Pacific Northwest Swimming

In order to accomplish the PNS vision of Achieving Excellence While Fostering Growth, it is imperative that Pacific Northwest Swimming promotes equal access to training resources and competition opportunities to all athletes, regardless of their individual means. Since PNS recognizes that national and international success in swimming depends on access to substantial resources, Pacific Northwest Swimming has created a process and funding mechanism that provides swimmers of limited means with additional club and LSC resources.

Outreach Membership - Athletes register through their Member Club receiving membership in USA Swimming through our Local Swim Committee (LSC) Pacific Northwest Swimming (PN).

Outreach membership offers qualified individuals the opportunity to become a USA Swimming year-round athlete member at a reduced fee.  The national fee for outreach membership is $5.00 and the Local Swimming Committee has the option to set a local fee that may not exceed $2.00.  The goal is to provide opportunities in swimming to under-represented and/or economically disadvantaged youth in the United States.  Each Local Swimming Committee determines how they will qualify athletes for outreach membership. 

  • Pacific Northwest Swimming (PN) has set the outreach membership fee at $0.00 for the athlete - the LSC pays the $5.00 fee to USA Swimming for each outreach membership processed. 

Any swimmer who provides documentation demonstrating a family income less than 250% of the federal poverty level will be registered as a USA Swimming outreach athlete member through PNS at no cost to themselves. For offset purposes, such swimmers shall be considered “Partial Offset Athletes.”

Any swimmer who provides documentation demonstrating a special situation status (such as foster child, homeless, runaway, or migrant), will be registered as a USA Swimming outreach athlete member through PNS at no cost to themselves. For offset purposes, such swimmers will be considered “Partial Offset Athletes.”

Any swimmer who provides documentation demonstrating a family income less than 125% of the federal poverty level will be registered as a USA Swimming outreach athlete member through PNS at no cost to themselves. For offset purposes, such swimmers will be considered “Full Offset Athletes."

Swimmers must provide documentation to the club registrar and the club registrar will provide PNS with a signed Outreach Membership Affidavit (form linked below) of the validity of documentation.

Meet Entry Fee Offsets (Meet Entry Vouchers)

Pacific Northwest Swimming also established the Heidloff Outreach Fund.  Meet Entry Vouchers are made available to clubs for Outreach athlete members to submit for meets within Pacific Northwest Swimming or National Meets as indicated.  Record of use is documented when Meet Financial Summaries are submitted to the PNS office by meet hosts.

  • Partial Offset Athletes will pay the athlete surcharge for the applicable meet, and PNS will offset the individual event entry fees.
  • Full Offset Athletes will receive both the athlete surcharge and individual event entry fees offset by PNS.

**CONTACT THE PNS OFFICE FOR MEET ENTRY VOUCHER FORMS

Meet Entry Voucher A (meets within PNS) or Meet Entry Voucher B (national meets as indicated).  Forms are sent directly to clubs as are completed and submitted along with meet entry payment to host club.

Training Offsets (Team Training Support)

At the 2017 HOD Meeting AD-17-01 PNS Economic Inclusion was presented and approved.  See policy for Training Offsets (Team Training Support). 

Teams may apply for PNS offset to help offset training fees offsets they provide outreach swimmers. Teams must submit a completed “Form C” for each athlete by March 15 for the short course season, and by August 15 for the long course season. Athletes must (1) be members in good standing, (2) attended 50% of all workouts provided for their training group, and (3) athletes must participate in 3 events over the course of the entire year

Contact for PNS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Vice Chair Barbara Weist