Swimming Terminology

Mini Meet: A meet for swimmers 12 years old and under (sometimes 13), sometimes referred to as a Junior Meet.

Senior Meet: A meet for swimmers who will be 13 years old or older during the swim season.

Invitational Meet: An Invitational meet is a meet hosted by an individual team designed not only to provide competitive opportunities for swimmers, but also to raise funds for the team. Most Invitational meets are open to all ranges of skills and ages, however; occasionally they are designed for a

specific interest, such as distance events, or primarily younger swimmers.

Session: Larger meets are divided into sessions lasting up to 4 hours. Sessions are organized either by age (e.g. swimmers 12 and under swim in the morning session, and 13 and over swim in the afternoon) or by types of events. Smaller meets such as Dual Meets, Senior Meets and small invitationals are often a single session.

Age Group Swimming: Program through which USA Swimming provides fair and open competition for its younger members. Designed to encourage maximum participation, provide an educational experience, enhance physical and mental conditioning and develop a rich base of swimming talent. Nationally recognized age groups are 10 and under, 11-12, 13-14, 15- 16, 17-18 and 15-18. Local meets may include events for 8 and unders.

Block: The starting platform

Bulkhead: A wall constructed to divide a pool into different courses such as a 50 meter pool into two 25 yard courses.

Circle Swimming: Performed by staying in to the right of the black line when swimming in a lane, to enable more swimmers to swim in each lane.

Consolation Finals: Usually reserved for ages 13 and up, a finals event for swimmers who did not make the top 6, 8, or 10. Essentially, the second tier of finalists.

Cut: Slang for qualifying time. A time standard necessary to attend a particular meet or event.

Distance: Term used to refer to events over 400 meters/500 yards.

DQ: Disqualified. This occurs when a swimmer has committed an infraction of some kind. A disqualified swimmer is not eligible to receive awards, nor can the time be used as an official time.Treat all DQs as learning opportunites – they happen to everyone.

Drill: An exercise involving a portion or part of a stroke, used to improve technique.

Dryland Training: Training done out of the water that aids and enhances swimming performance.

Entry Form: Form on which a swimmer enters a competition. Usually includes name, age, gender, and event number(s).

False Start: Occurs when a swimmer is moving at the start prior to the starter’s signal.

Finals: The championship heat of an event in which the top six or eight swimmers from the preliminaries compete, depending on the number of lanes in the pool.

Flags: Backstroke flags placed five yards (short course) or 5 meters (long course) from the end of the pool. They enable backstrokers to execute a backstroke turn more efficiently by counting their strokes.

Goal: A specific time achievement a swimmer sets and strives for. Can be short or long term.

Gutter: The area along the edge of the pool in which water overflows during a race and is recirculated through the filtration system.

IM: Slang for the Individual Medley, an event in which the swimmer uses all four strokes in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

Lap Counter: A set of plastic display numbers used to keep track of laps during a distance race. Also, the person who counts for the swimmer stationed at the opposite end from the start.

Long Course: A pool 50 meters in length. USA Swimming conducts most of its summer competition in long course.

Long Distance: Any freestyle event over 1500 meters, frequently conducted in a natural body of water, such as a lake, river or ocean. Also known as marathon swimming.

LSC: Local Swimming Committee. Governing body for swimming on a local level. Ours is Maryland Swimming and the abbreviation for our LSC is “MD”. You’ll often see our team’s name listed as “Greater Baltimore Swim Assoc – MD”. Other LSCs you’ll sometimes see at local meets are PV (Potomac Valley) and MA (Middle Atlantic)

Maryland Swimming: The local organizing committee of USA Swimming. Their website hosts many useful links and resources for swimmers, coaches, parents, and officials. (www.mdswim.org)

Meet: Competition designed to be a learning experience by implementing what has been learned in practice. The swimmer tests himself against the clock to see how he is improving.

Meet program: Contains pertinent information regarding event, heat and lane assignments for all participating swimmers at a meet. Parents can purchase a program at the beginning of each meet

Middle Distance: Term used to refer to events of 200 yards/meters to 400 yards/meters in length.

National Age Group Time Standard: Time standards derived from the previous years' results that are broken down by age and gender as well as B, BB, A, AA, AAA, AAAA divisions. These designations are NATIONAL standards and may be used for qualifying purposes. Some LSCs have their own time standards.

National Age Group (NAG) Top 16 or Top 10: Time standards set for both short and long course based on previous years' achievements. Only times meeting these standards may be submitted for consideration each year.

Negative Split: Swimming the second half of the race equal to or faster than the first half.

Official: A judge on the deck of the pool at a sanctioned competition who is there to enforce USA Swimming rules. There are stroke and turn judges, administrative officials, starters, timers, and referees.

Pace Clock: Large clock with a large second hand and a smaller minute hand, used to check pace or to maintain intervals in practice; may also be digital.

Prelims: Slang for preliminaries, also called Heats or Trials. Those races in which swimmers qualify for the championship and consolation finals in events.

Proof of Time: A requirement at some meets to make certain that all swimmers have legally met the time standards for that meet.

Q-Time: Qualifying time necessary to compete in a particular event and/or competition.

Referee: The official who has the authority over all other officials at a meet. S/he makes all final decisions and sees to the efficient running of the meet.

Relay: An event in which four swimmers compete together as a team to achieve one time. The lead swimmer of a relay can also receive qualifying times for that 1/4 of the relay distance. In other words, in a 200 yard freestyle relay, the first swimmer can receive an official time for the 50 yard freestyle.

Scratch: To withdraw from an event in a competition.

Seeding Times: The time a swimmer uses to enter a meet. This time, which is written on the entry card, determines the position and lane assigned in a particular meet.

Set: A group of drills put together to form a complete practice.

Senior Swimming: The program through which USA Swimming provides fair and open competition in National Swimming championships. It is designed to afford maximum opportunity for participation, provide an educational experience, enhance physical and mental conditioning, and develop a pool of talented athletes for international competition. There are no age restrictions in Senior competition.

Short Course: A pool 25 yards or 25 meters in length. USA Swimming conducts most of its winter competition in short course.

Split: A swimmer's intermediate time in a race. Splits are registered every 50 yards or meters and are used to determine if a swimmer is on record pace. Under certain conditions, splits may also be used as official times.

Sprint: Describes the shorter events (50 and 100). In training, to swim as fast as possible for a short distance.

Starter: The official at a meet responsible for starting each heat and calling the next heat to the blocks.

Streamline: The position used to gain maximum distance during a start and/or push off from the wall in which the swimmer's body is as tight as it can be.

Stroke and Turn Judge: The official who determines the legality of a swimmers' strokes and turns and who disqualifies those swimmers who do not conform to the rules.

Taper: The final preparation phase prior to major competition. An older more experienced swimmer will shave his entire body to reduce resistance and heighten sensation in the water.

Time Trial: A time only swim which is not part of a regular meet.

Touch Pad: A large sensitive board at the end of each lane where a swimmer's touch is registered and sent electronically to the timing system.

USA Swimming (Inc.): The national governing body for amateur competitive swimming in the United States.

USA Card number: Unique number assigned to a swimmer, parent, coach, or official when they join USA Swimming.

Warm Down (or Cool Down): Low intensity swimming used by swimmers after a race or main practice. It rids the body of excess lactic acid and to gradually reduce heart rate and respiration.

Warm Up: Used by a swimmer prior to a main practice, set, or race. Gets muscles loose and warm and gradually increases heart and respiration.