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MSC By-laws & Regulations

Mid-State Conference (MSC)

By-Laws and Meet Rules & Regulations

Last Revised - April 20th, 2022

Article I - Administration & Conference Processes

  1. The Mid-State Conference shall be governed by a board of representatives. Each team participating in MSC will provide one voting delegate to represent their prospective programs on this board. A Secondary representative will also be put forward in case of emergency or for voting in place of the team's delegate representative.
    1. Each team’s delegate will receive one vote. All decisions will be put to a vote. If voting results in a tie, no changes will be made to MSC policies and/or procedures. If a vote that results in a tie involves a decision that must be made the Board President will receive an additional vote. MSC teams must have been members of the conference for a full two seasons to officially vote on MSC decisions.
  2. Conference Governing Body Obligations & Procedure
    1. Board Members & Position Responsibilities
      1. Board President - The president's job is to organize all conference board meetings and execute the conference's yearly agenda items. Oversight of the organization and delegation of the MSC Championship Meet fall under the president's responsibilities.
      2. Board Vice President - Position appointed by the president to cover for the president when on leave and/or in case of emergency. This does not have to be a member of the board but should be a person that is knowledgeable in the current president's agenda and duties.
      3. Board Treasurer - Is responsible for all MSC banking accounts and annual MSC business-related activities for the conference. The treasurer will provide MSC with consistent information on all business & banking inquiries, as well as provide bank cards and/or written checks for MSC purchases and reimbursements.
      4. Team Delegate (as stated in Article 1A) - Responsible for keeping up with all of MSC’s annual agenda. The delegate is responsible for answering emails and placing votes in a timely manner. Board delegates are responsible for representing the views and future of their programs without personal bias. Delegates are also responsible for consistently informing and enforcing their programs with MSC information, policies, & changes.
  3. In the event that the Mid-State conference dissolves, the conference banking account will be shut down and the money will be distributed evenly amongst the current participating teams.
  4. MSC will not govern nor decide the individual team’s organization, government, or program direction. The MSC board is only dedicated to conference organization and democratic processes.
  5. Delegate Annual Requirements & Meetings
    1. Must place a vote for their program by the January voting deadline for all MSC events and changes. These ballot items are all decided at the MSC annual season review virtual meeting.
    2. Attend the annual MSC Conference meet scheduling meeting in March in person.
    3. Take care of all conference-related events in July. Meet the conference entry deadline; attend virtual conference meetings; & organize team volunteers and responsibilities at the MSC Championships.
    4. Attend the annual virtual season review meeting in August.
  6. Annual Voting On MSC Amendments & Changes
    1. At the annual season review virtual meeting, all MSC teams will be able to nominate suggested changes to MSC and/or by-law modifications & amendments.
    2. MSC teams must be a member of the conference for two full seasons and meet all MSC “New Team '' requirements in order to vote on any MSC decisions.
    3. All MSC teams will have until the annual January voting deadline to cast their delegate’s vote for the upcoming season's proposed changes and decisions. This will allow all teams time to question, assess, & research any needs before casting their program’s vote. This will include an annual review of the by-laws.

Article II - MSC Team Participation Requirements

  1. MSC teams will annually complete the MSC Registration Doc to confirm their team's participation in the current season by the March deadline. In addition, each participating team shall pay the conference fee of $150.00 (Payable to Mid-State Conference). This fee is due no later than June 15th each year. Changed to $200 in 2026
  2. Any prospective new team must be voted in by the board. After voting, all requirements listed in the addendum, “Prospective New MSC Teams Processes and Information,” must be met, and continue to be met, for two seasons. The New Team will be in a probationary period with the MSC for two full seasons. At the beginning of the team's third season the team will obtain official status within MSC.
  3. All teams must have a host facility and the ability to host meets. Total number of hosted meets is up to the host team but the minimum requirement is three meets per season.
  4. MSC teams are not allowed to wear suits, caps, shirts, etc with any “Club” or “YMCA” governed team logos at any MSC swim meet. Swimmers competing in apparel not related to a MSC team will be disqualified from competition. Teams are required to police their own programs and to inform all their program’s members of this policy.
  5. A team roster is due to the MSC President by June 15th each year. See Article III Section A.a. for more detailed requirements for team rosters.

Article III - Swimmer MSC Eligibility & Regulations

  1. Individual Swimmer Eligibility Requirements
    1. MSC is open to any athletes four to eighteen (still in their first summer after senior year). Swimmers must be officially registered with their program. The team shall be required to turn in a roster annually by June 15th. This roster can be updated throughout the season by emailing updates to the current MSC President. All swimmers must be listed on your teams official roster fourteen days before the MSC or MSCJ Championship Meet in order to participate.
    2. Swimmers must swim under their own name. If at any time any swimmer swims illegitimately under someone else’s name, the swimmer shall be disqualified from the meet. Any team points they earned up until the time of the disqualification will be forfeited.
    3. A swimmer must only participate in one age group in any given meet reflecting the swimmers age or an older age level. A swimmer may never “swim down” an age group for the entire meet.

Article IV - MSC Meet Rules & Regulations

  1. Standard Meet File Regulations
    1. In a dual meet each team is allowed 3 scoring swimmers per individual event and 2 scoring relay teams. In tri-meets each team is allowed 2 scoring swimmers per individual event and 2 scoring relay teams. All scoring heat swimmers will place in heat 1 when assembling your teams entry file
    2. Exhibition swimming is allowed for 8&under and the 9-10 age groups only and will not exceed one extra heat per event. The exhibition heat will run in heat two and swimmers will be designated “exhibition” when assembling your teams meet file. Exhibition swimmers selection is up to the discretion of the teams coach.
    3. Teams will follow the standard meet layout of 64 events as designated by MSC.
      1. Meet files shall be sent from teams A.O. or team representative to the host teams A.O. 24 hours before the hosted meet. Changes to these entries can be made up until warm-ups of the hosted meet.
      2. Meet files must include birth dates, entries, entry times, and heat/lane assignments.
        1. Dual Meets - Home team will enter in odd lanes (1-3-5-7) and the away team will enter in even lanes (2-4-6-8)
        2. Double Dual Meets - Host team will be in lanes 2&5. Visiting team (1) will be in lanes 1&4 or visiting team (2) will be in lane 3&6. Teams must be notified of their lane assignments 7 days before the meet. This allows visiting teams to finish entry files and note cards.
      3. Coaches are responsible for making entry cards with heat and lane assignments prior to each meet. These cards are to be distributed to athletes before their events.
    4. Meet file scoring will follow the following regulations
      1. Dual Meets
        1. Individual Events 6-4-3-2-1-0 or (7-5-4-3-2-1)
        2. Relay Events 8-4-2-0 or (10-6-4-2)
      2. Double Dual Meets
        1. Individual Events 4-3-1-0 or (5-3-2-1)
        2. Relay Events 6-3-1-0 or (8-5-3-1)
  2. Host Team Meet Requirements
    1. Week day evening meets warm-ups will begin at 5:30 pm to 5:55 pm and the meet will begin promptly at 6:00 pm. Weekend meets warm-ups will begin at 8:30 am to 8:55 am and the meet will begin promptly at 9:00 am. This schedule will be in effect unless changes are agreed to both coaches.
    2. Host team will provide all necessary equipment: starting blocks, stop watches, lane lines, starting gun, award ribbons, etc. to run a meet.
    3. Facility backstroke flags will be used for all meets. They must be 15 ft from each end of the pool and should be approximately 7ft high.
    4. Ribbons will be awarded for 1st through 6th place for individual, as well as relay events.
  3. Meet Rules for the Meet & Individual
    1. Each swimmer may be entered in 3 individual and 2 mixed relay events.
    2. Relays
      1. There are two relays available freestyle and medley. In each of these relays swimmers must swim with at least one swimmer of the opposite sex.
        1. 3 boys and 1 girl
        2. 2 boys and 2 girls
        3. 3 girls and 1 boy
      2. Medley Relay will be swam in the following order: backstroke - breaststroke - butterfly - freestyle
    3. Meet Disqualifications
      1. Swimmer Disqualifications may be called by the starter. Standard meet disqualifications will only be given if the starter determines that the swimmer was given a clear unfair advantage
        1. Swimmers doing the wrong stroke in an event.
        2. Swimmers leaving block early during a relay start
        3. Swimmers leaving their assigned lane and swimming in another lane during the event.
        4. Swimmers violating any section of “Article III”
        5. If a disqualification occurs the meet starter must notify the A.O..Who will document and notify the coach of the swimmer who has been disqualified. Swimmers will not be told nor notified of disqualification by anyone other than their coach.

Article V - MSC & MSCJ Championships Eligibility & Regulation

  1. MSC & MSCJ Meet Entry Requirements
    1. All teams must complete all the steps and requirements set forth in the addendum “,MSC & MSCJ Individual Team Requirements 2022.”
    2. Swimmers must swim a minimum of four regular season meets and must be entered on the teams roster by the deadline prior to conference. Coaches must provide proof of swimmers' meet attendance if questions arise.
    3. Each team participating in a MSC Championships must meet the current MSC requirement for volunteers as stated in the addendum listed above in Article V Section A.a.
    4. Each team must have verification of authentic times at the seed meeting. All times must come from one of their required four in season meets. Proof of time shall be accepted in either a list of “top ten times” or a copy of a meet result. Any unverified times will be entered as a “No Time,” entry. All entries must be in yards or converted yards. Any swimmer with a meter entry time will be seated below swimmers with yard entries.
    5. Teams are required to meet the following conference deadlines and have a member in attendance at any of these meetings.
      1. July 2nd - Final MSC Team Rosters are Due
      2. July 6th - MSC Champs Team Volunteer Registration are Due by midnight
      3. July 7th - MSC & MSCJ T-shirt sales due by 10:00 am
      4. July 12th - 7:00 pm - 2022 Conference Entries Due
      5. July 13th - 7:00 pm - Conference Champs Seed Meeting (Virtual Meeting)
    6. All teams must have a representative at the MSC Seed Meeting. Teams not in attendance will be seated with all “no time” entries. There will be absolutely no changes to events after the conference seed meeting. With the exception of relay participants.
    7. All teams are required to meet the July 12th by 7:00 pm deadline for conference entries. After receiving your team's entries the meets admin official will send your team an entry list. This list will have all your swimmer's entries. Check these entries thoroughly. You will be asked to confirm said entries and respond via email to the meet’s AO. The AO will then send a heat sheet out to all teams. This heat sheet is not to be distributed amongst your teams. MSC reserves the right to sell these heat sheets during the meet.
  2. MSC Championships will follow “USA Swimming” meet regulations for the conference meet. The MSCJ Championships will follow the addendum “, Mid-State Conference DQ Rules.” Both sets of rules will be provided annually by MSC.
  3. Updated MSC & MSCJ meet packet and file can be found annually on the “Mid-State Conference Directory & Information Center.”
  4. MSC Championship Scoring & Awards
    1. Scoring
      1. Individual Events 14-11-10-9-8-6-4-3-2-1
      2. Relay Events 28-22-20-18-16-12-8-6-4-2
    2. Awards
      1. Individual Swimmers will receive awards for 1-8 place finishes at conference meets. Top three will receive medals and 4-8 will receive ribbons.
      2. Relay swimmers will receive medals for top three finishers.
      3. Swimmers will receive high point awards given to the boy and girl from each age group who accumulated the most individual points at MSC or MSCJ Champs. In the event of a tie. Both swimmers will receive awards.
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