2017 REGISTRATION YEAR

Registration Dates: Full Year Registration: September 1, 2016 - December 31, 2017 Season 1: September 4, 2016 - January 31, 2017 Season 2: April 1, 2017 - August 28, 2017 Registration Fees: Full Year Athlete $71.00 (USA Swimming $56.00/PNS $15.00) Non-Athlete* $66.00 (USA Swimming $56.00/PNS $10.00) Club Prior to 11/1 $300.00* (USA Swimming $70.00/PNS$230.00) After 11/1 $350.00* (USA Swimming $70.00/PNS$280.00)

*AD97-01 credit per HOD attended by Coach, Non-Coach and Athlete delegates

Organization $100.00 (USA Swimming $70.00/PNS$30.00) Seasonal Athlete $37.50 (USA Swimming $30.00/PNS $7.50) Seasonal Club $45.00 (USA Swimming $40.00/PNS $5.00) Outreach Athlete No charge (USA Swimming $5.00/PNS $0) Transfer Fee $5.00 *Non-Athlete category includes officials, coaches and all other non-competitors. IF your club athlete application has all the information contained on USA Swimming registration form it is NOT necessary to complete both. If your team is using the preferred method of using Hy-Tek Team Manager or Team Unify to e-mail your team registration (via batches) to the office, please only submit the complete batch report. The paper athlete applications need to stay on file with your team for at least one year (more if space allows – up to three years per USA Swimming). DOUBLE CHECK FORMS FOR CORRECT BIRTHDATE. Alphabetize forms. Mail in one club check for registrations - NO PERSONAL CHECKS. Additional forms are available from the PNS Office: Phone: (253) 852-0680 E-Mail: office@pns.org Photocopied forms are also accepted.

ATHLETE REGISTRATION

USA Swimming Rules and Regulations, ARTICLE 302 – ATHLETE MEMBERSHIP 302.1 Registration – All swimmers practicing with a member club or competing in events sanctioned by USA Swimming must be registered as athlete members of USA Swimming. Athlete members must meet the rules of eligibility contained in Article 303. No swimmer alleged to be ineligible shall be denied the right to register and compete without being afforded the opportunity to refute the allegations relating to possible ineligibility, pursuant to Part Four.

When is an athlete registered? The registration date of the athlete is determined by the postmark date on the envelope containing payment. If the registration forms are hand-delivered, the registration date is the date they are received by the PNS Registration/Membership Chair. Electronic file submittals are processed on date received and per AD97-01 must be paid within 21 days. Athlete registration date for electronic file submittals is e-mail date received. PNS does not allow on deck registration. Payment must accompany hardcopy registration forms. If registration forms are received without payment, they will be returned to the club, and the athletes will not be considered registered. PNS strongly encourages electronic file submittal. Registration Forms USA Swimming asks that ALL athletes complete a registration form every year (whether USA Swimming form or Club form). By collecting up-to-date information, PNS and USA Swimming will be able to maintain a current and accurate database. Check the completed application for accuracy, especially the birth date. A missing or inaccurate birth date is the error most frequently made on registration forms. Encourage your club members to mark the “ethnicity” section and year of graduation for those in high school.

If mailing hardcopies please ALPHABETIZE registration forms.

Athlete Transfer If the athlete was registered with a different club last registration year, a transfer form must accompany their registration form along with the $5 transfer fee. If the athlete transfers between September 1st and December 31st, you must include the completed registration form along with registration fee for the 2017 registration year with the transfer form and transfer fee. Electronic Registration – PREFERRED METHOD The Hy-Tek website www.hy-tekltd.com has eLesson Training Videos link available for those using Hy-Tek for registrations. Team Unify also provides electronic registration submission and video tutorials. Please save registration export to your computer and then add as an attachment to an e-mail to the office at office@pns.org You will still need to send a copy of the registration report – hardcopy along with a club check or PDF and club check mailed to complete the registration procedure. It is the clubs responsibility to keep the original signed registration forms on file for the current and at a minimum, one-year previous registrations (more if space allows - up to three years per USA Swimming). Permanent ID Number All athletes have an official, permanent, 14 character ID number which is to be used for all meet entries. The ONLY official ID number is the one assigned by the PNS Office. This number appears on the club’s athlete roster as well as on the athlete’s membership card. DO NOT USE ANY OTHER ID NUMBER. The number is determined from the following: Birth date (mmddyy) First 3 letters of LEGAL first name Middle initial First 4 letters of last name

OUTREACH MEMBERSHIP

Outreach membership offers qualified individuals the opportunity to become a USA Swimming year-round athlete member at a reduced fee. The national fee for outreach membership is $5.00 and Pacific Northwest Swimming pays that fee. The goal is to provide opportunities in swimming to under-represented and/or economically disadvantaged youth in the United States. Outreach membership affords the athlete the same benefits as regular, full year USA Swimming membership: insurance coverage, Splash Magazine subscription, and the opportunity to practice with a member club and participate in any USA Swimming sanctioned or approved competition. To register an athlete under the Outreach Membership category, use the regular registration form, but write “outreach” across the top of the form. Do not send in any funds for the outreach registration. Athletes are eligible for outreach membership if they can provide proof of participation in the food stamp or free/reduced lunch programs. A photocopy of the card or letter providing proof of participation in one of these programs must accompany the outreach registration form. If this proof is not available, call the PNS Office to discuss other possible ways to prove eligibility for this program. USA Swimming offers an Diversity Camp program at the Olympic Training Center, as well as a manual for developing an Outreach Program. Information on both the camp and the manual are available on the USA Swimming website: www.usaswimming.org.

HEIDLOFF OUTREACH FUND In an effort to promote the sport of competitive swimming and encourage diversity PNS established an Outreach Fund. The goal of the fund is to provide more swimmers with opportunities to compete by reducing some of the financial stress on their families. The initial funding of this program was inspired by the donations received in memory of Jena Heidloff. Clubs receive a PDF of the Meet Entry Voucher to provide to those swimmers registered as Outreach Athletes for PNS sanctioned meets. These vouchers need to be turned in with the swimmers entry information and will be sent to the meet host in lieu of the swimmers entry fees. The meet host will then send the voucher to the PNS office WITH the meet summary report. In addition the meet host will deduct the total of the “voucher” entry fees from the total meet tap due PNS. The swimmer must actually attend the meet they entered or be liable for the total of the entry fees initially waived on the submitted voucher. Donations to the Outreach Fund are welcome and can be sent to the PNS Office.

FOREIGN ATHLETE REGISTRATION

Occasionally clubs will have a foreign athlete join them for training and competition. If these athletes practice with your club for a period of time longer than your normal tryout period, they must register with USA Swimming for insurance purposes. Foreign athletes complete the same USA Swimming athlete registration form, but in addition, they need to complete and sign the “Notification of Membership in USA Swimming”. This form is used to notify the athlete’s foreign federation of their membership in USA Swimming and is available by contacting the PNS Office. If you have any questions about foreign athletes, please call the PNS Office.

ATHLETE TRANSFERS

Any athlete who is “attached” to or registered with another club will need to make

application to transfer. When transferring representation from one club to another, an athlete must remain “unattached” for 120 days from the last day of competition in which he/she represented the former club.

The athlete must remain “unattached” during the transfer process. If they enter a meet,

they must compete during this time as “unattached”. Once processed if the athlete has Deck Pass linked to their member record it will show the attach date to the new club as does the club roster within the club portal.

There is a $5.00 fee charged per transfer. A parent must sign the Transfer Form if the athlete is under age 18. Fill in the date and location of the last meet where the athlete competed “attached” to the

former club, or state “did not compete”. When a transfer form is processed at the PNS Office, a notification of transfer form is sent

to the former club via the SWIMS database system.

NON-ATHLETE REGISTRATION

USA Swimming Rules and Regulations, ARTICLE 502 – MEMBERSHIP 502.6 Privileges and Responsibilities of Membership .1 All non-athlete members of USA Swimming must have satisfactorily completed The criminal background check and athlete protection education as required by USA Swimming.

Who must be registered? 305.4 Employees and volunteers of USA Swimming, LSCs and member clubs who interact directly and frequently with athletes as a regular part of their duties and individuals with any ownership interest in a member club must be non-athlete members of USA Swimming and satisfactorily complete criminal background checks as required by USA Swimming. This does not apply to volunteers such as timers, marshals, computer operators, etc. who only have limited contact with athletes during a meet. Please see PNS Administrative Policy AD-97-01 for individuals who must be members of USA Swimming, per USA Swimming Rules and Regulations and PNS By-Laws. Membership in USA Swimming is optional for other volunteers but is encouraged. Non-athletes are provided secondary accident medical coverage and general liability protection which covers bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury coverage when acting on behalf of USA Swimming (for a detailed description of coverage and exclusions, contact Risk Management at 602-840-3234). Non-athlete membership categories include: Individual $66.00 (USA Swimming $56.00/PNS $10.00) Life $1,010.00 (USA Swimming $1,000.00/PNS$10.00) Non-athletes will also be assigned a permanent, 14 character ID number. The ID number will be formulated in the same way as the athlete ID number: birthdate, first 3 letters of legal first name, middle initial, and first four letters of last name.

What is required for coaches?

USA Swimming Rules and Regulations, ARTICLE 502 – MEMBERSHIP 502.6 Privileges and Responsibilities of Membership .1 All non-athlete members of USA Swimming must have satisfactorily completed the criminal background check and athlete protection education as required by USA Swimming. .4 Anyone who coaches athletes at a USA Swimming practice or competition, must be a coach member of USA Swimming and must have satisfactorily completed safety training, criminal background checks and other coaches’ education as required by USA Swimming. .5 A coach member of USA Swimming must be at least 18 years of age. In order for a non-athlete to become coach registered, the applicant must provide photocopies, front and back, of current signed cards OR certificate of completion for: CPR/AED and Safety Training for Swim Coaches USA Swimming Coaches Safety Curriculum Requirements and Equivalents Listing is available via USA Swimming website www.usaswimming.org/coachmember

FOUNDATIONS OF COACHING 101, 201 and Rules & Regulations –

Foundations 101 must be completed PRIOR to registering for the FIRST TIME as a coach member. The course and test takes approximately 90 minutes (cost: $15). All material is contained within the online course. Foundations 201 is a more comprehensive course of approximately 4 hours and must be successfully completed PRIOR to REGISTRATION for the 2nd YEAR of coach membership (cost: $25). All material is contained within the online course. Rules and Regulations is a separate 30 question test completed on the USA Swimming website. Completing this test is the 2nd REQUIRED component to FULFILL the Foundations 201 requirement (no cost). The Rules and Regulations test is based on the current USA Swimming Rulebook.

This educational requirement is in addition to the safety requirements listed above. The test is available on-line www.usaswimming.org go to “Coaches” tab and then to on-line testing and “Foundations of Coaching Test”. Instructions for completing the test are included on the website. Upon successful completion of the on-line test, the LSC Membership Chair will be notified automatically and the coach’s record will be updated to reflect that the requirement has been completed.

Coach requirement expiration dates appear on the membership card. The coach membership will automatically expire on the VALID TO DATE please send NEW certification (front and back of signed card OR certificate of completion) to PNS Office PRIOR to expiration so that the database can be updated and new membership card issued. The new membership card will be issued, with a new expiration date based on the next requirement to expire or the end of the registration year, whichever comes first. Some coaches may receive several coach membership cards during the course of the registration year.

USA Swimming Rules and Regulations, ARTICLE 502 – MEMBERSHIP 502.6 Privileges and Responsibilities of Membership .2 All clubs, including seasonal clubs, shall ensure that all athletes and coaches participating in practices and USA Swimming sanctioned competition are members of USA Swimming. It is the coach’s responsibility to keep their requirements current throughout the year and to send information to the PNS Office as they are renewed. Pacific Northwest Swimming does not assume any responsibility to notify coaches when their requirements expire.

CLUB MEMBERSHIP

USA Swimming Rules and Regulations, ARTICLE 502 – MEMBERSHIP 502.6 Privileges and Responsibilities of Membership .7 All clubs which register for the first time as a year-round club member shall comply with the New Club Membership Requirements established by USA Swimming. .8 All clubs are required to comply with USA Swimming Pre-Employment Screening Procedures for New Employees for all new employees who are required to be Members under 305.4 or 502.6.4 (effective August 31, 2011).

Please remember the following regarding club membership: All clubs must have at least one USA Swimming registered athlete. All clubs must have at least one USA Swimming registered coach. All club coaches must be USA Swimming registered coach members. The Head Coach’s birth date must be provided on the club registration form. Clubs must designate one coach, one non-coach and one athlete as club voting

representatives to the PNS House of Delegates. Voting delegates must be USA Swimming registered members.

Club registration must be renewed annually. The Club Registration Form, as well as the $300.00 (USA Swimming $70.00/PNS $230.00**) registration fee, must be to the PNS Office by November 1st for club membership renewal. Clubs renewing their membership after November 1st must pay a late renewal fee of $350.00. The new club, full year registration fee is $300.00, regardless of date of registration. **Clubs will receive a refund up to $200.00 per AD-97-01 for House of Delegate meeting attendance by Coach, Non-Coach and Athlete voting delegates. Seasonal clubs must register prior to the start of their first practice. The seasonal club registration fee is $45.00. Seasonal clubs that wish to continue as full-year clubs must register and pay the $300.00 registration fee prior to the start of the first practice after the seasonal period ends. All correspondence from the PNS Office and USA Swimming will be mailed to the club’s mailing address shown on the club registration form. Be sure that the person who gets the mail is someone who will deliver all information to the appropriate club members in a timely manner. The USA Swimming and PNS websites and team directory cannot remain current if clubs do not notify the PNS Office when changes occur.

ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIP

USA Swimming Rules and Regulations, ARTICLE 502 – MEMBERSHIP 502.3.2.B. Any organization which is interested in competitive swimming, on either the national, state, or local level, may join USA Swimming.

USA Swimming Organization Membership

Operational Risk Comments

In addition to Club membership, USA Swimming offers an Organization membership available to groups such as Booster Clubs. The USA Swimming Rule Book, 502.3 Group Membership .2 defines the membership as “Any organization which is interested in competitive swimming, on either the national, state or local level may join USA Swimming.” The entity would not have any athlete members or coach members. This membership provides a means for a local organization, such as a team booster club, to have insurance coverage under the USA Swimming insurance program for USA Swimming “insured activities” including fund raising activities. Insurance is not automatic but is provided for activities the Organization has received approval from either the USA Swimming Risk Manager or from Swimming’s insurance broker. We are seeing more and more clubs changing from volunteer run to coach owned with a booster club set up as the fund raising Organization for the club. As such, the Organization will run swim meets and other fund raising activities on behalf of the member club. Some booster organizations believe they are provided coverage because of their relationship with the member club. This is not the case. Other booster organizations purchase insurance from local agents for these activities. Booster organizations are missing out on an opportunity to be provided inexpensive insurance for their activities by simply joining USA Swimming as an Organization. We are encouraging LSCs and Clubs to promote this valuable Organization membership to booster organizations. Organization membership fee – $100.00 (USA Swimming $70.00/PN Fee $30.00)

SEASONAL CLUB REGISTRATION

New clubs have the option of seasonal membership. PNS has designated two seasonal periods: Season 1 September 4, 2016 - January 31, 2017 Season 2 April 1, 2017 - August 28, 2017 Benefits for seasonal clubs are the same as for a year-round club, but only for the period of time they are registered (Season 1 or Season 2). A seasonal club may have both seasonal and full-year athletes. The registration fee for seasonal clubs is $45 per season. Seasonal club membership responsibility: Seasonal clubs shall ensure that all athletes and coaches are members of PNS and

USA Swimming. All coaches of seasonal clubs shall join USA Swimming as coach members.

SEASONAL ATHLETE REGISTRATION

Benefits of seasonal athlete membership in PNS and USA Swimming include:

Liability and secondary accident medical insurance for the designated period of not more than 150 days.

During the designated seasonal membership time period, seasonal athletes may practice with a member club or compete at all USA Swimming sanctioned competitions and approved meets for which they qualify BELOW the ZONE level. Seasonal membership is NOT transferable to another LSC. Seasonal athletes who wish to continue swimming with USA Swimming after their seasonal membership expires must renew their registration and pay the appropriate fee. There is no grace period; seasonal athletes must renew their registration before getting back into the water after the end of the seasonal period. Insurance coverage for seasonal athletes does not begin until the first day of the seasonal period. Seasonal athlete registration is $37.50 per season.

TRYOUT PERIOD

The USA Swimming Insurance Program provides General Liability coverage for the club, coaches and USA Swimming members when a non USA Swimming member is swimming with a club during a tryout period. However, coverage is only valid if: (a) all the coaches on deck are USA Swimming members and; (b) the tryout period is limited to 30 consecutive days within a twelve month period for any one individual and clinics sponsored by a USA Swimming entity (such as LSC or USA Swimming club). Tryout period only applies to individuals who were never a member of USA Swimming. Note: The non-member is not provided any coverage under the USA Swimming program. If said individual was injured or caused an injury, he/she would have to look to his/her family medical and/or family liability insurance.

PRE and POST MEET EXCEPTION REPORTS

ALL athletes entered in sanctioned meets MUST be a current member of USA Swimming. Please review PNS Policy AD97-08 for explanation of potential fine levied for athletes found to NOT be currently registered. This policy was put in place to assure meet hosts that all athletes would be registered (either by the club or by PNS). MEET ENTRY DEADLINE is the date used for pre-meet exception reports and the levying of $15 fine for athletes found to be NOT currently registered. Administrative Policy 97-08 … 1. Meet entry eligibility

a. In order to compete in a meet, a swimmer must be entered in compliance with the entry requirements stated in the Meet Announcement. b. Ensuring appropriate USA Swimming Registration Status for any entries not processed through OME: i. If USA Swimming Athlete Membership is required by the meet rules, the entering club shall provide a completed and signed Meet Entry Summary or Deck Entry Registration form attesting that the athlete is a USA Swimming member prior to that athlete being allowed to compete in the meet. ii. The effective date of each participating swimmer's current registration, which shall be attested by the coach, club representative, parent, or athlete if age 18 or older, shall be on or before the meet entry deadline.

iii. Upon processing of the pre-meet exception report, PNS will register any swimmer not determined to be registered as a full-year USA Swimming athlete member. iv. PNS shall require the club (or individual if entering independently of a member club) to pay an amount equal to the current full-year USA Swimming athlete registration fee including the PNS surcharge plus a $15.00 fine for each athlete who needs to be registered based upon the pre-meet exception report. v. Upon processing the post-meet exception report PNS shall impose a fine of $100.00 per swimmer (1) against the club when a coach member or other club representative has signed a Master Entry Summary or Deck Entry Registration form attesting that an athlete is a USA Swimming registered athlete when this is not the case. (2) against the meet host club if a properly completed and signed Master Entry Summary or Deck Entry Registration form cannot be produced for the athlete in question. vi. The registration charges and fines resulting from the above paragraphs are due to the PNS Office prior to the entry deadline of the next meet entered by the team being fined or within fifteen (15) business days after receipt of the fine statement, whichever occurs first. vii. Teams and affected individual athletes will not be considered to be in good standing with PNS until all of the above fines and registration fees are paid and as such they will not be allowed to participate in any PNS related activities until this condition is rectified. viii. All of the above apply to the athlete’s parent (or to the athlete if the athlete is age 18 or older) if a Master Entry Summary and/or a Deck Entry Registration form is signed independently of a club.