Registration 

The New England Local Masters Swimming Committee (NELMSC) includes all USMS-registered clubs, workout groups, coaches and swimmers in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

As of October 2024, there were over 2,100 individual members, 20 clubs (including a large regional club with 1,200+ members) and 40 workout groups registered with USMS in the NELMSC.

For more information about how the NELMSC is structured and how club and workout-group affiliations (or lack thereof) affect competition eligibility, read this Demystifying USMS Primer.

For information about USMS Membership Benefits, click here.

Individual Registration

Online registration requires a credit or debit card (VISA, MC, Discover) and is instantaneous. Paper registrations must be paid by check or cash via postal mail and may require up to two weeks processing time.

Standard USMS membership purchased between:

  • November 1, 2023, and October 31, 2024, cost $70 and expire on December 31, 2024.

  • November 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025, cost $75 and expire on December 31, 2025.

USMS+ premium USMS membership (standard benefits plus additional benefits) purchased between:

  • November 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, cost $249 and expire December 31, 2025.

Year-Plus USMS membership purchased between:

  • July 1, 2023, and October 31, 2023, cost $115 ($45 for 2023 + $70 for 2024) and expire on December 31, 2024.

  • July 1, 2024, and October 31, 2024, cost $115 and expire on December 31, 2025.

  • July 1, 2025, and October 31, 2025, cost $125 ($50 for 2025 + $75 for 2026) and expire on December 31, 2026.

Bridge membership: Automatic complimentary USMS membership for registered members of College Club Swimming, who will be affiliated with their respective college club team in the national CCS LMSC (58).

Club affiliations are encouraged but not required. Unattached (UC02) members have no team affiliation and cannot score team points or swim in official relays at USMS sanctioned or recognized meets.

Members who affiliate with New England Masters Swim Club (NEM) may also affiliate with a USMS-registered NEM workout group. NEM is a regional club: its members compete as their registered workout-group team (local team) when entering NELMSC-sanctioned events and as their NEM club team when competing in national championships or other events sanctioned outside of the NELMSC.

Members who affiliate with Maine Masters Swim Club (MESC) may also affiliate with a USMS-registered MESC workout group. MESC is a local club: its members always compete as their MESC club team, not their workout group.

USMS does not recognize workout-group affiliations outside of the swimmer’s home LMSC. Swim times are always recorded in World Aquatics and USMS results databases under the swimmer’s club affiliation, not their workout-group affiliation.

30-Day Trial (TRYOUT) PERIOD

USMS offers a 30-day trial (guest) membership for prospective members who wish to try out a USMS-insured swim practice, clinic or swim lesson on a trial basis before joining a Masters Swimming program:

  • Tryout memberships are limited to one per lifetime.

  • Former USMS members are not eligible for the 30-day tryout.

  • Tryout memberships are limited to 30 consecutive days in length.

  • Tryout memberships are for practices, clinics or swim lessons only and cannot be used for swim meets or open water race events.

  • A Tryout membership provides secondary personal accident coverage to the participant while participating in the USMS activity.

foreign guest membership

USMS provides short-term guest membership to foreign swimmers who are currently-registered members of another country’s FINA governing body and are participating in a Masters Swimming program’s workouts on a a short-term basis (less than 30 days) or are participating in a USMS-sanctioned meet or open water race.

A USMS Foreign Guest Membership provides secondary personal accident coverage to the participant while participating in the USMS activity.

One-Event Membership

To compete in a USMS-sanctioned event without becoming a full member, at the discretion of the event host you may purchase a one-event membership (OEVT) using the attached form or by providing the required information and informed consent electronically if the event host has incorporated it into the event’s online registration system. New England LMSC policy does allow OEVT memberships for sanctioned open water events but does not allow OEVT memberships for pool events. The OEVT fee for sanctioned events is $20.

Transfer Requests

Applications to transfer into the New England LMSC must be submitted to the USMS National Office or the NELMSC membership coordinator (aka registrar) using the attached form. You may submit the form or the required information via email to: NEmembership@usms.org

Requests to transfer out of the NELMSC should be directed to the membership coordinator of the destination LMSC.

Club and Workout Group Registration

To register or renew a club or workout group with USMS for 2025, click on the online registration link below for instantaneous registration using a credit or debit card. Alternately, complete the paper form and mail it with a paper check to the USMS National Office at the address indicated on the form.

The club / workout group registration fee for 2025 is $75. Club/WG registration for the following calendar year opens on October 1. New clubs/WGs that initially register between Oct 1 and Dec 31 become active for the remainder of the current calendar year and the following year at no extra charge.

It is important that clubs and workout groups register or annually renew with USMS during October before individual member “early bird” USMS registration for next year opens on November 1.

“My USMS” Membership Website

The MY USMS section of the website contains gated content (login required). You can view membership benefits and directories, access all issues of SWIMMER Magazine, participate in online Community forums, print your USMS card and download your digital card, update your member profile, and access your Fitness Log and other services.

Membership identification numbers

A USMS membership number consists of four alphanumeric characters followed by a dash and five more alphanumeric characters — for example, 024G-S0UPY. The first two characters are the number of the LMSC within which that member is currently registered. In this case “02” represents the New England LMSC. The third character is the year, in this case “4” for 2024. The fourth character is randomly generated. The five characters to the right of the dash are the member’s permanent ID, which remains the same year to year. Members may purchase a vanity permanent ID — for example “S0UPY” in the above example. To avoid confusion, membership IDs never use the letter “O” and always use the number “0” for that character.

Please direct registration questions to:

Douglas Sayles
NELMSC Membership Coordinator
270 Bellevue Ave #1069, Newport, RI 02840
NEmembership@usms.org
(401) 633-5756