner, P.O. Box 886, 100 Main Street, Ashburnham, MA 01430.

All entries must be complete and accurate and must use full names and registration numbers from USA Swimming registration. All entries must include a completed and signed entry cover sheet and waiver. No refunds for entries that are accepted or entries that are rejected due to improper entry (i.e., meet fees will not be returned or credited to new entries for scratches or errors or unverifiable times). Deck entries will only be accepted based on clerical errors by the entering team or the meet host. Please include the email address of your team’s contact(s) so all future meet correspondences can be sent to this email address.

Qualifying Period

The qualifying period for this event is July 1, 2007 through Monday, December 15, 2008.

SWIMS Database-Proof of Time

Times from the USA Swimming Sanctioned, Approved, and Observed competitions will in in SWIMS, the national times database. Times in the database are not automatic entries to the meet. Times must meet qualifying time standards. All individual entry times must be made prior to the entry deadline and must be proven prior to the scratch deadline for that event through the SWIMS database.

ENTRY LIMITS: As per USA Swimming rules, swimmers may enter and swim a maximum of 3 events per day including time trials. A club may enter no more than two relay teams in each relay event.

ENTRY FEES: Electronic entries: $7.50 for individual events and $25.00 for relays. Non-electronic entries: $8.00 for individual events and $25.50 for relays. The Swimmer Participation Fee is $10.00 per swimmer. Time trials if permitted by the meet referee and meet director will be charged at $8.00 per event.

ENTRY TIMES: The meet will be run in short course yards. Short course yard entry times will be seeded first. Non-conforming times (SCM and LCM) will be accepted but will be seeded after short course yards times (SCY,SCM,LCM). No converted times.

BONUS EVENTS: (Please note updated bonus event policy)

1 qualifying time standard = 4 bonus events
2 qualifying time standards = 3 bonus events
3 qualifying time standards = 3 bonus events
4 or more qualifying time standards = 2 bonus events

Bonus event time standards are New England Open 15 and Over qualifying times. If the meet is oversubscribed or if an individual session timeline requires, the meet host reserves the right to cut bonus events by time.

METHOD OF CLOSING THE MEET: Greenwood Memorial Swim Club will limit the number of swims in the meet to adhere to session time lines. Entries will then be accepted up until the meet is determined to be full. If on the final day of acceptance before the meet is deemed to be full, multiple teams should enter, every effort will be made to work with those teams to reduce entries and accept and accommodate qualifying swimmers. If necessary, there will be a lottery of those teams in accordance with the usual practices of New England Swimming. Teams that are cut from the meet will have their entry fee returned.

PROGRAMS: $4.00 for Preliminary Heats and $2.00 for Thursday’s Timed-finals events and the Finals Sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

ADMISSION: $1.00 per session for non-swimmers 18 years of age and over. Those who volunteer to time or officiate will not be charged admission.

WARMUPS: The pool will open for warm-ups at 5:00 PM for evening sessions and 9:00 AM for morning sessions. Teams will not be assigned warm up lanes as approximately sixteen lanes will be available from 9:00 AM to 9:50 AM each morning. The competition pool will be cleared 10 minutes before the start of competition; however, lanes in the diving end of the pool will be available for continuous warm up throughout the competition.

SAFETY:

Only swimmers, coaches, authorized meet and Boston University personnel will be allowed on deck. Proper credentials are required.
Diving will be prohibited during warm-ups except in specifically announced one-way sprint lanes. There will be no diving in the warmup and warmdown areas at any time
All swimmers must enter the competition pool at the starting end.
No shaving is permitted at the competition site.
Swimmers must wear approved swim wear and, due to facilities regulations, will not be allowed to wear jewelry or other accessories unless under their swim cap such as necklaces, toe and finger rings.
No glass containers are permitted within the facility, especially on the pool and in the restroom areas.
Swimmers must be under the supervision of a coach. If a swimmer arrives at the meet without a coach, the swimmer should notify the referee before he/she warms up. The referee will assign the swimmer to a registered coach for warm-ups.
No camera cell phones are permitted in the locker rooms.
No flash photography at the start of any race.
Absolutely no swimming under the bulkhead at any time.
Absolutely no meet participant is allowed on the diving boards at the diving end of the pool or in the Recreation Pool and Spa at any time. Use of the diving boards is strictly prohibited.
Absolutely no meet participant, swimmer, coach, or observer is allowed in other parts of the fitness facility unless accompanied and/or approved by authorized University personnel.

Failure to abide by these rules and any other rules that may be announced or posted by meet officials during the meet may result in ejection from the facility. Meet officials will watch for swimmers or meet spectators who violate facility regulations. Horseplay will not be tolerated. Parents must supervise younger children in attendance at the meet. Meet officials have the authority to dismiss swimmers and spectators from the grounds. Coaches are responsible for communicating this to both swimmers and parents. No pets of any kind are permitted within the complex. Boston University, Greenwood Memorial Swim Club, and New England Swimming are not responsible for lost or stolen items.

RULES: 2008 USA Swimming rules will govern all competition. Decisions by the meet referee will be final unless a written protest is lodged within 30 minutes of the heat swum.

TIME TRIALS: Time trials may be offered at the discretion of the meet referee if the timeline allows. To facilitate this determination, teams are asked to use the Time Trial Pre-Registration Form available above. Such deck and time trial entries will be charged $8.00 for individual event.

DECK ACCESS: Only athletes, coaches, officials, and official meet staff are permitted on the pool deck. All non-athletes on the pool deck must display their USA Swimming registration card at all times. Individuals without their USA Swimming registration card will be removed from the pool deck, and will be subject to a fine by New England Swimming.

SCORING: This meet will be scored for team and individual high point awards. Scoring will be on a sixteen (16) place basis. Individual events: 20, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Relay events receive double of these point values.

READY ROOM: A Ready Room will be used at this meet prior to each “A” final event. Each swimmer participating in the “A” finals must report to the Ready Room 10 minutes preceding the event. Swimmers are asked to complete and turn in a Bio Form to the Clerk of Course prior to the start of the final session (before 6:00 PM).

AWARDS: Trophies will be awarded for the top three male and female high point award winners as well as the top three team awards at the completion of the meet during an award ceremony. Medals will be given to the top three male and female winners of each event and ribbons to places four through eight. There will be no individual or relay event award ceremonies.

FOOD & EQUIPMENT VENDOR: A concession stand will be in operation for the duration of the meet, and possibly, a swimming equipment vendor will be selling suits, goggles, and other accessories at times during the meet if arrangements can be made.

PHOTOGRAPHER: As per USA Swimming and New England Swimming policy, the only photographers allowed on the pool deck at any time during the meet (including during warm ups) must be professional photographers contracted by GMSC or press photographers who have been approved in advance by the Meet Director and have been properly credentialed. Email the Meet Director with questions and requests.

PARKING: There is ample parking available in the Agganis Arena garage that is adjacent to the Fitness and Recreation center. As Boston University is an urban campus with many competing events, parking is limited. Metered on-street parking is discouraged as there are few of these spaces and they are frequently monitored and ticketed. Click here for Aquatic Center Parking Map that gives directions and illustrates how to access the Agganis Arena garage. The rate for each day is $1.00 per hour with a maximum of $8.00 for the day; however, if there are conflicting events on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evenings at the Agganis Arena, all cars must leave the garage by 5:00 PM or they will be required to pay the $25.00 event parking rate. At this time, no events are planned for that weekend, but Boston University reserves the right to modify its parking terms and will make every effort to provide sufficient notification.

If your team will be traveling by chartered bus, due to City of Boston regulations, buses are not permitted to double park or idle on City streets. Bus parking is $40 per day and, due to limited space availability, must be pre-approved. You must inform the Entry Chairperson and Meet Manager of your team’s need for bus parking prior to arrival in order for us to inform you of the oversized vehicle requirements in and around the Boston University campus.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:

From the North

1. Take I-93 or Route 1 South to Boston. Exit onto Storrow Drive.

2. Continue on Storrow Drive to the Kenmore Square Exit.

3. At the first set of lights, turn right onto Beacon Street.

4. Bear right at the far end of Kenmore Square onto Commonwealth Avenue.

5. Continue on Commonwealth Avenue to the Fitness & Recreation Center (approximately 1 mile).

From the South

1. Take I-93 Route 3 (Southeast Expressway) North to Boston. Exit onto Storrow Drive.

2. Continue on Storrow Drive to the Kenmore Square Exit.

3. At the first set of lights, turn right onto Beacon Street.

4. Bear right at the far end of Kenmore Square onto Commonwealth Avenue.

5. Continue on Commonwealth Avenue to the Fitness & Recreation Center (approximately 1 mile).

From the West

1. Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) East. Take Exit 18 on the left (Brighton/Cambridge).

2. Follow signs to Cambridge. At the second set of lights, turn right.

3. Continue on Storrow Drive to the Kenmore Square Exit.

4. At the first set of lights, turn right onto Beacon Street.

5. Bear right at the far end of Kenmore Square onto Commonwealth Avenue.

6. Continue on Commonwealth Avenue to the Fitness & Recreation Center (approximately 1 mile).

LODGING AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES: