Group Definitions

Red Group: Pre-Competitive Program.  There is a major emphasis on stroke technique, turns, starts, and fun. Swimmers must be able to swim 25 yards of freestyle and backstroke, and have some knowledge of the breaststroke and butterfly kicks. Four, 45 minute practices are offered each week.  Typical an 8 an under group only.

White Group 1: Each swimmer will continue to develop from what they have learned in Red Group, if 9 or older may start in this group as a base for training until all strokes, drills and technique are covered.  Each swimmer must be able to demonstrate the ability to handle regular practice routines.  Emphasis is on drills, stroke technique for all 4 strokes, turns, starts, interval training, and fun.  Swimmers in this group are encouraged to attend swim meets and learn to have fun in a competitive environment.  May be moved out of this group once coaches feel they are ready to compete.  Four hour practices each week.

Blue Group: Competitive program. This team will focus on refinement of turns, starts, stroke technique, pace, race strategies and endurance training.  Five, 1 hour and 45 minute practices are held each week. Swimmers in this group are encouraged to train three to four days per week and attend several swim meets.

Stars & Stripes Group:  Competitive Program.  This team will continue its focus on refinement of turns, starts, stroke technique, pace, race strategies and more intense endurance and dry-land training.  Five, 2 hour and 15 minute practices are held each week.  Swimmers in this group are encouraged to train four to five days per week and attend several swim meets.  To be eligible for this group swimmers must be invited and hold BB or better times with USS National Time Standards.  Be at least 13 years of age, under this age requires coaches approval.  Attendance requirement for this group.  Saturday practice TBA.

Master Group:  This is our third year offering pool time and a coach available for training and technique.


 

SWIMMING TERMS

 

Age Group Swim Meet:  all USA Swimming registered swimmers, 14 years of age and under, who have met the qualifying time standard for a specific event(s) are eligible to participate in their age category.  Age on the first day of competition shall govern the entire meet.  (See also:  Senior Swim Meet)

Age Group Swimmer:  all USA Swimming registered swimmers age 14 and under

Check-In (Positive Check-In):  the procedure required before a swimmer swims an event in a deck-seeded meet.  Sometimes referred to as positive check-in, the swimmer must mark their name on a list posted by the meet host.

Circle Seeding:  a method of seeding swimmers when they are participating in a prelims/finals event.  The fastest 18 to 24 swimmers are seeded in the last three heats, with the fastest swimmers being in the inside lanes.

Clerk-of-Course:  an area at the meet where swimmers report before their event to be arranged into their heat and lane assignments.  The clerk of course is generally located near the starting area.

Deck Seeding:  a procedure of assigning swimmers to proper lanes and heats immediately before each event at the Clerk of Course on the deck.  (See also: Psych Sheet)

IM (Individual Medley):  a race done by an individual swimmer consisting of one leg of each of the competitive strokes – butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and any other stroke (generally freestyle), in that order.

Finals (Championship or Consolation):  the session of a meet where the meet winner is determined.  It is generally swum in the evening.  Finalists are determined by the fastest swimmers in the preliminary rounds (generally swum earlier in the day).

 

Heat Sheet:  a listing of all swimmers by event number, heat, and lane assignments in the meet.  These are available for purchase at the meet.

Long Course:  a type of competitive pool, which measures 50 meters in length.  The standard size for all international competition and all world record swimming in the 50-meter course.  Typically meets conducted from the end of April through August are swum Long Course.

Prelims (Preliminaries):  in certain meets, the qualifying rounds held for each event to determine finalists.

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

Psych Sheet:  a ranking by seeding times for all swimmers entered in each race of a meet, sometimes used at meets in place of a heat sheet.

Referee:  the USA Swimming official who has the authority over all other officials at the meet.  He/she makes all final decisions and sees to the efficient running of the meet.

Seeding Times:  the time a swimmer uses to enter a meet.  This time, which is written on the entry card, determines one’s heat and lane in the particular event.

Senior Swim Meet:  all USA Swimming registered swimmers who have met the qualifying time standard for a specific event(s) to compete.

Senior Swimmer:  all USA Swimming registered swimmers age 15 and over

Short Course:  a type of competitive pool, which measures 25 yards or 25 meters in length.  Typically meets conducted from October through the end of March are swum Short Course.

Split:  a per lap time that coaches often record for teaching the concept of pacing.  For instance, a swimmer’s time for each 25-yard leg of a 100-yard event is his split.

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

 

Stoke Judge:  a certified USA Swimming official, who determines the legality of swimmer’s strokes and disqualifies those who do not conform to USA Swimming rules.

Swim-A-Thon:  a swim to raise funds in which each team members solicits pledges per length for a maximum 200 lengths or 2 hours time period.  A portion of the proceeds goes to USA Swimming and the rest of the team.

Time Standards:  certain qualifying times which have been set up annually by USA Swimming for all events in all levels of meets to insure that all competitors are of reasonably the same ability in their respective meets.  The swimmer’s goals should be betterment of his time progressing from the “B” standard to Nationals.

Touch Pad:  the part of an electronic timing system that rests in the water at the finishing end of each lane.  Swimmer’s times are electronically recorded when the pad is touched.

USA Swimming:  the governing body for all amateur swimming in the United States.  National headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 

USA Swimming # (ID):  the personal registration number of each athlete member in USA Swimming.  The formula for deriving your USA Swimming # is: birth date (6 digit format MMDDYY), first three letters of first name, middle initial, and first four letters of the last name.  For example:  John A. Smith was born September 1, 1959.  His USA Swimming # is 090159JOHASMIT