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[WHAT HAS THE SOCIETY DONE?] [COMPETITIONS]
[SAFETY, CONSERVATION & LEGISLATION]
[AWARDS] [PUBLICATIONS] [DOCUMENTS] [CALENDAR] [MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS] [OFFICERS] [LINKS]
The
Underwater Society of America was formed in 1959 by the existing
skin-diving councils; it was composed of and represented all divers in North America. It is the public diving organization
of the United States.
It is controlled by its executive committee, board of directors and
delegates of the member councils and clubs meeting annually. Currently
there are some thirty councils/clubs in the Society. (The clubs are usually
formed to play an underwater sport.) The Society functions to give national
recognition to divers.
WHAT HAS THE
SOCIETY DONE?
One
of the main functions of the Society is education and information - making
and keeping divers, councils, and clubs aware of the issues affecting them.
Since 1959, the Society has been active in issues affecting divers right to
dive, marine ecology, safety, legislation, conservation and the like. The
Society offered testimony opposing a proposed extremely restrictive California
regulation; as a result, the infamous ‘LA Ordinance’ was not
enacted state wide. Working with the councils, areas closed or
restricted to diving have been opened. USOA has offered written and verbal
testimony to both Congressional Houses and the National Park Service
regarding proposed ‘Wreck Diving Bills.’ The Society has worked
with and offered testimony to the Coast Guard in support of the red and
white ‘divers’ flag.
OTHER BENEFITS, ACTIVITIES AND
EVENTS
C.M.A.S.:
As a charter member of the World Underwater Federation (C.M.A.S.), the
Society is the sanctioning body for underwater sports in the United States.
CMAS is headquartered in Rome
where USOA sits on all CMAS Committees: Science, Technical and Sports. As a
member of CMAS, the Society sanctions yearly local, regional and national
underwater champion ships in Scuba, Free Diving, U/W Hockey, U/W Rugby, Fin
Swimming and U/W Photography. The Society is also eligible and sends teams
to all World U/W Sports Championships.
COMPETITIONS
Since
1959, National Championships have been conducted in Free Diving and Scuba
Diving. Underwater Hockey started in the US. in the late 1960’s,
and UW Hockey Nationals have been held annually since 1976. Fin Swimming
started with regional competitions in 1985 and National Championships in 1989.
Underwater Photography competitions such as the Beach Photo Champion- ships
were first held in 1987 and ‘mail in’ competitions have been
held on a regular basis. U/W Rugby is played on a regional level.
United
States National Free Diving Champions have represented the USOA in all the
biennial World Championships and have placed as high as second. World U/W
Hockey Championships are also biennial. In 1984 USOA hosted these
Championships in Chicago, IL,
and hosted again in San Jose,
CA in 1998. The USOA Women’s
u/w hockey teams have medaled often placing as high as Silver, and in 1994
the Men’s team won the Bronze in France. Competition now
includes Masters Division. In 1998, the US teams medaled in 3 of the 4
divisions: bronze in Elite Women and Open Masters and silver in Women
Masters. There were 14 countries, 36 teams and some 600 athletes and
support personnel at the World Championships held in San Jose CA.
Since then the USA
has brought home numerous Gold Medals in the Men’s and Women’s Masters
Division competitions.
USOA
Fin Swimmers participated at biennial World Championships for the first
time in 1986 in Berlin, in 1994 in China
and 1996 in _______. A team of fin swimmers represented the Society at the
World Corporate Games in 1988 and 1989. This is a new US sport with building
enthusiasm. In 1986, the International Olympic Committee accepted Fin
Swimming for potential inclusion in the Olympic Games; the next opportunity
is 2004 in Athens.
U/W
Rugby World Championships are quadrennial and will be held next in 2009. The
US participated for the
first time at the 1999 Championships in Germany
and fielded its first Women’s Team at the 2003 Championships in Denmark.
World
U/W Photography Championships were first held in Spain in 1987. USOA has sent
teams to each biennial competition, placing in the top 10 at the 1994
Championships in South
Korea. A team of one competed in 1996
and a team of two in 1998 in Norway. USOA u/w photographers
did well at the ‘50 Judges World Competition’ held in 1993
winning a gold medal and several honorable mentions. Competitors also did
well in 1995 and 1997 competition.
Anti
doping information including banned and legal substances and methods and
procedures for drug testing is available from Dr. Paul Ulbrich USOA member
of the CMAS Medical Commission.
Underwater Sports Awards:
In
1989 the Society was admitted to the United States Olympic Committee as an
Affiliated Sport. The first opportunity for Olympic competition may come in
2000 in Australia
for Fin Swimming. Each year the USOA nominates the MAN AND WOMAN ATHLETE OF
THE YEAR AWARD winners to USOC.
USOA
athletes are also honored with all sports national champions comprising the
ALL AMERICAN DIVE TEAM. Each sport also awards their MAN & WOMAN
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR. There are two Sportsmanship Awards: DAN WILKINS
MEMORIAL AWARD for U/W Hockey Nationals and the CARL JUDD MEMORIAL AWARD
for U/W Hockey Pacific Coast Championships.
SAFETY, CONSERVATION
& LEGISLATION
The
Society Safety Director chairs the University of Rhode
Island Scuba Safety Statistics research and
annual report. This data shows diving to be a safe sport while the number
of divers is increasing.
The
Society Legislative Director works with member councils and clubs on issues
of diver/diving access and regulation and is ready to offer testimony
and/or support for divers facing unnecessary or restrictive legislation.
Member councils and clubs assist their state legislatures on matters of
access, fish & game laws, underwater parks, aquatic environment and
safety. The Marine Environment Director acts in a similar fashion advising
on matters that threaten species or the marine/ aquatic environment.
An
activity to further highlight the Marine Environment is annual the Ocean
Pals Children’s Poster Contest. This competition was developed in
1984 by Beneath the Sea Dive Exposition in New York, and the winning posters are
displayed at that Show each March. This is a contest for grade school
children to heighten their awareness of the dangers to the ocean. In 1988
Ocean Pals was regionalized. Ocean Pals West is sponsored by the Society
conducting the Contest in the Western states in cooperation with Discover
Diving Show held in June in Santa
Clara, CA, where
the regional winners are displayed.
AWARDS
Since
1960, the Society has sponsored four special awards: The NOGI. The award is
symbolized by statuettes awarded in four categories: Arts, Sports/Education,
Science, Distinguished Service. The NOGI is the ‘Oscar’ of
diving and has been awarded to Jacques Cousteau, Sylvia Earl, Glen
Engstrom, Valerie Taylor, Paul Tzimoulis, Al Giddings, Stan Waterman and
Jack Mc Kenny to name only a few. The Statuettes are underwritten by
SKINDIVER MAGAZINE.
The
Society also recognizes divers on a regional basis - The Regional Divers of
the Year Award - based on the same categories as the NOGI. In 1987 the
Ocean Sentinel, Rangers of the Sea award was developed. Designed by Bob
Straight, Sea Symbols, the award is presented to those persons contributing
their efforts to marine ecology and the diving environment.
PUBLICATIONS
The
Society publishes a quarterly newsletter, Visibility which is a benefit of
membership. Other publications include a ‘How to Form a Dive
Club,’ six underwater sports outlines, u/w hockey referee manual and
rules books for national and inter national u/w sports. Available from the
Society are titles on Fin Swimming, Media and Organizing Tournaments.
DOCUMENTS
Standard Competition Rules 2006
Bylaws
2005
Download
2008 USOA Hockey Waiver
CALENDAR
April
April 5-6 George Mason UW Hockey Tourney
April 19 Passover Begins Sundown
April 19-20 OceanFest Dive Show
Ft Lauderdale by
the Sea, FL
April 21-May 3 World
Championships Aqua Challenge
Durban So Africa
April 26-27 UW
Hockey Tournament UMass/Lowell
May
May 3-4 Northwest Dive/Travel Expo
Tacoma Washington
May 11 Mothers Day
May 17-18 Atlanta
Dive Show
May 20-25 CMAS Annual Meeting Egypt
May 26 Memorial
Day Holiday
June
June 14 Flag Day
June 15 Fathers Day
June 21 First Day Summer
June 21-22 Scuba 2008 Long Beach Show
July
July 4 Independence Day Holiday
July 25-27 UW
Hockey National Championships
Gainesville Florida
July 27-29 NASO Annual Meeting Cleveland
August
August 7 Skin
National Championships
Newport Rhode
Island
September
September 1 Labor Day Holiday
September 11 Patriot Day
September 22 First Day Fall
September 26-27 DC Dive Show - NEW!
National Ships to
Reefs Meeting DC
September 29 Rosh Hashanah Begins Sundown
October
October 8 Yom Kippur
Begins Sundown
October 11 Randy Fry
Memorial Meet CA
October 13 Columbus Day
Holiday
October 22-25 DEMA Las Vegas
October 31 Halloween
November
November 2 Daylight Savings Ends
November 4 Election Day
November 11 Veterans Day Holiday
November 27 Thanksgiving Day Holiday
December
December 6-7 Florida Show, South
Florida
December 7 Pearl
Harbor Remembrance
December 21 First Day Winter
December 21 Hanukkah Begins Sundown
December 25 Christmas Day Holiday
December 26 Boxing Day/Kwanzaa Begins
January
2009
January 1 2009 New Years Day Holiday
January 3-4 Denver UW Hockey Event Tentative
January 19 MLKing Holiday
February
February 14 Valentines Day
February 16 Presidents Day Holiday
Date/location not set:
- PCC
Hockey
- PCC
Skin Diving
- Fall
CCC Meeting - LA hosting
MEMBERSHIP
BENEFITS
The
Society is a dues supported membership organization. Membership is open to
ALL divers. Membership benefits include the newsletter, car
rental discount, credit card and other services. There are also logo
decals, pins, patches, t shirts, special World Competition logo goods,
video lending library and so forth.
Benefits
of membership are also intangible - being a winner in u/w sports
competitions, representing the USA as World Championships,
advising law makers, meeting other divers from across the nation and the
world and being a safe buddy. Members help it all to come about just by
being members. So, join the Society and be a proud member!
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