It was great seeing so many of you in Atlanta! Thanks for a great 2016 and here's to an even better 2017!

Congratulations to the five clubs that added the most new members during our August membership drive! For your efforts, you'll receive a Colorado Time Systems pace clock worth $1,200! 

Leading the way with 51 new members was Palm Beach Masters (Florida Gold Coast) followed by Lane 4 Swimming (Potomac Valley) with 47 new members; White Rock Masters Swimming (North Texas) with 39 new members; Texas Ford Aquatic Masters (North Texas) with 27 new members; and Texas Longhorn Aquatics (South Texas) with 23 new members. Congratulations to these programs and welcome to all your new swimmers!

Read about these clubs in our series of web profiles appearing over the next several weeks. We're starting out with Palm Beach Masters, led by Linda Bostic. 

If you attended convention, then you probably already know about the amazing Sports Medicine presentation Hirofumi Tanaka, director of the cardiovascular aging research laboratory at the University of Texas made about swimmers, their health, and aging. During his presentation, he referenced a study he's conducting into injury among swimmers, and we're asking you for help in getting him the data he needs. Fill out the survey and pass it along to your swimming friends and teammates, and perhaps together we can help Dr. Tanaka solve some of the deepest mysteries of what makes a swimmer a swimmer.

2017 MEMBERSHIP FEES

• USMS 2017 membership fee: $41 (up from $39)
• USMS 2017 club registration fee: $41 (up from $25)
• USMS 2017 workout group registration fee: $41 (up from $25)
• USMS 2017 one-event membership fee: $15 (same as 2016)

2017 SANCTION FEES

• Sanctioned pool meet: $50, same as 2016 (billed to the LMSC*)
• Recognized pool meet: $100, new fee (billed to the LMSC*)
• Sanctioned open water event: $100 plus $5 per participant, up to a maximum of $1,000, same as 2016 (billed to the LMSC*)

*NOTE that the LMSC may choose to either pass the cost on to the event host, share it, or absorb the entire cost.

The Speedo USMS 1-Hour ePostal event will open on January 1, 2017, and we'd like to encourage you to get your clubs and teammates involved. We're striving for our biggest year yet, so consider hosting a day or weekend for swimmers from across your LMSC to complete this event and count for each other sometime in January or February. The HOD approved a proposal to extend the swimming period for this annual National Championship event to cover both January and February (bad weather over the past two years in many parts of the country pointed to a need to extend the swim period), so now there's simply no excuse. Use the 1-Hour swim as it was intended to build camaraderie and fitness after the busy holiday season. 

All club contacts will receive an email in the first week or two of October with an online renewal link. It's important to have your club registered before  November 1  because on that date, individual members can begin registering or renewing with USMS for the 2017 membership year. If your club is not registered, it will not appear in the pull-down lists and your members will not be able to register with you.

The deadline for LCM Top 10 tabulations (both individual and relay swims) are due to Mary Beth Windrath, National Swims Administrator, by  October 31 . Late submissions will not be accepted. Instructions can be found in the USMS Records and Tabulation document,  located in the Guide to Operations.

Don't forget to submit your expense reports to Susan Kuhlman within 30 days of the conclusion of Convention  if you'd like to be reimbursed for qualified Convention expenses. Please download an expense report form (in PDF or Word formats) from the LMSC Management section of the Guide to Operations page.  Requests for reimbursement must include all receipts and a description of goods or services.

Did you miss a meeting? Couldn't attend Convention? We have you covered. All meeting minutes are posted on the USMS Convention page.