We have also added a link on the Officials Documents page to the USA Swimming Officials Applications and Forms page, the Officials Tracking System and the USA Swimming Officials Education and Training Documents page.

As a reminder, you can always use the search box in the meet page (see below) to find a specific meet.  The search works very well and starts eliminating meets as you type.  The search option will search for any field, a team name, a date, a location etc.

Some other changes we have recently made:

There will be free parking for those attending the Spring HOD meeting April 21-22 but the Greensboro Coliseum will be hosting other events throughout the weekend.  Please tell the parking attendant that you are there for  the North Carolina Swimming HOD meetings and be prepared to show your current USA Swimming membership cards to ensure free parking.  Thank you.

Background Check information from the USA Swimming Website:

Background
In 2006, USA Swimming was among the first National Governing Bodies to implement a program requiring criminal background checks for coaches. At the 2010 Convention, the House of Delegates updated this requirement to include all non-athlete members. USA Swimming has contracted AISS to provide a new background check program for these members. AISS is an industry leader with 40 years experience.

Purpose
The purpose of this background check is to determine an individual’s eligibility for membership in USA Swimming. Criminal background checking is not intended to serve as a pre-employment screening program. The background checking process is a criminal record search and is not a substitute for a club conducting appropriate pre-employment inquiries of applicants. Clubs should carefully check references and prior employers. 

Deadlines
Below are the deadlines for specific member groups to complete the new background check requirement.

    - All non-athlete members who have not previously completed the USA Swimming background check must successfully complete the new background check in order to maintain valid membership.
    - All non-athlete members who have previously completed the USA Swimming background check before September 1, 2010, are required to complete the new check prior to April 30, 2011.
    - Any non-athlete members who completed the USA Swimming background check after September 1, 2010 must complete the new background check prior to December 31, 2011. 

Directions
Completing a USA Swimming background check is an online process that starts on this page. Click on “Initiate a Background Check” to start. You will start the process on the USA Swimming website and subsequently be directed to the AISS website. On the USA-S site you will select the appropriate check:
    - Coaches and Officials  – Level 2, or
    - All Other Non-Athlete Members – Level 1
Once on the AISS site, you will provide the information requested and pay for the check. You will typically receive results in 3-5 business days. Print and save the last page as confirmation that you initiated a check. If you encounter a problem with the process, please contact AISS Customer Service at 800-853-3228 and select option 2.

Key Program Details
- Coaches and officials are required to complete a Level 2 Check; all other non-athlete members must complete a Level 1 check.
- The Level 2 check is $39; Level 1 is $19
- Anyone who has been associated with an address in certain New York counties within the past 10 years may be subject to an additional fee for county criminal searches (see FAQ #10).

- The criteria used to evaluate background checks is presented in the Program Overview PDF
- Background checks must be renewed every 24 months
- AISS will perform checks based on four key identifiers – name, address history, date of birth and social security number.

- Protection of sensitive personal information is a key component of the program
- Members without a SSN may be required to take an international check (see (FAQ #13). Please contactemail hidden; JavaScript is required to request information regarding international checks.
- The program will provide members an opportunity to challenge incorrect information in the background check report before a membership decision is made.

Information from USA Swimming about the Athlete Protection online course:

USA Swimming is committed to raising awareness about prevention of abuse in sport.  We are proud to partner with Praesidium, an industry expert in abuse prevention, to bring the swimming community customized and comprehensive training tools for coaches, and volunteers.

Our training tools will help you:
- Understand the scope and effects of abuse in sport
- Recognize the signs of grooming behavior and boundary violations
- Understand how to establish boundaries and protect against false allegations
- Know how to react and report when you suspect abuse

Existing 2011 non-athlete members are required to complete the USA Swimming safe sport training course by December 31, 2011.   Individuals not currently registered are required to complete the course before they can become members.  

Brand new members will be required to have their non-athlete application form and payment processed by their LSC registrar before they can sign in to complete the course.

The course is free of charge and should take about an hour to complete.