U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) has announced the dates and locations for its 2020 masters national championship meets.
The highlight of the year will be the USMS Spring National Championship that will be held from April 23rd-26th in San Antonio, Texas (previously announced). That meet will be the official 50th anniversary celebration of the event in the same state where it all began.
As the story is told by USMS, the first ever National Masters Swimming Championships was held in Amarillo, Texas from May 2nd-3rd, 1970. Captain Ransom J. Arthur, then a doctor in the Navy, persuaded John Spannuth, the president of the Coaches Association, to host the meet, believing it would improve physical fitness in adults. The first edition drew 46 swimmers, and a year later, returned to Amarillo where that number more-than-doubled.
The meet will be outside in San Antonio, where the average April temperature has highs of 82 degrees and very little rain (only 3 days/month, on average).
Summer Nationals, meanwhile, will be held from August 13th-16th in Richmond, Virginia at the Collegiate School. That facility has elbowed its way into the national hosting rotation thanks to a facility that boasts 3 pools, including the transplanted pool from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha.
In total, USMS will sponsor 13 national championships in 2020: 2 in the pool, 6 in open water, and 5 postal meets.
Full 2020 USMS National Championships Event Schedule
Pool Championships:
- USMS Spring National Championship (SCY), April 23-26, San Antonio, Texas
- USMS Summer National Championship (LCM), August 13-16, Richmond, Virginia
Open Water:
- Sprint-Distance Open Water Championship (June 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif.)
- 2-Mile Cable Open Water Championship (Aug. 8 in Lake Placid, N.Y.)
- Middle-Distance Open Water Championship (July 18 in Lake Erie in Ohio)
- Long-Distance Open Water Championship (June 13 in Livermore, Calif.)
- Marathon-Distance Open Water Championship (Aug. 15 in Hague, N.Y.)
- Ultramarathon-Distance Open Water Championship (July 25 in Newport, Vt.).
ePostal:
- Tamalpais Aquatic Masters (1-Hour on Jan. 1-Feb. 28)
- Southern Oregon Masters Aquatics (5K/10K on May 15-Sept. 15)
- Palm Beach Masters (3000/6000 on Sept. 15-Nov. 15)
What is a postal meet? Thank you!
Everyone swims at their own pool than mails their results in to be compiled.
Thank you Braden!
Do they really still use snail mail? I assume not but it does bring back memories.
No more stamps or envelopes.
It depends on the event. I’ve participated in postal swims and e-postal swims before, so they’re definitely still out there!
San Antonio is a great pool! I swam at USMS spring nationals there in 2015. That facility is in my personal top 5 pools to swim at, with IUPUI, the Sportsplex in Nashville, Jeff Rouse in Stafford, VA, and Greensboro being the others.
I’m looking forward to Richmond, too, since although I live in the DC area, I haven’t had a chance to swim at any meets at that pool in Richmond.
I might have to check out that Richmond meet as well.
Does anyone know if non US swimmers can swim at the USMS Summer Nationals? I swim in the UK and would love to do that meet. I’d swim at Worlds but it’s going to cost a lot and it’s not so easy to get to.
I would imagine you just have to be a member of USMS. We’re pretty inclusive, even qualifying for Nationals is more or less on the honor system.
Yes, you can swim 3 events without the NQ times.
And even getting NQTs can be done in unofficial practice swims, etc.
Yes, per the meet information:
International entries are subject to verification and may require additional documentation. Please submit a copy of your Masters Registration card/letter from your governing body to [email protected]. Verification is required at the time of online entry. If you do not present verification, you will not be permitted to swim in the competition.
Thanks for all the replies. It looks promising! I’ve swum all around the world but never in the US and I’ve love to experience a meet there.
Yes, international swimmers can enter. Here’s the wording from this year’s short course nationals: “International entries are subject to verification and may require additional documentation. Please submit a copy of your Masters Registration card/letter from your governing body to [email protected]. Verification is required at the time of online entry. If you do not present verification, you will not be permitted to swim in the competition”
Yes, foreign swimmers are welcome to participate in USMS National Championships, but you may not qualify for USMS records or top 10 rankings. You can contact the USMS National Office (www.usms.org) for more information.
Me and my brother came down from Canada to Indianapolis last year and had a blast. Just send your country’s registration info and your in!
Yes you can
At 2015 Summer Nats, we sat next to a group from Columbia who were competing.
Hoping I can make it to Masters Nats next year (and the economics works out). I resorted to resurrecting my USA-S membership and doing a couple club meets this year because going to Mesa would have been super-expensive for me!