July 12, 2011

Dear Club Registrar,

First and foremost – THANK YOU for all your efforts in 2011. We currently have 3860 swimmers registered in LE and final statistics will be available August 15, 2011.

Registration for 2012 begins September 1, 2011. 

CHANGES – LE is continuing “green”

•	Registration items for 2012 will be found on the LE website under FORMS.  These include all application forms for clubs (one for USA Swimming and one for LE Swimming), non-athlete, seasonal and year round athletes, and single meet. Most of you print application forms from Team Manager.
•	Club Registration – Pre Employment Screen.  Effective with the 2012 membership year, a club cannot be renewed or a new club added unless someone from the club checks and signs the club application form verifying that the club will conduct pre-employment background screens on any job candidates.  I will review each club application carefully and if the box is not checked and that section of the application not signed, you need to return the application to the club. This is different than the criminal background check required by all non-athlete members. 
•	Non-Athlete Registration – An athlete protection education module (most likely online) will be implemented in 2012.  When the details are available, you will receive further information.
•	Here are the fees for 2012: (LSC fees for non-athlete and year round athletes were raised $3 by House of Delegates in October, 2010)
o	Clubs - $100 (before 12/1/11); $125 (between 12/1/11-12/31/11); $150 (after 12/31/11)
o	Non-Athletes - $56
o	Year Round Athletes - $53
o	Seasonal Athletes - $30
o	Single Meet - $10
o	Life Members - $1005
•	Club athlete rosters are available on the Club Portal area and will not be sent out in hard copy.  Here are the instructions for accessing the Club Portal.  If you need your club portal password, email me.
o	Go to USA Swimming website – www.usaswimming.org and sign up for an account – on the opening page for USA swimming in the top right corner, click on My USA Swimming Account, then click on Create a My USA Swimming Account.  If you already have a USA Swimming account, then sign in.
o	Get your Club Portal password from your Head Coach or from Carrie Waters (cwaters@usaswimming.org) at USA Swimming.
o	After signing in to the USA Swimming website, Click on Member Resources and then Search Club Portal on the pull-down menu.  
o	In the Search Club Portal window, put your Club Code and choose LE as the LSC then click Search
o	Your club should appear and then click on Club Portal on the right side.
o	Under Club Info, click on Club Administrator Login
o	Enter your Club Portal password (that you got from your Head Coach or Carrie Waters), and click Edit Club Portal
o	Click on the blue tab Reports on the right side
o	Under Club Reports, click on Club Athlete Roster link – each time you ask for a report, it goes to SWIMS and gives the current information.  (Please note unattached swimmers with your club will not appear on the athlete roster).
•	Bank statements for each club will sent out through regular mail after Aug. 1, 2010.  Please note that a club CANNOT renew for 2012 if their club has a debit balance.

If you have any questions regarding anything in this email or if you have problems getting your Club Portal password or accessing the Club Portal, contact Pam Cook at 440-808-9192 or pamswim@aol.com.  Going electronic will help save trees.

Lake Erie Swimming
2012 REGISTRATION GUIDELINES

CLUB MEMBERSHIP
Fees:
2012 Club Fee	- New club member			$125.00
2012 Club Renewal - Received by 11/30/11		$100.00
2012 Club Renewal - Received by 12/31/11		$125.00
2012 Club Renewal - After 12/31/11			$150.00
2012 Seasonal Club Membership - 			$ 60.00      (5/1/2012-8/31/2012)

Procedures:
•	Fill out club application form completely and return with check.  
•	A 2012 coach non-athlete registration form and at least ONE 2012 athlete registration form must accompany a club application.  
•	The coach form should include updated copies of the coaches’ certification for CPR, First Aid and Safety Training For Swim Coaches, if applicable.  To register a coach for 2012, the coach should not have any certifications that expire in 2011. 
•	Coaches and club-voting delegate must be a current USA Swimming non-athlete member.  
•	Club packets including new USA rule books and insurance certifications will be sent from the National Office in Colorado Springs to the club in January 2012.

ATHLETE MEMBERSHIP
Fees:	(NOTE:  These fees are new for 2012)	
Year-round (9/1/12-12/31/2012)						$53.00
	*Seasonal (can begin anytime and lasts for 150 days)			$30.00
 (CHOOSE CODE 3 IN TEAM MANAGER
	Single Meet - Open Water (good only for meet and swimmer is UN)	$10.00    

*Seasonal membership is not good for competition above the LSC level (like Zones, Sectionals, etc.)       

General Timeline for Registering Swimmers:
1	Sept - Any new swimmers to your club 
2	Oct- Dec. – Renewal swimmers (2011 year-round memberships expire 12/31/11)
3	March – High School swimmers
4	May – New swimmers for the summer

Electronic Registration Using Team Manager  (see LE Electronic Team Manager instructions on web)
1.	Print out registration forms for each of your old swimmers.  These should be handed out at a parent meeting or sent out for parents to make corrections and return with payment.
2.	In Team Manager, follow directions on handout for Team Manager 
3.	Email TM export file to Registration Coordinator as an attachment.
4.	Send through regular mail:  printout of Team Manager exported file, birth certificates, transfers and payment
5.	The registration batch will that was sent electronically will not be processed until I have received check and printout of the electronic file.

BIRTH CERTIFICATES/DRIVER’S LICENSES, ETC. – only required if swimmer is brand new to USA Swimming and is handled at the club level only – do not send to the LSC registrar.  

ATHLETE TRANSFER (120-DAY Rule)
•	An athlete wishing to affiliate with your club who formerly swam for another USA Swimming club must submit a transfer form (even if the athlete swam for the club years ago). 
•	 A 120-day period must be observed from when the swimmer last swam in competition representing their old club and when the swimmer can represent their new club in competition.  During the 120-day period, the swimmer may compete as UN (unattached) and cannot swim relays. 
•	 If you have a swimmer joining your club who used to swim for another USA club, mark the swimmer as a RENEWAL and send the transfer form either electronically as an attachment to an email or a hard copy through regular mail.   The transfer form is available on the web under FORMS and there is no charge for a transfer.

NON-ATHLETE MEMBERSHIP

Fees: (Note these fees are new for 2012)
		Individual		$ 56.00
		Family			$ 100.00
		Life			$1005.00

All coaches, officials, and voting delegates, Lake Erie Board of Directors and meet directors must have a non-athlete membership. A non-athlete membership requires a current background check through USA Swimming.  Coaches and officials require Level 2 and non-athlete – others require a Level 1. 

COACH MEMBERSHIP

Procedures:

All coach registration should be submitted to the LSC registrar (Pam Cook)  with copies of current CPR, First Aid, and Safety Training For Swim Coaches (STFSC) certifications attached to the registration form and a check for the fee.  Background checks should be current or initiated at the USA Swimming website.  Completed background checks will be automatically recorded in SWIMS.   

1	Coaches CANNOT be on the pool deck if they are not current USA Swimming coach. The coaches card will display in large print the first certification date to expire.  When a certification expires, the coach will lose their coaching status immediately unless proof of an update has been received.  A coach who has lost their coaching status may NOT be on the pool deck at a meet and should not be on the pool deck at club practices.  When updates to certifications are provided, the coach will be issued a new coach card with the updated certification dates.

2	Coaches CANNOT be registered at meets or provide updated certifications to a meet referee.

3	Coaches CANNOT be registered for 2012 if they have certifications expiring in 2011.

4	Coaches that were registered in 2011 for the first time with USA Swimming must complete the Coach Education Test successfully and forward the results to the Registration Coordinator before they can be renewed for 2012.