The Mark J. Braun Fall Classic
Hosted by
Lake Erie Silver Dolphins
November 21-23, 2014
Held under USA Swimming Sanction # LE 1481 SS; Time Trials # LE 1481 SS
In granting this sanction it is understood and agreed that USA Swimming shall be free from any liabilities or claims for damages arising by reason of injuries to anyone during the conduct of the event.
LOCATION: The SPIRE INSTITUTE Aquatic Center is located at: 1822 South Broadway, Geneva, OH 44041.
DIRECTIONS:
From Cleveland:
Go East on I-90. Exit off the Geneva Exit (exit #218 on Rt. 534). Take a left at the light heading north. SPIRE entrance will be on your right.
From Erie:
Go West on I-90. Exit off the Geneva Exit (exit #218 on Rt. 534). Take a right off the exit heading north. SPIRE entrance will be on your right.
From Pittsburgh:
Take PA Turnpike to OH Turnpike. Take first exit marked 680 towards Youngstown. The road will take you around Youngstown and then exit 680 onto Route 711 at exit 3a. Route 711 then turns into Route 11. Stay on Route 11 about 40 miles until you hit I-90 and take that west for two exits to the Geneva Exit (exit #218 on Rt. 534). Take a right off the exit heading north. SPIRE entrance will be on your right.
POOL: The competitive swimming pools measure 10 lanes by 25 yards in a 50 meters Olympic size pool, with 2 moveable bulkheads for subdivision of the pool. The competition will take place in both pools unless the entry is small enough to be conducted in one pool only.The competition course has been certified in accordance with 104.2.2C (4). The copy of such certification is on file with USA Swimming. The depth of the pool atCourse 1is8’2” at both ends (start end is under the scoreboard). The depth of the pool at Course 2 is 14’ at both ends (start end is closest to the fish bowloffice).
The permanent seating capacity for spectators is 1,200, with an additional 1,000+ temporary seating capacity. In addition there is handicapped seating and elevator access to the spectator stands.An adjacent 25-yard pool is available for continuous warm-up and warm-down. Men’s and Women’s locker rooms are off the pool deck but are not accessible to parents during the meet. Parents who wish to accompany their children to the locker rooms should utilize the restrooms in the lobby. Colorado timing system and scoreboard are available.
RACING STARTS: Any swimmer entered in the meet must be certified by a USA Swimming member coach as being proficient in performing a racing start or must start each race from within the water. When unaccompanied by a member-coach, it is the responsibility of the swimmer or the swimmer’s legal guardian to ensure compliance with this requirement.
STARTING TIMES: Friday night warm-up: 4:30PM-5:15PM, with the meet starting at 5:20PM. Both Saturday and Sunday morning session warm-ups will be held from 7:30AM – 8:45AM, with competition starting at 8:50AM. Afternoon 45-minute warm-up will begin 15 minutes after the conclusion of the morning session. Finals on Saturday will not begin before 6:00PM after a 45-minute warm-up. At the discretion of the Meet Safety Director, warm-ups may be split by gender, age group or team. Warm ups shall be split if the average number of swimmers per lane is scheduled to exceed fifteen (15) swimmers per lane for SCY. The finalized warm-up plan, estimated timelines, and pool determination can be found on the LESD website ( by Wednesday, November 19, 2014.
ENTRY DEADLINE: This meet closes out several weeks before the deadline. Entries will be accepted beginning on Monday, October 13, 2014 starting at 9:00pm. Please do not trust your organization’s server time or your computer’s time when submitting entries. It is suggested that you sync your computer time with the official U.S. time clock found at
prior to submitting your entries. Entries will not be accepted before 9:00PM on Monday, October 13, 2014 – no exceptions. The entry chairs time stamp will be used to determine the time the entry was received. Please submit all entries electronically by Hy-Tek accompanied by the Team Manager printout or on the forms provided if an unattached swimmer. Only unattached athletes will be accepted individually. All others please submit entries by Hy-Tek, and include a hard copy and the entry summary sheet. Deadline for entries is 11:59PM, Nov.10, 2014, if not closed sooner. Hard copy of entries, meet summary and entry fees must be received no later than November 12, 2014.
Mail to: Beth Forsythe, 4977 Countryside Road, Lyndhurst, Ohio 44124;
If fees are not received by November 12, 2014, the swimmers will be removed from the meet. Email Beth Forsythe to receive confirmation of receipt of your entry. Once an entry has been accepted, there will be no refund of entry fees after the meet has closed or after the entry deadline, whichever comes first. An entry event file may be downloaded from or or may be requested from the entry chair by e-mail. Updated times will be accepted electronically until noon November 14, 2014, but no changes of events. Phone entries will not be accepted.
TEAM SUPERVISION: Teamswho are entering swimmers but will not have a coach at the meet should arrange ahead of time for another coach to supervise their athletes.
RETURN TO PLAY LAW: Under the Ohio Return to Play Law governing concussions, all coaches and officials (in state or out of state) are required to have proof of training in concussion signs and symptoms. This training is available for free and can be found at All coaches and officials are encouraged to take this training. It is your responsibility to take care of this requirement.
ENTRY FEES: Individual events $5.00; Relays: $9.00; plus a $2.00 per swimmer surcharge. There is a $1.00/swimmer handling fee for entries not furnished in an electronic file. Paper entries will be allowed for up to a maximum of 5 unattached swimmers. Make checks payable to LESD Boosters.
ENTRY LIMITATIONS: 13 and over swimmers may compete in two events on Friday and in no more than three events per day on Saturday and Sunday (exclusive of relays). Swimmers in the 12 & Under sessions may compete in two events on Friday, three events on Saturday and up to four events on Sunday (exclusive of relays). Time trials count toward the daily event limitation. Swimmers in the 12 & under age groups are advised not to enter both the 50 and 200 of the same stroke in the butterfly, breaststroke, or backstroke. These events may be back-to-back in the meet program and there will be no rest in between. There is a limit of one entry per team for the female and the male 800 free relays, and a limit of two entries per team for the 400 free and 400 medley relays.
DECK ENTRIES: Deck entries will be taken on a space available basis up to 35 minutes before the start of the session and seeded at NT. Deck entrants should sign up at the deck entry table @ $7.00 per individual event and $15.00 per relay. Deck entry swimmers new to the meet will be charged $2.00 LESI surcharge and must provide proof of USA Swimming registration. Deck entries willbe allowed to score. Deck entrants for whom there is no space will receive a refund.
ELIGIBILITY: Swimmers must be current athlete members of USA swimming and have met the time standard requirements. Coaches must be current coach members of USA swimming and must check in each day of the meet they attend. All coaches must display the deck pass (wristband is required to be worn by all coaches) issued by the meet host. Age of swimmer is as of the first day of the meet, November 21, 2014. On deck USA athlete registration will be available. There will be no on-deck registration for coaches.
QUALIFYING TIMES: Please see the event listings. Swimmers must be equal to or faster than the cuts listed. Enter at either short course yards (Y) or long course meters (L) times. Converted times may not be used. Non-conforming times will be converted by meet management.
FASTER THAN:Swimmers should enter an event only if they have achieved the listed time standard for that event. Teams of swimmers who fail to achieve the qualifying time at the meet will receive a notice of those times that cannot be verified in the SWIMS database. Teams shall submit proof of time. Proofs of time shall be from an observed swim or from a sanctioned or approved competition. A fine of $10.00 for each swim listed in the notice for which acceptable proof of time is not provided will be levied against the team or unattached swimmer.
SWIMMERS WITH A DISABILITY: Qualifying times for 50-yard/meter events will be waived for swimmers with a disability. Swimmers with a disability may enter an event (such as the 100 free) and swim it with a longer yardage event (such as the 200 free) provided his/her time for the lesser yardage event (100 free) is equal to or faster than the listed qualifying time for the longer yardage event (200 free). Entries for swimmers with a disability should be handled in the following manner: (1) enter the swimmer in the Hy-Tek database (or on the regular entry form); (2) list in the email accompanying the Hy-Tek entry file (or on a separate sheet of paper) the name of the swimmer, the stroke(s)/distance(s) s/he wishes to swim, the entry times, the day/session s/he wishes to swim the event(s), and the manner in which s/he prefers to be seeded (with a longer distance or with a different age group); and (3) provide any information about special accommodations needed by the swimmer. The final determination of seeding will be made by the Meet Referee after consultation with the swimmer and his/her coach.
CONDUCT: The meet will be conducted according to the rules set forth in the current USA Swimming Rules and Regulations. Events will be contested in two 25-yard courses unless the entry is too small to warrant this. Friday and Sunday events are timed finals. On Saturday, all individual events will be prelim/final format except for the 11-12 200 breaststroke and 200 fly. Championship heat only in the 10 & Under, 11-12, and 13-14 age groups, consolation and championship heats (in that order) for the Open events. Ten lanes will be used at finals which will be conducted in one pool. Fly-over starts will be used in all prelim sessions. All relays are timed finals and will be swum in prelims. Any swimmer closed out of the 400IM, 500 or 1650 freestyle because of heat limitations will receive a refund for that event. Psych sheets for Friday night’s 1650 freestyle will be posted on the LESD website ( by Wednesday November 19 at which time we will publish any heat limitations that will be implemented.
On Friday:The 12 & under 500 freestyle may be limited to the 20 fastest 11-12 swimmers, and the 20 fastest 10 & under swimmers each, male and female. This event will have multi-age scoring; 10 & under and 11-12. The 400 IM may be limited to the 3 fastest seeded heats each male and female. The 1650 free may be limited to the two fastest seeded heats each male and female. Events may be consolidated and scored separately to conserve time. The 1650 freestyle will be swum fastest to slowest. If the 1650 is conducted in one pool, the heats will alternatebetween women and men.
On Sunday: The 13-14 and Open 500 Frees may be limited to the fastest three seeded heats each men and women.
SEEDING & CHECK IN: This is a deck seeded meet. Allswimmers must check in for all of their events 30 minutes prior to the start of the session. Friday check-in for the 1650 may be done via email by 4:00PM on Friday, . Anyone checking in for the 1650 via email should bring confirmation to the meet in case of problems. Swimmers who fail to check in for their events will not be seeded. Heat and lane assignments will be posted on deck and in the spectator area. Relay cards must be turned in upon call in order to be seeded. The Lake Erie scratch rule (attached) will be in effect. Non-conforming times will be converted by Meet Manager.
CLERK OF COURSE: A Clerk of Course will not be provided at this meet.
Swimmers without coach supervision must contact the Meet Director or Meet Referee to be assigned to a coach on deck.
SCORING:INDIVIDUAL…11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
RELAYS…22-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2
Consolation heats will not be scored.
Points for Open events will revert to that swimmer’s respective age group for high point totals. Example if a 13-14 swimmer swims the Open 200 Breaststroke and places tenth, the swimmer will receive 1 point toward high point for 13-14 age group.
AWARDS:AWARDS: All awards must be picked up at the meet.
12 & under Individual Events:
Medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd; ribbons for places 4-10.
12 & under Relay Events: Ribbons for 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
High Point and Runner-upAwards:
10 & Under, 11-12, 13-14, and 15 & Over.
Team Awards: Awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd highest scoring teams, excluding the host team.
ADMISSION COST: There will be an admission charge of $5.00/day. Meet programs will be available. There will be special prices for combined sessions and meet programs. Children under 6 are free.
Parking: Parking is $5 per day. Parking is located immediately next to the natatorium.
RESULTS: Results will be available on the website and on Teams may request a complete meet backup from on the Monday following the meet.
TIME TRIALS: Time trials will be held Saturday and Sunday after the morning and afternoon sessions at the discretion of the meet referee. The decision to run in one or two pools will be announced at the meet, as well as details regarding deadline for sign-up. Time trials will not be held after Saturday finals. Time trial entry fees are $7.00 individual event/$15.00 relay. Time Trial events are open to swimmers already entered in an individual event in the meet. Time trials are included in the daily event limitation.
SAFETY/WARM-UP: Lake Erie Swimming safety guidelines and warm-up procedures will be in effect at all times. Coaches must maintain contact with their swimmers during warm-up and throughout the meet. All entry into the pool for warm-up is feet first from the starting block end of the pool. Swimmers must enter the pool feet first in a cautious manner with one hand in contact with the pool edge. There is no diving during warm-up, except in designated sprint lanes. The final 20 minutes of 45 minute warm-up shall be conducted as follows:
(a)Lanes 1 & 10 push/pace from the start end of the pool (or general warm-up at the discretion of Meet Referee or his/her designee).
(b)Lanes 2 & 9 sprint lanes for racing starts from the starting block end of the pool, one length only and exiting the pool
(c)Lanes 3-8 general warm-up, no diving or racing starts. Any or all of these lanes may be converted to sprint lanes at the discretion of the Meet Referee or his/her designee.
Swimmers are to sprint one way and climb out at the far end of the pool. Swimmers may be removed from warm-up for violating safety rules. Feet first entry only into the continuous warm-up lanes.
CAMERA ZONES: Use of audio or visual recording, including a cell phone camera, is not allowed in changing areas, restrooms, or locker rooms. Additionally, under NO circumstances will Camera Zones include the area immediately behind the starting blocks at either end of the racing course(s) while they are in use for race starts during competition and warm-up. Those failing to abide by this rule may be removed from the venue.
DECK CHANGES: Except where venue facilities require otherwise, changing into or out of swimsuits other than in locker rooms or other designated areas is not appropriate and is strongly discouraged.
INIITIAL DISTANCE: In order to be certain that an initial distance or lead-off relay leg is entered into SWIMS,the swimmer or the swimmer’s coach should notify either the meet referee or the admin before the event and provide the necessary watches as back-up to the electronic timing. All lead-off relay splits will automatically be uploaded to SWIMS after admin approval; for all other initial distances, the proper paperwork must be completed after the swim in order for the time to be entered into SWIMS.
OFFICIATING OPPORTUNITY – Anyone that is a USA Swimming certified official is welcome and encouraged to join the Lake Erie Swimming (LESI) officials in working this meet. Please contact the meet director or the Lake Erie Officials Chairin advance of the meet if at all possible to let either know of your availability. . We are also looking for anyone that is interested in becoming an official, for more information please contact the Official’s Chair.
Meet Director’s name and email:Lisa Eulinberg, or Sarah Tobin,
Official’s Chair: Al Kominek, .
COACHES: Psych sheets for coaches will be available at coach registration, by pool entry. Pease keep your psych sheets for the entire weekend—there is a limited supply. There may be a coaches meeting during warm-ups if necessary.
NOTE: Only athletes entered in the meet, working coaches, officials, and meet workers are allowed on deck. Other non-participants are expected to remain in the spectator area.