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The USA Swimming Annual Business meeting two weeks ago was a touchstone moment for the sport in the United States. The first meeting after the resignation of CEO Tim Hinchey, the meeting served as groundwork for what stakeholders and elected delegates want the organization to look like for the next decade.
That included heated moments over a proposal to increase club dues going forward – though after intense debate, a compromise was reached, demonstrating signs of the return of normal function to USA Swimming.
Beyond that lightning-rod topic, though, a number of other key items were finalized, including the elections for the Board of Directors.
Below are some highlights:
- 50 fly, 50 back, and 50 breast were added to the list of recognized events in the 13-14 age group. Previously, those events were only recognized through the 11-12 age group, in spite of them being World Championship events.
- National origin was added to the Code of Conduct as a class protected from discrimination. This brings the USA Swimming Code of Conduct in line with the USOPC and the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act.
- The Coach Advisory Council gained more authority. Coaches experienced a frayed relationship with USA Swimming during the Hinchey era, and both the CAC and ASCA wrote public letters asking for changes from the USA Swimming Board of Directors shortly before his departure. Both organizations were also working behind the scenes to have more influence on the sport. Now, the CAC has the authority to appoint the coach members of multiple national committees that have required sports for coach members.
- At meets below the LSC Championship level (namely, at the developmental level), mixed gender relays do not have to be 2 males and 2 females. In cases where relays are not two males and two females, relay leadoff legs will be counted.
- Meet directors were given more flexibility in wetsuit rules at open water competitions. The new rules apply to non-championship competition.
See the full summary of updates from USA Swimming below:
From September 26-28, USA Swimming staff welcomed esteemed leaders from across the country to Denver for USA Swimming’s Annual Business Meeting and USA Swimming Workshop presented by LiveBarn. Throughout the three-day event, attendees took advantage of new educational opportunities, voted on critical legislation, and connected with others to propel the sport forward.
The House of Delegates Meeting punctuated the weekend on Saturday. 10-Year Athletes elected Nic Fink and Allison Schmitt to the USA Swimming Athletes’ Advisory Council, with a run-off for the third spot between Ryan Murphy and Carson Foster. Eligible Delegates also elected Fink and reelected Kathleen Fish to the USA Swimming Board of Directors.
The session included the adoption of new legislation to the USA Swimming Rulebook. Below is a recap of major legislation changes approved during the 2024 House of Delegates:
(currently effective except as otherwise noted)
1. The composition of the House of Delegates was approved. (Corporate Bylaws 6.1)
2. The rules for starting procedures were amended to allow Starters the ability to use any “stand” command when relieving athletes from their starting positions. (Articles 101.1.2, 101.2.3, and 102.12)
3. The rules surrounding Mixed Gender Relays were changed to allow lead-off times to count for relays with compositions other than two male and two female athletes. (Article 101.7.3)
4. The list of recognized events for 13-14 athletes was amended to include the 50s of Butterfly, Backstroke, and Breaststroke. (Article 102.1.2)
5. The rules regarding the Zone Senior Program were amended to allow each Zone to govern the conduct of the competition as they see fit. (Article 205.7) [Effective January 1, 2025]
5. The Code of Conduct was amended to include national origin as a class protected from Discrimination in violation of the Amateur Sports Act. (Article 304.3.2)
6. The rules surrounding the Coach Advisory Council (CAC) were amended to grant the CAC the authority to appoint the coach members of multiple national committees that have required spots for coach members. (Article 501.1)
7. The rule regarding the distribution of rulebooks was amended to clarify that non-athlete members must make a request for the physical rulebook, should they desire one. (Article 503.2) [Effective January 1, 2025]
8. The rules surrounding the wearing of wetsuits were amended to give more flexibility to Meet Directors to allow the use of wetsuits in Open Water competitions. (Articles 701.1 and 701.4)
9. The rules surrounding which meets are considered qualifying competitions for Open Water Junior National and National Championships were amended to allow additional qualifying competitions. (Article 705, multiple locations)
10. The Required LSC Bylaws Template was amended to update the name of World Aquatics and to utilize gender-neutral pronouns. (Required LSC Bylaws Template, multiple locations)
11. The annual registration fee for existing clubs was increased to $225 per year and the registration fee for new clubs was increased to $750 for their first year. (Resolution of the HOD) [Effective for the 2026 membership year]
Review updated legislation and all USA Swimming rules here.