2000 MACA Website Awards
By Ray Novitske
The Second Annual Masters Aquatics Coaches Association News Web Awards were recently announced, with two of the winners located in Potomac Valley. Both Alexandria Masters and District of Columbia Aquatic Club were named as two of the top ten USMS team web sites in the nation. The MACA News Web Awards recognize outstanding local and regional web communications projects in Masters swimming. Aside from the USMS Newsletter of the Year Award, there is no other recognition for communications sponsored by any swimming organization in the United States.
Team and LMSC web sites found listed with USMS were evaluated for excellence in several categories, with the winners scoring well in all. Design (look and feel, layout, and organization of the site), navigation (getting around, ease of use, and quickly finding out what you want), and content (essential team information) were three non-technical criteria used. Content was judged from the perspective of three main customers: potential members, members, and visitors from other clubs. Speed/Load Time and Technical Correctness (coding, Javascript, browser and platform compatibility) were also evaluated.
Alexandria Masters is new to the top ten list this year. MACA's newsletter states, "Alexandria Masters Swimming website has most everything a great website should have. It is well organized, highly informative, nicely designed, and easy to navigate." The team's site is designed and maintained by Ray Novitske, and continues to provide the basis for the team's communications and continued membership growth. The address is: http://members.aol.com/swimsite.
The DCAC website is also new to the top ten this year, after being awarded an honorable mention last year. MACA noted, "DCAC is the most successful IGLA affiliated club in the US, and their website has officially become part of their success by making the MACA list. DCAC scored well in a majority of categories, including design, content, navigation, and technical correctness." Brian Gluckman produces the team's site and revised its format earlier in the year. The address is: http://www.swimdcac.org. All winners and judging criteria can be found in the Fall 2000 MACA News.