Swim Meets

There are several types of swim meets available to Swim Alberta sanctioned Winter Competitive Swim Clubs (like us). The length of the short course racing pool is 25 meters and the long course pool is 50 meters. The short course season runs through the fall and winter while the long course season runs during the spring. The pool has five to ten lanes and each lane must be at least 2.5 meters wide. The water temperature must be kept at a minimum of 24 degrees Celsius.

A swim meet typically involves a number of individual and team relay events with swimmers participating in up to seven or eight events. The cost per event is typically $4.00 to $6.00. A swim team is composed of any number of swimmers competing in different age groups and meets depending on their achievement level and how old they are on the first day of the meet. Nationally recognized age groups are 10 and under, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16 and over. Local meets may also feature events for 8 and under swimmers.

Scoring: Each meet is scored according to the hosting club's rules. A typical scoring system for 6-lane pools may be:

1st place: 6 points 2nd place: 4 points 3rd place: 3 points 4th place: 2 points 5th place: 1 point

although this is dependent upon the hosting club's wishes. Larger clubs with more swimmers in attendance will naturally accumulate more points than smaller clubs.

Did you know that the Swim Meets that we host in our own pool are not only for fun, but are also an important fund-raiser? We truly need your help and support for these meets. You will be called upon to help officiate at these meets.

This year, we will be hosting a meet in March 2006.

Invitational Meets these meets include all meets other than provincial and national meets. Although they are usually focused on the majority of age-group swimmers, they may require minimal entry times. It is up to the hosting club to set up these guidelines. Most large invitational meets as well as Provincial and National meets are time-blocked based on age. E.g. '12 & unders' will swim in the morning time block and '13 & over' will swim in the afternoon time block. This is designed so that the swimmers don't have to spend an entire day on deck while waiting to swim 2 or 3 events.

The hosting club usually dictates a maximum number of swims per swimmer. In addition, many clubs have to enforce a maximum total entry number in order that the meet doesn't become too populated and run outside of allotted pool booking times (this is why parents need to inform us in good time of whether their child(ren) will be attending specific meets.) If our club is late in producing entries for a specific meet, we may not be able to attend due to the maximum total entry number being reached. Each swimmer must pay an entry fee per swim (not included in our registration fees). Our club pays this amount before our swimmers are officially registered in the meet. The Ponoka Pool Sharks will be requesting funds to represent the maximum number of swims allotted to your child(ren) before they are entered.

Provincial Meets When a swimmer has reached a specific time standard for their age group (as shown on the time standards included in this handbook), they qualify to attend a provincial sanctioned swim meet. 'B' standards and 'A' standards have separate provincial meets. If a 'B' swimmer attends 'B Provincials' and attains an 'A' time, they are then eligible to attend the 'A Provincial Championship' meet in the same season. 'A' swimmers are not eligible to swim at 'B Provincials'. '10 and Under' swimmers must attain a 'Qualifying Time', the equivalent to an 'A' time, although that age group usually swims at the 'B Provincials' due to their size and speed in relation to older 'B' swimmers. Changes to these rules are always inevitable, and each year Swim Alberta and SNC (Swim/Natation Canada) pass rulings designed to streamline the provincial meets and benefit competitors.

At most swim meets, heat sheets (or psych sheets) are available. Coaches receive one per team or one per coach. Clubs often sell heat sheets to parents and spectators as a form of club fundraising. These tabled sheets show each event broken down into age groups, times and events. Various methods are used to list the swimmers and events:

• Senior seeding: this sorts all swimmers by gender, fastest to slowest. Age is not relevant during the swims, although the results sheet will sort the swimmers by gender, event, age group and time.
• Circle seeding: the list is sorted by gender, age group, swim event and time. The list is usually broken down into heats (number of swimmers per group = number of lanes available), showing the swimmers in their respective lanes. Middle lanes are seeded fastest and outer lanes are seeded for slowest swimmers. This type of heat sheet will not necessarily list swimmers fastest to slowest or vice versa, but each heat is competitive within itself.
• Time seeding: this is very similar to Senior Seeding, although swimmers are broken down by gender, age, and event. No indication of lane appointment is made in the list.

On The Deck:Before a swimmer actually swims, they are called into a 'Marshalling area' where they are confirmed present, appointed a heat and lane and will remain there until their turn to swim comes. If a swimmer does not report to the Marshalling area on time, they stand the risk of being scratched from further competition in the meet. A ruling on these types of infractions is up to the hosting club and their rules set forth for the specific meet. The meet referee has the final say.

Empty lanes? In swim meets, often heats are run with empty lanes. An example will show why. If 11 swimmers are entered in an event in a 5-lane pool, the usual course of action is to run 3 heats; 2 with 4 swimmers and 1 with 3 swimmers. This gives the swimmers fair competition in each heat without leaving 1 alone in a heat. Sometimes, depending on the meet referee, extra swimmers may swim with a different age group to even up numbers and speed up the meet, but mixing genders is usually frowned upon during competition. The swimmer and coach are usually consulted before this type of decision is made.

Open Events: These events occur, usually in smaller meets, in order to allow swimmers of all ages to swim a specific event that normally doesn't have high attendance. (i.e. 800m and 1500m freestyle, 400 IM) The results for these events are NOT broken down by age group. The focus for the event is primarily for swimmers to attain a time for reference in a larger meet.

The Start: All sanctioned meets use a one-start rule. Swimmers are called to the starting position by the starter who visually checks that all swimmers are down and motionless.No movement on any kind is allowed at this time.If a swimmer makes any motion prior to the actual start, they will be pulled from the race and disqualified from the swim.This disqualification may be done by stopping the race and pulling the swimmer out of the water or by letting the race continue and disqualifying the swimmer at the end of the race.  The starter uses an audible electronic tone and a visual flash, or a starter's pistol to start the race.

Turns: Quick turns are essential to a good race. Swimmers are taught different turns for each of the four competitive strokes.These turns can vary from a somersault when approaching the wall, as in freestyle, to a technical procedure as displayed in both breaststroke and backstroke.The object of the tight turn is to contact the wall and accelerate away with maximum efficiency so that little time is lost in the race.

THE STROKES

FREESTYLE: In the freestyle, the competitor may swim any stoke he or she wishes. The usual stroke used is the front crawl. This stroke is characterized by the alternate overhand motion of the arms. The freestyle is swum in 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500 meter distances.

BACKSTROKE: In the backstroke, the swimmer must stay on his or her back at all times. The stroke is and alternating motion of the arms. At each turn, a swimmer must touch the wall with his or her hand before executing the turn maneuver. Swimmers must surface within 15 meters after the start of the race. Backstroke race distances are 50, 100 and 200 meters.

BREASTSTROKE: Perhaps one of the most difficult strokes to master, the breaststroke requires the simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pushed forward from the breast on or under the surface of the water and brought backward and simultaneously. The kick is a simultaneous thrust of the legs called a "frog" or breaststroke kick. No flutter or dolphin kicking is allowed. At each turn, a swimmer must touch with both hands at the same time. Breaststroke races are distances of 50, 100, and 200 meters.

BUTTERFLY: The most physically demanding stroke, the butterfly features the simultaneous overhead stroke of the arms combined with the dolphin kick. The dolphin kick features both legs moving up and down together. No flutter kicking is allowed. The butterfly was developed in the early 1950's as the result of a loophole in breaststroke rules. Butterfly races are distances of 50, 100, and 200 meters.

INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: The individual medley, commonly referred to as the IM, features all four competitive strokes. In the IM, a swimmer begins with the butterfly, changes to the backstroke, then the breaststroke, and finally finishes with the freestyle. The IM is swum in 100, 200, and 400 meter distances.

RELAY: In the medley relay, four different swimmers swim all four strokes. No swimmer may swim more than one leg of the relay, which is swum in backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle order. The medley relay is 400 meters in distance, or four by 100 meters.

OFFICIALS: Officials are present at all competitions to implement the technical rules of swimming and ensure that the competition is fair and equitable. Officials attend clinics, pass a written test, and work meets before being certified. All parents are encouraged to become involved in some form of officiating:

TIMERS: operate timing devices (watches or automatic timing systems) and record the official time for the swimmers in their lane.

STROKE AND TURN JUDGES: observe to ensure that the stroke, kick, turns and finishes comply with the rules applicable to each stroke.

CLERK OF COURSE: arranges the swimmers in their proper heats and lanes.

STARTER: assumes control of the swimmers from the referee, directs them to "take your mark", and sees that no swimmer is in motion before giving the start signal.

REFEREE: has overall authority and control of the competition, ensuring that all rules are followed. Assigns and instructs all officials and decides all questions relating to the conduct of the meet. Violations of the rules are reported to the referee, and the rules require that every reasonable effort be made to notify the swimmer or coach of the reason for disqualification. If your child is disqualified (DQ'd) in an event, be supportive rather than critical. For beginning swimmers, a disqualification should be treated as a learning experience, not a punishment. A disqualification alerts the swimmer and coach to what portions of the swimmer's stroke require correction.