As we move into 2002, we can look back at some of last years efforts and look forward to this years challenge.
 

Much time was spent updating the MSO Handbook. At times it seemed that revisions to revisions would never end but in January a cut off was reached, the presses rolled and the Handbook is now being distributed. As this edition is put into play there are already new ideas for the next issue, for example, it is intended to breakout the rules portion and print it as a separate smaller Rule Book that would be more user friendly for meet officiating.
 

Deciding to purchase liability insurance directly rather than through Swim Ontario was a departure from the past. Here the objective was to work with a new agent to tailor a policy that more closely reflected the way MSO clubs actually operated. The new policy went into effect the beginning of December 2001. We now have the option to offer liability insurance for open water swims which, surprisingly, before was absent.
 

Purchasing our own insurance broke one of the few ties we have had with Swim Ontario. Because SO and MSO have had different objectives and serve different groups of swimmers our paths have been gradually diverging. MSO, however, requires a relationship with SO as SO is our sole conduit to FINA for official recognition of swimming records. The boards of both MSO and SO have now started to work together to bring our paths closer together by recognizing and developing common objectives. For example, in the US there has been acceptance of under the age of 20 swimmers into Masters Clubs and we are beginning to feel the need here. Also, there has been in effect a movement to encourage combined Age Group & Masters meets. For clubs in remote areas with limited participants, a combined meet may be the only way to make a meet meaningful. Hence same objectives for both Boards are to offer an outlet for swimmers in their late teens and to explore how combined meets could be promoted within the current rules framework or if need be a modification to those rules.
 

Another departure this past year was to have the Ontario Swimming Officials Association run the Ontario Masters Provincial Championships at the Etobicoke Olympium. Having OSOA run the meet allowed many Masters to swim rather than officiate. At the same time OSOA was able to earn some justly deserved funds for their effort. Chris Smith who wears both a Masters and Officials t-shirt contributed much to bring the meet together. Since the last years meet ran so smoothly OSOA will again be running Provincials at the Olympium on April 5th to 7th.
 

As of January 2002, 28 meets had been sanctioned for the 2001-2002 season which is a good tally. An interesting fact is that 50% of last seasons meets had fewer than 25 entries. When I ran meets a few years ago I always considered 60 entries a bare minimum to make a meet competitive. Now clubs with limited entries are successfully running short selective event meets within 1 to 3 hours pool time. However, there are some voids in the map. Regions like Hamilton, Kitchener/Waterloo, Niagara, Windsor and Kingston have not hosted an even small Masters meet in recent years. Our Meet Coordinator, Charlie Lane, suggests that members "in North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste Marie and Thunder Bay regions should be encouraging their local pool officials to offer area masters an opportunity to compete without having to travel huge distances somewhere south." An exception is Kenora which in January hosted a combined meet.
 

For member stats as of the beginning of February 2002 there were:

87 Registered clubs
31 Unattached swimmers
4 OSG swimmers (Order of the Soggy Goggle)
2361 Club Swimmers

for a total of 2396 swimmers. This number will climb further as we approach Provincials.
 

At this year's first MSO board meeting the slate of Directors was determined as follows:

Vice President: Mary Brinklow, Courtice Swim Club, takes on the responsibility of Constitutional review.

Treasurer: Darlene Brown, East York Hurricanes, continues on a temporary basis to balance the books but see also MSC Rep below. She is looking for anyone that would be willing to take on this responsibility.

Secretary: Claus Koch, Master Blasters Swim Club, has completed the task of overseeing the update of the Masters Swimming Handbook and has been responsible for the new insurance policy.

MSC Rep: Darlene Brown, East York Hurricanes.

Meet Coord: Charlie Lane, Etobicoke Olympium Masters Aquatic Club, continues from last year to shuffle the many requests for sanctions to arrive at the ever changing meet schedule. Charlie has been instrumental in having OSOA host last years and this years Provincials at Etobicoke.

Statistician: Lesley Mason-Ward, Ottawa Swimming West Y Masters will be processing meet results from clubs for transfer to the MSO database and website.
 

New to the Board: Sue Weir, Lambton Lasers

New to the Board: Shona MacLachlan, Markham Masters
 

Supporting the Board are:

Recorder: Pat Niblett, Technosport Swim and Triathlon Club will be working with Lesley to scrutinize swim times submitted for record status.

Registrar: Brian Croker, Downtown Swim Club, will continue as Registrar to provide registration information to the clubs and minutes of Board meetings to the website.

Webmaster: Barrie Malloch, Etobicoke Olympium Masters Aquatic Club, our webmaster has generated and maintains an impressive website. In addition to the posted meet schedule, meet results, and records there is a wealth of historical information. Links to other Masters website are listed. Forms are available for downloading. As the website address is not obvious, www.sentex.net/mso, it is worth posting on your notice board for all to surf. We are currently working on a more intuitive web address (url)
 
 
 

We on the board thank all those who have supported Masters Swimming this past year. Particular thanks extended to those who have taken time to organize and officiate at meets. We trust this season will provide opportunities for all to successfully achieve their swimming goals and for those more ambitions souls who are heading around the globe to the Worlds in Christchurch, New Zealand we wish you success in your events.
 

Ralph Chown, Arnprior Greyfish Masters
President
 

February 2002