Updated Resources From USA Swimming

UPDATED RESOURCES FROM USA SWIMMING

As of April 30, 2020

USA Swimming Community Quarantine Resource Page

Check this page often as resources are updated regularly.

WEBINAR: THE THEN & NOW OF POOL OPERATION & PROGRAMMING ADAPTATIONS

Monday May 4 – Noon Eastern/11am Central/10am Mountain/9am Pacific
Topics:
• Pools and viruses
• Dry land supporting areas and how we will need to treat them going forward.
• Cleaning options
• Social distancing compliance
• Policies and Protocols

Registration Link

WEBINAR: TECHNIQUE TUESDAYS WITH RUSELL MARK STARTING MAY 5^TH

Link to Register

USA SWIMMING COVID-19 RELIEF PROGRAM FOR TEAMS

USA Swimming has initially pledged $1M in grants, funded by the USA Swimming Foundation, to support clubs and members impacted economically by the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams are eligible to be considered for a relief grant of up to $5,000. Information for applying can be found here. 

Eligibility 
To be eligible to apply for a USA Swimming COVID-19 Relief Program Grant, a team must have:

• Suffered demonstrable financial losses as a result of the economic effects of COVID-19;
• Applied for local, state, and federal assistance available (e.g., Small Business Administration COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, Payroll Protection Program, etc.);
• Incurred continued operating expenses, not including payroll; and 
• Developed a comprehensive return to viability plan through use of the grant and other resources.

Financial support for clubs would not be possible without the work that many LSCs have done to create their support programs, which will allow us to focus on clubs in the LSCs with fewer resources to help their teams.

BOARD-APPROVED MEMBERSHIP CHANGES

At the April 24 USA Swimming Board of Directors Meeting, the board approved the following changes regarding membership:

1. The changes to the Flex membership approved in January for implementation in September 2020 for the 2021 Membership Year, will now begin in the 2022 Membership Year.
2. For 2020, individuals applying for calendar year membership on or after June 1, 2020 will receive membership valid through December 31, 2021.
3. Seasonal Membership Extension: Seasonal memberships (Season 1, Season 2, and Individual Season) that expired on or after March 16, 2020, are permitted to be extended to August 30, 2020.LSCs registering or renewing any seasonal memberships may set the athlete’s expiration date to no earlier than August 30, 2020, but no later than December 31, 2020, as long as the membership does not exceed 150 days after USA Swimming lifts the national moratorium on meet sanctions

Please contact Cathy Durance ([email protected]) with any questions.

VIRTUAL SWIMBIZ PROGRAM

Traditionally, #Swimbiz is an annual marketing conference that emphasizes social media, advertising, branding, communications, sponsorship and local promotions for teams.

Subject matter experts are now being scheduled to deliver free live webinars and taped content for club leaders and coaches. Beginning May 5, these presentations will be offered every Tuesday and Thursday for 2 weeks. Check the Coronavirus Resource page for more info https://www.usaswimming.org/utility/swimming-community-coronavirus-resources.

SWIMATHON

We will continue to invest and support Swim-a-Thon as a major national campaign this Fall. Fingers crossed that we are all back in the pool by then, which would make this initiative a significant call to action for swimmers to help their own local clubs financially. USA Swimming commits to not only delivering the same level of national marketing support, promotion and prizes, but will also defer our 5% share in 2020 and 2021 back to our local participating clubs.  Click here to learn more about hosting a Swimathon

COACHING CONNECTION NEWSLETTER

E-mailed to coaches approximately every two weeks – latest issue was sent last night. If you are not receiving please e-mail me – [email protected]

 SAFESPORT ZOOM TRAININGS

Athletes, parents and coaches can now attend a training session conducted by the USA Swimming Safe Sport staff via Zoom. The parent and athlete meetings will count toward the requirements to become a SafeSport Recognized Club. USA Swimming Safe Sport staff will record attendance and manually update the Club Portal. Attendance at these sessions is limited to 300 participants. The training session will be secured five minutes after starting.

- Parents: Every Wednesday 3:00-4:00pm EST https://zoom.us/j/93724361466?pwd=OVF4RFlNZFpaMHhqSEVVRGwzbmpQUT09

- Athletes (age 12-18): Every Thursday 3:00-4:00pm EST https://zoom.us/j/97633664936?pwd=YnpXZmljME5PcldacW9ZQ0w5YTFIZz09

- Coaches: Every Friday 3:00-4:00pm EST https://zoom.us/j/98698656108?pwd=NzQ5TGdjWkRDc0Irck9tWHpJL1hkQT09

(The coaches training is not a requirement for Safe Sport Club Recognition and will focus on how to engage you athletes and parents in SafeSport. You can use your attendance to obtain the optional points for educational events for coaches. To do so, list the coaches who attended along with attendance date in the club application under the corresponding measure.)

UPCOMING USA SWIMMING WEBINARS

COACH’S CERTIFICATION EXTENSIONS

As a result of the closures of many facilities due to COVID-19, coaches may find it difficult to renew some certifications.  Read more here.

120-Day Extension ARC Coaches Safety Training, Lifeguarding & CPR Certifications

The 120 Day Certification enables an existing enrollee to extend their current American Red Cross certification by 120 days from the original certification expiration date. This extension certificate is for student or base level certificates from instructor led and blended learning courses ONLY and DOES NOT apply to instructor, instructor trainer or online only certifications. The extension certificate must be presented with a certificate that has expired.

ZOOM

Zoom (https://www.zoom.us/), an enterprise video conferencing with real-time messaging and content, has become one of the most prominent virtual tools during the Coronavirus crisis. For many members, the program has helped facilitate continued athlete engagement, virtual training and business continuity.

We have secured ‘Enterprise’ licenses, which provide the greatest number of features, for USA Swimming clubs for a 90-day period. Access requests should be sent to Paula D’Amico at [email protected].  Please include your team name and the e-mail address you would like associated with this Zoom account when you contact Paula

In addition to the one Enterprise license per club, we also encourage you to register for free Basic accounts as needed.

Guidelines for protecting your Zoom Meetings

USA Swimming Employee Assistance Program (EAP) mental health services for Coaches

During the COVID-19 pandemic coaches can now utilize the online/phone USA Swimming Employee Assistance Program (EAP) mental health services. The program provides health and wellness information as well as online resources and assistance for concerns such as: coping with Stress and Anxiety, Financial Fitness, Managing Work and Career, Parenting Resources, Older Adult Resources, Mental Health Conditions, Overcoming Depression and Grief, Relationship Resources and more.

Further information can be accessed here: https://www.usaswimming.org/news-landing-page/2020/04/08/usa-swimming-employee-assistance-program

THE LAST GOLD MOVIE

USA Swimming members can now watch The Last Gold free of charge. This documentary film was produced by USA Swimming in 2016.

Narrated by Emmy-winner Julianna Margulies, The Last Gold is a feature-length documentary film that reveals one of the greatest untold stories in Olympic swimming history. Forty years ago, at the 1976 Montreal Games, a team of doped East German athletes thrashed their rivals from the United States, until a remarkable final race.

The central player was a transcendent American athlete denied her due and since lost in time: Shirley Babashoff. Babashoff and her teammates were surrogates in a Cold War struggle, who battled a tragic conspiracy with a blazing honesty and a ferocious, endless tenacity. In 1976, the U.S. Olympic swim team entered the Games in Montreal looking forward to its usual dominance. The men did not disappoint, delivering the most dominant performance in Olympic swimming history. They won every race but one, and in that race won the silver and bronze medals.

For the women, it was a completely different story. They were overwhelmed by an East German machine that had emerged on the world stage leading up to the Games with frighteningly fast performances. In a competition where 15 American records were set, the U.S. women had only four silver medals and one bronze medal to show for it. After an entire competition of disappointing results, winning no races and facing a critical media that heaped on additional pressure, the U.S. women finally came together to do as a team what they could not do individually. It was the final race when four women stepped to the blocks attempting to do what nobody thought possible... win The Last Gold.

The movie can be viewed by visiting: https://vimeo.com/155310924   password: lastgold2016

ONE AMERICA INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS

We have worked with OneAmerica, one of USA Swimming’s financial services providers, to offer education and resources to help you navigate the days ahead. Whether you are looking for more information on budgeting, dealing with market volatility, or if you would be interested in connecting with a financial advisor, please visit: https://www.usaswimming.org/news-landing-page/2020/04/17/oneamerica-financial-resources