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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION... 2 CONTACT INFORMATION... 2 HOW TO ENTER... 3 KEY DATES... 3 ENTRY FEES... 3 GUIDE TO ENTERING... 3 MEDICAL DECLARATION... 4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS... 5 COMPETITOR INFORMATION... 6 CHAMPIONSHIP CONDITIONS...7 INTRODUCTION This document contains information needed to enter the British Gas ASA National Masters and Senior Age Group Championships 2014. Please read it carefully as some information will be new to you. As we continue to improve the event some important changes have been made. All entries must be made online, including payment. Details of how to enter online are included in this entry pack. The contact for entry queries is Sharon Lock Masters Swimming Officer sharon.lock@swimming.org 01509 640 134 07813998538 For these championships the ASA Event officer is Lowri Tynan: ASA Events Department Pavilion 3 SportPark 3 Oakwood Drive Loughborough LE11 3QF lowri.tynan@swimming.org 01509 640 821 2
HOW TO ENTER Entries for the British Gas ASA National Masters and Senior Age Group Championships 2014 are now open. KEY DATES INDIVIDUAL EVENT ENTRY CLOSING DATE Wednesday 1 st October - 12 noon RELAY ENTRY CLOSING DATE Wednesday 8 th October - 12 noon ENTRY FEES Individual event Registration Fee 22.50 Individual Entry 5.00 Team Entries (no registration fee required) 12.00 Individual Relay Fee* 1.00 *IMPORTANT INFORMATION - IF YOU ARE ENTERING A RELAY UNDER A DIFFERENT CLUB TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL EVENTS OR IF YOU ARE ONLY ENTERING A RELAY AND NO INDIVIDUAL EVENTS YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR NAME AND CLUB ON THE ONLINE ENTRY SYSTEM AND PAY THE 1 FEE. All entries must be made online & payment must be made online to complete the entry process. GUIDE TO ENTERING INDIVIDUAL EVENTS 1. Click here to access the online entry page. 2. On the individual entry page enter your British Swimming registration number or family name, click fetch data and follow the given instructions. 3. If you are a member of more than one club you will be asked to select the club you wish to represent for this entry. Please note changes to clubs will NOT be allowed under any circumstances, so be sure to select the correct club on entry. GUIDE TO ENTERING RELAYS 1. If you are only swimming relays; you are required to enter your name in the individual entry page (see no 2 above) and the club for whom you wish to swim but do not enter any events. You will be charged 1. You need to complete this by 1 st Oct. 2. If you are swimming relays for a different club to your individual events; you must complete another individual entry. Enter your name in the individual entry form and the club you wish to swim for but do not enter any events. You will be charged 1. You need to complete this by 1 st Oct. 3. If you are the person responsible for entering your relay team; complete the relay entry form as normal through the online entry page. All of the swimmers that will be part of your relay team must have completed an individual entry which you can check via online entry page. A club wishing to enter more than one relay team in an age group in the same event should make a separate entry for each and give each team a different name, e.g. Dolphins A and Dolphins B. You need to complete this by 8 th Oct. 4. Payment is by debit card, credit card or PayPal; please follow the payment instructions. If you have any problems with payment please email sharon.lock@swimming.org Please note paper confirmation of entry will not be sent out. All entrants will receive two emails at the time of payment. One from PayPal confirming receipt of payment and one from the entry system confirming your entry information. You can also view entries via the online entry page. If you have missed an entry you may make additional entries. If you have entered an event you wish to withdraw from please follow the withdrawal procedure. Refunds will not be made. 3
MEDICAL DECLARATION Please read the following information carefully. 1. I am aware of the need to seek appropriate medical advice if I have any concerns as to the state of my health. I have not been informed by any medical practitioner and I do not have any knowledge of any medical condition which would make it inadvisable for me to participate in Masters Swimming events or any other associated activities. Accordingly I hereby certify that I am physically fit and well to participate in any such training and events. 2. I am aware of and appreciate the inherent risks involved in such training and competition including the possibilities of injury and accident. I undertake always to conduct myself in a responsible and professional manner. 3. I undertake at all times to use my best endeavours to train and compete in a safe and proper manner and not to do anything which would expose me or fellow swimmers to unnecessary risk of injury. 4. I further undertake at all times to take all reasonable safety measures for the protection of myself and fellow swimmers and to inform the Referee of any concerns I may have as regards safety. 5. I acknowledge that British Swimming, the ASA, or anybody affiliated thereto, cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to personal belongings and that I must take all reasonable steps against any such loss or damage. 6. I hereby agree to abide by and be governed by the rules of the ASA and all other laws and regulations applicable including the ASA Safety Laws. Submission of an entry will confirm that you have read and understood the above provisions and agree to abide by them. 4
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Friday 24 th October Saturday 25 th October Sunday 26 th October Session 1 10.30am* Session 4 09.00am* Session 7 09.00am* Mixed 1500m Freestyle Mixed 4 x 50m Medley Relay 400m Freestyle 100m Butterfly 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Mixed 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 100m Backstroke 200m Freestyle 50m Breaststroke 4 x 100m Medley Relay Session 2 14.30pm* Session 5 13.00pm* Session 8 13.00pm* Mixed 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay 100m Individual Medley 200m Butterfly 50m Backstroke Session 3 17.30pm* Mixed 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay 200m Breaststroke 100m Freestyle 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay 100m Breaststroke 50m Freestyle 200m Backstroke 4 x 50m Medley Relay Session 6 16.45pm* Mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay 50m Butterfly 400m Individual Medley 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay 200m Individual Medley Mixed 800m Freestyle *Session start times are estimates, session times will be published in the competitor information pack, after the closing date, when all entries have been received Please note, with exception of the mixed events the other events listed include both men s and women s individual and team events. 5
COMPETITOR INFORMATION THE VENUE Ponds Forge International Sports Centre Sheaf Street Sheffield S1 2BP 0114 223 3400 WARM UP & SWIM DOWN Warm up in the competition pool will be available prior to each session. Warm up and swim down facilities will be available in the Diving pit throughout the competition. AGE GROUPS The following information is offered for guidance and is in accordance with the FINA Masters Swimming Rules. The age groups for individual Masters events shall be for men and women: 25-29 years 45-49 years 65-69 years 30-34 years 50-54 years 70-74 years 35-39 years 55-59 years 75-79 years 40-44 years 60-64 years 80-85 years. and in five year bands as high as necessary. All competitors in the Masters Championships must be aged 25 years or over at midnight on 31 December in the year of competition. The age groups for Masters team events shall be: 100-119 years 200-239 years 120-159 years 240-279 years 160-199 years 280-319 years and in 40-year increments as high as necessary. The combined ages of the team members at midnight on 31 December in the year of competition must fall within the age band given above with the proviso that all team members must be 25 years of age or older on the 31 December in the year of competition. The mixed teams shall consist of two competitors of each sex swimming in any order. A relay team with a swimmer competing for more than one club in the competition cannot be awarded a World record. See the Championship Conditions for details of the Senior Age Group and the 72+ team. WITHDRAWALS The withdrawal process relies upon swimmers co-operation and courtesy to fellow competitors. There will be no secondary entry (i.e. re-registering) to any event. Swimmers who fail to arrive for their heat create empty lanes which, if they had been used by others, could reduce the length of the sessions. To ensure that the meet runs efficiently it is essential that those not intending to swim inform the recorders as soon as possible. Withdrawals before Friday October 24 th should be sent by email to sharon.lock@swimming.org and after the start of the competition reported to the recorders in the timing suite. RELAY DECLARATION The Relay Declaration forms can be downloaded from the Masters only calendar on the British Swimming web site. SWIMWEAR Swimmers are reminded that to qualify for a British, European or World Masters record their swimwear must be compliant with the FINA requirement. 6
WARM UP MARSHALLS We need your help to make this event a success! We need warm up marshals at the start of each session to create a safe and pleasant warm up. Please offer your time for one or more sessions to help to supervise the warm up. For those new to this role a description of the duties is available. If you can help please contact sharon.lock@swimming.org CHAMPIONSHIP CONDITIONS 1 General Conditions 1.1 The event Promoter is the Amateur Swimming Association (the ASA) Technical Masters Committee which reserves full powers over the ASA Masters and Senior Age Group Swimming Championships. 1.2 For individual and team events, competitors must be registered with the ASA, Scottish ASA, or Swim Wales. Temporary ASA Category 2 members are not eligible to enter these Championships. 1.3 The Championships shall be held annually under FINA Masters Rules unless otherwise provided in these Championship Conditions and under the Laws, Rules and Regulations of the ASA. These Rules apply to all Masters age groups and the Senior age group. 1.4 Competitors may compete in up to nine individual events. 2 Individual Events 2.1 The individual events shall be (for both men and women) 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m Freestyle 50m, 100m, and 200m Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly 100m, 200m, and 400m Individual Medley. 2.2 All events are Heat Declared Winner within each individual age classification. In each event with the exception of the 50m events competitors will be seeded according to their entry time. 50m events For 50m events competitors will be seeded by entry time in each age group as far as possible. Where smaller age groups are combined in the same heat competitors in the same age group will be seeded in adjacent lanes. 100m, 200m & 400m events Swimmers will be seeded by entry time, the final heat will be spearheaded. 800m & 1500m events These events will be swum as mixed events, with men and women being seeded together by time. 2.3 Senior Age Group In addition to the FINA defined Masters age groups there shall also be a Senior Age Group, 18-24 years, for both men and women. Competitors in the Senior Age Group must be aged 18 years or over on the day of their first swim in the Championships and under 25 years at midnight on 31st December in the year of competition. 3 Team Events 3.1 The team events shall be: Men s and Women s 4 x 50 m Freestyle and Medley Team Relays Men s and Women s 4 x 100 m Freestyle and Medley Team Relays Men s and Women s 4 x 200 m Freestyle Team Relays Mixed 4 x 50 m Freestyle and Medley Team Relays Mixed 4 x 100 m Freestyle and Medley Team Relays Mixed 4 x 200m Freestyle Relays. 3.2 All team events will be Heat Declared Winner within each team age group classification. 7
3.3 Teams in each age group will be seeded by time in the same heats. Where smaller age groups are combined in the same heat, relay teams in the same age group will be seeded in adjacent lanes. 3.4 In addition to Masters age groups there shall also be team events for teams with the combined ages at midnight on 31st December in the year of competition of 72 years and above with all team members being aged 18 years or over on the day of their swim. 3.5 Clubs are limited to a maximum of two teams in any one age group in each event and individual swimmers can only swim in one team in each event. 3.6 A swimmer can compete as an individual for one club and as part of a relay team for that club or as part of a relay team for one other club provided that they are registered with the ASA as members of both clubs. 3.7 All swimmers, including those who are only swimming in relay teams, must be entered on the meet database in the name of the club they wish to represent. If they are swimming for more than one club then they must enter the meet twice, once for each club. 3.8 Teams are required to be declared to the recorders situated in the timing suite using the official forms no later than one hour before the advertised start of the session in which the event is to be swum. The declaration form must include the names, ages of the swimmers as at the end of the current year, the order in which they are swimming and their registration numbers. 4 Entries 4.1 All entries shall be received by the appointed Championships Administrator by the relevant closing date accompanied by the appropriate registration and entry fee. 4.2 The Promoter reserves the right to close entries before the published closing date should the event reach maximum capacity. 5 Withdrawals 5.1 Information about how to withdraw and any associated time deadlines will be published in the Competitor Information Pack. 6 Competitors with a Permanent Disability 6.1 A competitor who has a permanent disability shall not be disqualified where the disability prevents them from complying with the rules of a particular stroke, provided that the disability has been notified to the referee by the competitor or their representative before the race takes place, supported by a Certificate of Swimming Disability or similar document issued by their federation or a copy of their entry on the British Swimming membership database identifying their disability. 7 Awards 7.1 Medals shall be awarded to the first three placed individual competitors and teams in each age group in both the Masters Championships and the Senior Age Group Championships 8 Safety 8.1 All competitors must ensure that they observe all safety announcements and conduct themselves with safety in mind at all times. Swimmers must follow the instructions of the Warm-up Marshals, failure to do so may exclude them from the competition. 8