Connecticut Swimming

2021-22 SC Bid Process

How to Become a Meet Host and Bid Procedures

Connecticut Swimming offers 2 competitive season calendars. Short Course season generally runs October through March and Long Course season generally runs April through July. For each season, USA Swimming clubs are welcome and encouraged to submit a bid declaration for a meet or meets that will appear on the CSI meet calendar. Short Course season bidding generally opens in May/June and Long Course in January. CSI Program Operations maintains formal bidding procedures that USA Swimming clubs agree to abide by. Bid Procedures for the 2021-2022 Short Course schedule are posted below. Bid Procedures for the 2022 Long Course season will be posted in late 2021 or early 2022.

2021-2022 Short Course Bid Information and Procedures

Welcome to the 2021-2022 SC Bid Declarations page for CSI Regularly-Scheduled meets and Regional Championships. Using the Connecticut FAST application Swim Meet Bids, clubs will post their bids "virtually" to a password protected online calendar, and in real-time, view all bid declarations. Bidding clubs may move, edit or remove their bids until the deadline. After the deadline, clubs may view all bids in a calendar format, but may not edit their bids.

Bidders are strongly encouraged to resolve pool conflicts and/or re-arrange bids so that the CSI calendar best meets the needs of the clubs and athletes.

UPDATE:  The bid deadline has been extended to August 13, 2021.

Update July 31, 2021:  USA Swimming has extended its Covid-era sanctioning requirements until December 31, 2021.  A revised Short Course 2021-2022 Meet Announcement template reflects that change.

REMINDERS:

  • Penalty Regarding Letter of Intent for Guest Officials: Effective February 2019, bids received listing guest Guest Officials must submit the accompanying letter of intent by July 31, 2021. Bids without a letter of intent will be declined by Program Operations and the bidder will be given the opportunity to bid on an off-calendar meet.
  • Lifeguard Requirement for Regional Championships: Effective with the 2019-2020 SC season all Regional Championship meet venues must be staffed with lifeguards for the duration of the meet. CSI encourages but does not require lifeguards for non-championship meets.
  • Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP) is in effect for all CSI sanctioned or approved meets.

BLACKOUT DATES: The following dates are reserved for CSI championship meets and events.

November 7, 2021:  CSI Annual Awards Banquet
February 25-27, 2022: Regional Championships

BID DECLARATION LINKS:

Link to Regional Championship Bid Declaration
Regularly Scheduled Sanctioned/Approved meet: Login to Connecticut FAST Club Administration page and click on "Swim Meet Bids"

DATES and DEADLINES:

Saturday, July 31, 2021: Regional Championship Bid Deadline
Saturday, July 31: Regularly Scheduled Meet Bid Deadline
Monday, August 30: Meet Announcement deadline for 2021 meets.
Monday, August 30: Meet Acceptance Form and Sanction Deposit deadline for all meets.
Friday, October 1: Meet Announcement deadline for 2022 meets.
Friday, October 1: Regional Championship meet announcement information deadline.

DEADLINE: Bidding opens June 10, 2021, and closes on July 31, 2021. After the bidding closes, the Program Operations will review the bid declarations and resolve any remaining conflicts or address any scheduling concerns.

REMINDERS:

  • To be awarded a sanction, meet host clubs must have had a representative at the June 15, 2021 House of Delegates meeting.
  • Regularly scheduled meets must be run with a lead Administrative Official assigned.
  • In order to bid on a meet with an out-of-state Meet Referee, prior approval must be granted by the CSI Officials Chair.
  • Sanction Fee deposit is $300 per meet. There are no exceptions to the deadlines. Exemptions: Sanctioned Distance Meets as defined by CSI; sanctioned 9/U Meets; and sanctioned 8/U meets. In the case of sanctioned 10/U meets, no sanction deposit is required when the meet contains 8/U events and 1-6 place finish awards are provided. Intrasquad meets are subject to a non-refundable sanction fee.
  • Submitting Proposed Meet Schedule or a session report is required. The proposed schedule should list your meet's sessions, time schedule, and age groups. Unless submitted with the bid, session reports will be required with your meet announcement.
  • The Meet Fee Policy is in effect.

SANCTIONS and APPROVALS: Using this procedure, clubs will bid on regularly-scheduled sanctioned and/or approved meets. This option will appear as a selection item when submitting a bid.

SANCTION APPEAL PROCESS

SURCHARGE POLICY

BEFORE YOU START: Bidders will need the following information to submit a "virtual" bid:

  1. FAST administration page password.
  2. Officials registered with your club.  Please check FAST- Officials to make sure a.) your officials are currently registered, b.) your officials are listed with the correct certification, and c.) your officials are listed with the correct (your) club.  Any errors or omissions should be reported to Dave Pite, Officials Chair. Changes to officials’ club affiliation and/or certification will not be accepted after the bid deadline.
  3. Letter of Intention from "guest" officials. If your club is without a referee and/or starter for the meet you intend to host, you are required to supply Program Operations will a letter of intent from a guest official(s). This may be done by the guest official sending the letter of intent directly to Program Operations by the bid deadline. Penalty Regarding Letter of Intent for Guest Officials: Effective February 2019, bids received listing guest Meet Referees must submit the accompanying letter of intent by July 31, 2021. Bids without a letter of intent will be declined by Program Operations and the bidder will be given the opportunity to bid on an off-calendar meet.

The following information is required to submit a bid:

1. sanctioned or approved meet
2. meet dates
3. meet location (pool)
4. meet type (invitational, distance, etc.)
5. meet format (timed finals, prelim/finals)
6. age groups
7. meet session schedule and meet duration
 8. time standards
9. time trials
10. pool course
11. entries accepted from
12. awards
13. splash fees (entry fees)
14. officials

 

Regularly-Scheduled Meets:

Deadline is extended to August 13, 2021. Bidding clubs will see all submitted bids in real time on the "Meet Bid Link" on their club administration page in Connecticut FAST. After bids close, the final bids maybe viewed but not changed. To submit a bid, clubs must login to Connecticut FAST administration page and click on "Swim Meet Bids"

Regional Championships:

On-line bid submittals are due July 31, 2021. Bidding clubs will receive, via email attachment, a list of all bid declarations by August 2, 2021.  Please read:

Instructions for Regional Championship bids:

  • Please remember there are two separate bid procedures for Regional Championships and regularly-scheduled meets.
  • Read the Scheduling Procedures before submitting a bid.
  • Every field must be completed on the on-line submittal form.
  • If you would like to change your bid submittal or made an error, please email office@ctswim.org.
  • The confirmation page is your "receipt". For your records, print the confirmation page for each meet.

Instructions for Regularly-Scheduled (non-championship) Meets:

Note about the pools. Pool information is pre-loaded into FAST. If a pool is missing, please email office@ctswim.org with the name of the pool, location, course(s), and number of lanes. After you select the course for your meet, the list of pools will refresh and contain only pools with the specified course.

  1. Log into Connecticut FAST administration page using your club's password. This is the same password that is used for Online Entries.
  2. Click on "Swim Meet Bids"
  3. Click on a calendar for the month in which you are bidding. Then select the day. A "New Swim Meet Bid" form will open. You must complete all the fields. If you plan to use officials from another club to round out your officials list, be sure to select that option. When you are done click "Submit New Meet Bid".
  4. To View your bid: Click on Details on the Calendar page.
  5. To Move your bid: Click on Edit on the Calendar page and change the dates. You will not have to re-enter any details.
  6. To Delete your bid: Click on Delete on the Calendar page.
  7. You may edit, move, delete and add as many bids as you like until the deadline. After the deadline, you may only view the calendar and bid details.
  8. You may View other clubs' bids, but you may not edit, move or delete another clubs' bids.
  9. You may select officials from another club, but you must have one official from your club and you must supply a letter of intent from "guest" officials to Program Operations.
  10. After bids close, Program Operations will review the list and look for pool conflicts, etc. You should be available to answer any questions from Program Operations.

Scheduling Procedures for a Regularly-Scheduled Meet

CSI clubs that wish to host a 2021-2022 short course meet shall be required to declare their intention to sponsor a meet by completing a Declaration of Intention (bid) using Connecticut FAST "Swim Meet Bids" application. Clubs will be required to finalize their declaration by 11:59 PM, Friday, August 13, 2021.

Reminder: Submitting Proposed Meet Schedule or a session report is required. The proposed schedule should list your meet's sessions, time schedule, and age groups. Session Reports for the 2021-2022 short-course season will be required with your meet announcement if not submitted with your bid.

Declarations of Intention for meets must include the proposed dates of the meet(s), and a description of the meet format, splash fees, awards, entry times, etc.

Clubs who submit a Declaration will view in real-time a list of all bids, which includes type of meet proposed, and the pools and dates requested and will have until the deadline to move, delete, or edit their bid declarations.

Officials: All bidding clubs are required to have a certified Stroke and Turn Official, Starter, Administrative Official, and Referee registered with their club no later than the bid deadline. For clubs unable to meet this requirement for a Referee, Starter, and/or Administrative Official (All bid forms also must include at least one certified Stroke and Turn Official, registered with the host club, in order to bid.), the requirement can be met by acquiring a letter of intent, sent to CSI Program Operations, demonstrating the commitment of the Referee, Starter, and/or Administrative Official to work the bid meets. Note that a second Referee may be used to satisfy the requirement for an Administrative Official. Please send this letter not later than: 11:59 PM, Friday, August 13, 2021.

  • Penalty Regarding Letter of Intent for Guest Officials: Effective February 2019, bids received listing guest Meet Referees must submit the accompanying letter of intent 11:59 PM, Friday, August 13, 2021. Bids without a letter of intent will be declined by Program Operations and the bidder will be given the opportunity to bid on an off-calendar meet.

Date and Pool Conflicts: If there is more than one club bidding for a particular pool on a particular date, preference will be given to a club who has included on its bid form a list of its club’s officials, at least one of whom is a referee and one of whom is a starter, who have committed to work at that particular meet. All bid declarations also must include at least one certified Stroke and Turn Official (also registered with the host club). Bids not meeting the minimum of at least 1 Stroke and Turn official will be rejected. Clubs using guest officials will receive lower priority or exclusion in any case where Program Operations makes a determination regarding a meet award.

A lottery system will be used if there is more than one club with a full complement of officials bidding for a particular pool on a particular date. Any club with officials who receives a date by lottery will be ineligible for a second meet by lottery until all clubs with officials have received their first meet. Clubs with guest officials may also receive pools and dates by lottery; but, club(s) with a full complement of officials bidding, that club(s) will be given priority.

Jointly Hosted Meet: If the meet is jointly hosted by two clubs, only the club which the online bid was made will receive the benefit of the splash fee waiver. The Club must demonstrate in writing that various meet functions are shared between two clubs to constitute jointly hosted meet. Please send this letter to Program Operations Vice-Chair by Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Upon receipt of the document, the officials from the club in alliance will be considered equal to the bidding club. Only one (1) bid may be submitted per meet per joint host.  A meet may not be jointly hosted by more than two clubs.

Meet Announcements, session reports, and meet event files are due in the CSI office by Monday, August 23, 2021 for meets scheduled in 2021, and by Friday, October 1, 2021 for meets scheduled in 2022. IMPORTANT: If any club is late in submitting its announcement and meet files, it will be subject to partial forfeiture ($150) of its meet sanction fee deposit.

Meet Acceptance Form and Sanction Deposit for ALL meets (2021 or 2022) will be due in the CSI office by Monday, August 23, 2021. The Meet Acceptance and Sanction Deposit Form and Sanction Fee Policy are available on the club's FAST Administration page. Sanction deposits of $300 per meet, excluding exempt meets, may be paid with Visa or MC or check payable to CT Swimming. The Meet Acceptance Form is required for all meets regardless of sanction fee exemption.

If you have any questions, please contact Program Operations. Technical questions regarding the website and/or online submittal should be directed to Nan Cooper, office@ctswim.org.

Regional Championship Scheduling Procedures

CSI clubs that wish to host a 2022 SC Regional Championship meet shall be required to declare their intention to sponsor a meet by completing an online Declaration of Intention. Clubs will be required to return their declaration by July 31, 2021. Declarations will be submitted on-line at ctswim.org. Declarations will be date and time stamped by the CSI server.

Clubs who return a Declaration will receive a list of all bidders, no later than August 2, 2021. Clubs may withdraw their bids no later than August 4, 2021.

Format: CSI will be conducting up to six (6) Regional Championship meets (subject to change) on February 25-27, 2022. Declarations of Intention for meets must include: 1.) All officials registered with bidding club; 2.) Experience running championship meets; 3.) Club biography outlining club's qualifications for running a championship meet. Specifics regarding the Meet Director’s prior experience and the proposed facility including number of lanes, deck occupancy, locker facilities, and parking should be included.

Official Requirement: Upon submitting a bid, clubs are required to have the following Officials with current certifications:

  • Meet Referee
    • Penalty Regarding Letter of Intent for Guest Officials: Effective February 2019, bids received listing guest Meet Referees must submit the accompanying letter of intent by July 31, 2021. Bids without a letter of intent will be declined by Program Operations and the bidder will be given the opportunity to bid on an off-calendar meet.
  • Starter
  • Stroke & Turn Official. Bids will be rejected from clubs with no certified Stroke and Turn official registered with their club.
  • For clubs unable to meet the above Official Requirements, this requirement may be met by acquiring a letter of intent from a certified Referee and/or Starter, sent to CSI Program Operations, demonstrating the commitment of both the guest starter and/or guest referee to work the ENTIRE Regional Championship. Clubs submitting  letter(s) of intent and using guest officials may receive lower priority or exclusion in any case where the Regional Selection Committee makes a determination regarding a meet award. Please send letters of intent to Program Operations not later than July 31, 2021.
  • Selection Criteria: In selecting Regional Meet hosts the following will be taken into consideration; regional need, the Bidding club’s meet management experience,  bidding club’s prior experience hosting Regionals, the quality of the facility including number of lanes, deck space, locker rooms and parking.  If there are more clubs bidding for Regionals than Regional meets available, all of the above will be taken into consideration by the “Regional Bid Committee” and the Regional Bid Committee will select Regional meet hosts.

Regional Bid Committee: Program Operations Vice Chair, Technical Planning Chair, Age Group Chair, Program Development Vice Chair.  If any of the above Committee Members are a member of or directly associated with a bidding club, that person may participate in the meeting and discussion, but must abstain from voting.

The Regional Bid Committee will review all the declarations. Program Operations will put forth its recommendation to the CSI Board of Directors for approval. Scheduled bid award date is Monday, August 9, 2021. (The Program Operations Division and the Board of Directors reserve the right to make final Regional Championship awards later than scheduled, if necessary.)

Program Operations reserves the right to assign athletes to the awarded venues based on the number of lanes available at the selected facilities in order to prevent overcrowding during warm-up and to attempt to balance the session timelines among bidders/venues. Hosts will receive the entry fees from athletes entered and assigned to their venues.  No revenue or cost sharing between hosts will be provided.

Other requirements:

Below is a list of requirements. This list is not all-inclusive. Hosts should refer to CSI Policies and Procedures and the Meet Managers Guide.

  • The venue must have lifeguard coverage for the duration of the meet.
  • The meet database backup file including team scoring must be submitted to the CSI Office no later than Sunday evening following the conclusion of the Regional Championships.
  • Sanction Deposit, Surcharge and Meet Reports: Sanction deposit of $300 will be collected and refunded in full if all sanction requirements are met. The standard CSI short course surcharge and fine policy applies to Regional Championships. All meet reports, surcharge payment, and settlement of awards and caps are due in the CSI office 14 days after the conclusion of the meet. 
  • If applicable, meet hosts apply for Outreach funding.
  • Meet hosts are responsible for securing a facility and paying all expenses and fees.
  • Meet hosts are responsible for procuring and paying rental fees for any equipment that is necessary to run a championship meet. This includes a complete timing system with touch pads.
  • CSI will order 1-6 medals and event winner caps. Hosts will inventory awards they distribute and submit payment to CSI for used awards. Unused awards must inventoried and count sent to office@ctswim.org. Clubs will be billed for awards that are not returned by May 1. Costs are approximately $1.80 per medal and $2.50 per event winner cap. CSI will provide club scoring trophies. Settlement of awards and caps is due in the CSI office 14 days after the meet.
  • Meet database, Age Group Championship qualifying times, meet program, etc. are the responsibility of the host club. A CSI database is supplied as a courtesy.
  • Host club and officials working the meet shall adhere to CSI Warm-Up Procedures.
  • Age Group qualifying times must be included in the Regional Championship meet database and printed meet program.
  • T-shirt vendor arrangements will be made by CSI.
  • Other vendor arrangements are between host club and facility.
  • Host clubs must provide concessions for athletes and spectators.
  • Host clubs must provide a separate hospitality area for coaches/officials with food/beverages adequate for the meet length.
  • Timers must be provided adequate beverages.
  • Other requirements are listed in the CSI Policies and Procedures and the Meet Managers Guide.  Meet Acceptance Form and Sanction Deposit will be due in the CSI office by Monday, August 23, 2021.  
  • The Meet Acceptance Form and Sanction Fee Policy are available on club's FAST Administration page. Sanction deposits of $300 may be paid with credit card or check payable to CT Swimming. Payment information is posted on the Meet Acceptance Form. Before making the $300 sanction deposit, read about Sanction Deposits and Meet Cancellations.
  • If you have any questions, please contact Program Operations.
  • Host information for the Regional Championship meet announcement will be due in the CSI office by Friday, October 1, 2021. If any club is late it will be subject to partial forfeiture ($150) of its meet sanction fee deposit.

Technical questions regarding the website and/or online submittal should be directed to Nan Cooper, office@ctswim.org.

Deadline: July 31, 2021, 11:59 PM

On-line Submittal: I have read the Scheduling Procedures and would like to submit a bid.

Glossary of Meets