MSO is hosting Canadian Independent Masters Swimming (CIMS) while it grows.
Please check often. We will provide information as it becomes available.
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July 14, 2019 (click here for PDF version)
We are currently focused on being operations-ready for the 2019-2020 swimming season. That includes:
- Registration – an easy to use system with payment options and financial reporting, all linked with easy to use meet entry features.
- Insurance – a nation-wide insurance program for CIMS-affiliated clubs, their swimmers, coaches and volunteers.
- Workout tracking system – Swimmers may transfer their metres from other tracking systems
- Online meet entry and payment system that produces a Meet Manager-ready file; meet managers will love this feature.
Clubs in all Provinces are invited to sanction meets under a CIMS delegation and to use the meet entry system. For a full description of the system benefits please contact us at CIMSwimming@gmail.com
There is a lot to be done and we are confident that we will be operations-ready.
We are looking for representation from all provinces who will work with us as we ready our program for September and create a democratic, open and transparent organization that the masters community expects. If you are interested please email us at CIMSwimming@gmail.com
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Questions and Answers
Who are we?
We are group of experienced leaders who have been involved in the governance and administration of masters swimming for many years. We have an increasing number of representatives from across Canada and hope to cover every province before the start of the new season in September.
Insurance
Currently, Masters Swimming Ontario (MSO) is the only provincial masters body that has its own insurance. We have initiated discussions with a national insurance network to provide coverage in all other provinces. The policy will provide insurance for masters clubs, swimmers, coaches and volunteers. It will cover practices, swim meets and activities sanctioned by Canadian Independent Masters Swimmers or a delegated Provincial Masters Organization. It will be price competitive and targeted to masters swimming, not age-group swimming.
Systems Infrastructure
The Canadian Independent Masters Swimmers (CIMS) IT system will be an expanded version of MSO’s current system. It will accept registrations through masters club registrars, Provincial masters registrars or swimmer self-registration. It is highly automated and is designed to minimize work for masters club administrators and swimmers alike.
The system also includes an effective time-saving tool for meet entries and payments. At the close of meet registration, the meet manager pulls down a validated meet entry file that can be immediately loaded into Meet Manager.
The system also includes results, records and rankings reporting at all levels, All-Canada (Berger’s records), provincial, club and swimmer.
CIMS is committed to preserving more than 40 years of masters swimming history. Our website will link to https://www.statsman.ca/ which has all of Christian Berger’s records and rankings.
What does “independent of Swim Canada” mean?
CIMS is not affiliated in any way with Swim Canada. CIMS will not require its members to register with Swim Canada (SNC) or SNC’s Provincial sections.
Until such time as CIMS is recognized by Aquatics Canada (AC), we will not be linked to FINA. We need a strong membership and a functional organization in order to approach AC.
My club is affiliated with Swim Canada. Will I be allowed to join CIMS as well?
Absolutely YES. This is not an either or situation. In fact, your club may affiliate with CIMS irrespective of its relationship with any other organization. If your club chooses not to affiliate with CIMS, then you and any other swimmer may still join CIMS as an “independent swimmer”. In this way you have access to any and every event in Canada and abroad.
If Swim Canada events are available to me, why would I bother joining CIMS?
Our organization and programs, as developed, will focus exclusively on masters-aged swimmers. CIMS believes that masters swimmers should have a strong and independent voice in how their sport is governed. They should see their exploits reflected and celebrated on their national website. CIMS is an organization for masters, run by masters with input from masters.
Furthermore, CIMS will represent a substantial number of Canadian masters swimmers and would be in a strong position to seek direct recognition by the Aquatics Canada, and with it, by FINA. Masters swimmers must speak through an independent masters organization like CIMS. As we have seen over the last few years, Swim Canada will not act as an advocate for masters swimmers. Rather, it will simply act to maintain and expand its monopoly.
Are we dividing masters swimming further? Why would there be CIMS in addition to MSC and Swim Canada?
CIMS has approached MSC on several occasions. Our preference is to work with MSC as a single masters force. However, MSC has not laid out a viable path that leads to an operational program by September. There are just 2 months before masters need to be operations ready.
As for SNC, their May 29th letter was well-planned, well-coordinate and timed just 3 days after MSC’s nationals. There was no possibility for the 750+ masters swimmers to discuss the impact of that letter. SNC’s decision makes MSC financially nonviable. MSC will quickly run out of funds since it has no revenue source. By its actions, SNC also endangers the only remaining provincial masters organizations in Canada, Masters Swimming Association of BC (MSABC) and Masters Swimming Manitoba (MSM). The SNC letter did not impact Masters Swimming Ontario (MSO) since it has been operating independently since 2017.
SNC proposes to replace all masters infrastructure by a single staff position sometime in September and a Masters Advisory Committee. The Committee reports to the CEO and is purely operational in nature. It will have limited ability to influence SNC on policy matters of significance concerning masters. It will be expected to support the policies and direction of SNC whether or not it is good for masters swimming. This has been our experience with operational committees at the provincial levels.
Masters swimmers and clubs have a democratic voice in the running of MSC, MSO, MSABC and MSM, whether or not they choose to exercise that voice. The SNC bylaws do not give masters swimmers or masters clubs a voice proportional to their numbers. Rather representation is buried within one of SNC’s Provincial Sections which are overwhelming concerned with high performance & age-group swimming.
If bylaws don’t excite you, just look at the Swim Canada Annual Reports, their website or any of its provincial sites. Count the number of masters swimmer images or masters related articles or documents (aside from fee schedules). Masters get at best a passing glance, a single sentence. These are a fair reflection of the time and attention masters will get once completely absorbed by the Swim Canada family.
Why should we place our confidence in a loose group of volunteers without structure or finances?
We are not starting from scratch. CIMS has partnered with MSO which has two solid years of experience successfully offering an independent program. It has 64 clubs and over 2900 registered swimmers in each year. MSO’s clubs hosted 14 swim meets each year, including provincial championships.
We are reaching out to other provinces and regions who can work with and represent their areas. While we have approached MSC several times, CIMS is prepared to move forward and save whatever remains from MSC, and rebuild what will otherwise be lost with the demise of MSC.
Will there now be three Nationals, MSC, CIMS and SNC?
It is too early to predict what championships will be offered. CIMS is still hoping that MSC will quickly realize that its immediate focus must be a viable operational program and that the necessary experience to do that lies with CIMS.
Faced with a similar situation, MSO invited Swim Ontario to work towards a single Ontario provincial championship. Swim Ontario said that was impossible. For 2 years, MSO welcomed well over 450 swimmers more than double Swim Ontario’s provincials number. Some swimmers chose to attend both events.
Where will my meet results be entered?
All results will be entered into the CIMS database. This database has the same functionality as the current MSC database. The CIMS database will include new, improved or corrected features.
What will happen to my previous meet results?
The historical results will be retained. Negotiation will be undertaken to recover all results from all Canadian masters meets since September 2017. This is easily implemented.
What will be happen to records under CIMS?
Records are determined by an organization for its membership.
- Club records are for the clubs to maintain and recognize.
- Most provincial masters records were maintained by MSC on behalf of their provincial members. Those records will be migrated and respected.
- CIMS will adopt StatsMan Christian Berger’s records. These report the fastest swims in Canada. Why would we aim for a lower goal than that?
How is my participation in the Million Metre Challenge (MMC) impacted?
The MMC belongs to MSC and if it fails as an organization, the MMC may be lost. Faced with a similar situation in 2017, MSO created its own MEGAmetre Tracker and allowed swimmers to transfer their metres. The tracking system will be made available by CIMS to all masters swimmers at no charge, irrespective of membership.