How DeKalb County Swim Meets Work
This
information is for both swimmers and parents. Some things about swim meets can make them more enjoyable and understandable.
General
Dual
meets (home team vs. visiting team) are held on 5 successive Tuesday nights beginning at 6PM.
Dual swim meets last approximately 3 to 3.5 hours.
Competition
is in divisions determined by the number of swimmers on a team and previous win/loss records of the teams. Each team has two
scoring entries and the balance of exhibition entries (to insure that all swimmers have the chance to compete) in each of
the 76 events.
An
individual swimmer may be entered in two relay and two individual events. In
order to equalize competition between teams of different sizes, swimmers may be entered in a third individual event if all
swimmers in his/her age group have been entered for points in two events.
Children
are usually entered in each meet unless the coach receives written notice that the child will be gone.
Following
the dual meet season, there is a divisional meet for ALL the swimmers from the teams in your club’s division. Each swimmer
may be entered in two individual events and in two relays. There is no limit to the number of swimmers from a club who may
be entered in each divisional meet event. The eight best times for each relay event and the sixteen best times for each individual
event in a compilation of times from the four divisional meets qualify for the Championship meet following the divisional
meets.
Detailed Information
There
are 76 events in every swim meet. The order of events is always the same. The first twelve events and last ten events are
relays with four swimmers in each relay. The first two events are 6 & under free relays with four swimmers each swimming
one length of free style. The next ten relays are called medley relays –each child in the relay swims a different stroke. The order of strokes is always the same - backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and
free style. The last ten relays are free relays. The swimmers may swim the stroke of their choice –usually the so-called
“free” stroke. There must be four swimmers in each relay and a swimmer may swim in only one medley and one free
relay. This means that if a child is scheduled to swim in a relay and is not at the meet, and the coach cannot find a substitute,
the other three children do not get to swim.
Events
13-66 are all individual events. “25 Free” indicates that the swimmer will swim 1 length of the pool (25 yards
or meters) in freestyle. The number indicates the number of yards or meters the
swimmer will swim. Pools are either 25 yards or 25 meters in length. 100 IM (individual
medley) is an event in which one swimmer swims four different strokes –1 length of butterfly, 1 length backstroke, 1
length breaststroke and 1 length free style.
All
competition is age-group competition which means that children swim against others of the same age and gender. There are twelve
slots for point swimmers in each age group (except six and under, two swimmers for each group of events - free style, backstroke,
individual medley, breaststroke and butterfly. Teams may enter exhibition swimmers when space allows. Six and unders have
only two events (25 free & 25 back), but may swim in the 7- 8 age group. Swimmers may “swim up” in the older
age groups if necessary to fill all the entry slots for the team.
Each
group of events is completed for all the age groups before anyone swims the events in another stroke. For example –every
age group will swim the freestyle events before the backstroke events start. This could mean that your seven year old may
be entered in events #1, #13, #45, and #77, so you must plan to attend the entire meet.
Many
swimmers and parents do not understand that swimming is both an individual and a team sport. Points are won and ribbons awarded
for all places and the team score is determined by total number of points –NOT how many firsts a team wins. Please stress
this to your children. Each swimmer should also compete with themselves by trying to better their times from previous meets.
Some teams reward all swimmers who better their own times.
Children
should report to the coach upon arrival in preparation for warmup between 5 and 5:30. They must then report to the team bullpen
at the meet site by 5:30PM. Swimmers are expected to stay in the bullpen throughout the meet (except when going to the restroom,
getting food, or helping the bullpen moms/dads). The coaches may also have to make changes in swimmer assignments during the
meet –some people may be absent and someone is needed for their events. Please explain this to your child –they
will NOT be put in events they are not capable of swimming, but they may be asked to swim a stroke they do not like.
All
finishes are judged finishes. Each team supplies two place judges for each meet. This panel of judges determines the order
of finish. Times are NOT used. Times for each event are taken to help the swimmer and coach chart the progress of the swimmer.
The label indicating the order of finish prepared by the place judges is attached to the home team copy of the event sheets.
If
you have questions about how a meet is run, how swimmers are assigned to events, etc. please talk with Curtis Adams or Lloyd
Solomon prior to the meets. If something arises during the meet that you do not understand, please feel free to talk to either
after the meet. It is very busy during the meet and they likely will not be able to discuss things fully with you at
that time.
The
2007 Divisional meet will be held at Emory. Automatic timing with touchpads will be used. The meets are for every swimmer,
not just those who can qualify for the Championship meet. Every child should be encouraged to swim in the divisional meet
and take part in an atmosphere similar to a world-class event. Events are the same as in dual meets. More than two swimmers
from a team may be entered in all events. Order of events in divisional meets is the same as for dual meets. At the Championship
final all relays are swum at the beginning of the meet.
