Registration
The New England Local Masters Swimming Committee (NELMSC) includes USMS-registered clubs, workout groups, coaches and swimmers in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
As of September 20, 2025, there were over 2,100 individual members, 21 clubs (including a large regional club with 1,200+ members) and 44 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.
USMS Standard Membership purchased between:
November 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025, cost $75 and expire on December 31, 2025.
November 1, 2025, and October 31, 2026, cost $75 and expire on December 31, 2024.
USMS+ Premium Membership (standard benefits plus additional benefits) purchased between:
November 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, cost $249 and expire December 31, 2025.
November 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, cost $249 and expire December 31, 2026.
USMS Year-Plus Membership membership purchased between:
July 1, 2025, and October 31, 2025, cost $125 ($50 for 2025 + $75 for 2026) and expire on December 31, 2026.
July 1, 2026, and October 31, 2026, cost $125 ($50 for 2026 + $75 for 2027) and expire on December 31, 2027.
USMS Bridge Membership: Automatic complimentary USMS membership for every registered member of College Club Swimming. Every USMS bridge member is affiliated with their respective college club team (USMS bridge club) in the national CCS LMSC (58) and is automatically assigned a USMS member ID that is separate from their CCS member ID. A bridge member cannot affiliate with a different USMS club in another LMSC without first purchasing a standard membership. Bridge members can only access the digital version of SWIMMER Magazine. Otherwise, bridge members have all the same USMS membership benefits as standard members.
How to find your USMS member ID: Search the public USMS membership directory or log into your USMS account via this link or by clicking the cap icon at the top right of the USMS website navigation bar.
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 at the event host’s discretion but does not allow OEVT memberships for pool events. The OEVT fee for sanctioned events is $20.
USMS ACCOUNT & transfer SELF MANAGEMENT
Members can self-manage their their USMS account and change their club or workout group affiliations (if applicable) by logging into their My Account dashboard. The My Account Updates webpage explains who sees what information on their dashboard.
Per article 201.3 Representation/Club Affiliation of the USMS rule book, a swimmer may change club affiliation while renewing their annual individual USMS membership and up to three (3) additional times during the membership year. Transfers will take effect immediately.
For help effecting your transfer, watch this video tutorial or contact the membership coordinator of the destination LMSC or the USMS national office at membership@usms.org.
Club and Workout Group Registration
To register or renew a club or workout group with USMS, 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.
There is a $75 annual fee to register or renew a club or workout group with USMS. 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 so that current and prospective members can find your program in the Club Finder and/or affiliate with it in their USMS member record.
nelmsc REGISTRATION & renewal SUBSIDIES
The New England LMSC has once again budgeted funds to cover the $75 USMS annual registration fee for most of our clubs and workout groups. Accordingly, the NELMSC membership coordinator will arrange for the USMS national office to automatically renew the annual USMS registration for all New England clubs and workout groups that have 5 or more individual USMS members officially affiliated with that club or workout group in their respective USMS member record as of September 20, 2025:
Those clubs and workout groups that qualify need not pay or seek reimbursement for their 2026 renewal — it will happen automatically. However, it is essential that the primary contact for each club and workout group log into their USMS Club Dashboard and verify their name and contact details, make any needed changes, and otherwise keep their public Club Finder profile up to date throughout the year.
If your club or workout group does not want its USMS membership automatically renewed, please contact NEmembership@usms.org.
SUBSIDIES for new clubs & workout groups
The NELMSC may consider covering the initial $75 USMS annual registration fee for new clubs and workout groups on a case-by-case basis. If interested, contact the NELMSC membership coordinator.
“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