We have attempted to provide as much information to our parents and swimmers as we can on our website.  We have also put together some frequently asked questions.  If you do not see the answer that you are looking for, please feel free to contact any board member or the webmaster.  Your question will be passed on to the appropriate individual for response.

What is a swim meet and how many are there?

A swim meet is an organized competition between swim teams in a given category of the RCSL (A, B or C).  These are called dual  meets.  At the end of the season, a RCSL Championship City Meet is held over a two day period that includes all teams in the league.

When are swim meets?

Except for the championship city swim meet, our swim meets are on Wednesday nights.  Warm-ups start at 5:30 pm and the meet begins at 6:30 pm.  We will have time trials before the dual meets start to give all swimmers the opportunity to swim all of the events.  The coach will usually schedule one or two additional (“candy” of “B”) meets during the season that are held on Saturday mornings and are not for points, but allows the swimmers to swim all strokes (except for relays).

How is a swim meet organized and how long does it last?

A dual meet consists of 42 events.  For example, event 1 is the 8 & Under Girls 100 yard Medley Relay.  Individual events may have several heats (races) since there are often more swimmers swimming that there are lanes.  In our pool, we have only six lanes, so if 10 swimmers are swimming in a event, there will be two heats.  It usually takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete a dual swim meet.

Do we have an official swim suit for meets?

Our official swim suit can be purchased from First Place Athletics.  Just tell them you swim for SJST.

How do I know when my child is supposed to swim?

You can purchase a heat sheet which will list all the events and the swimmers.

What is a mixed relay?

A mixed relay consists of 2 girls and 2 boys.

What is a medley relay?

A medley relay is a relay with 4 swimmers where each of the swimmers swim different strokes.  Think of a vegetable medley with 4 different types of veggies.  The first swimmer swims the backstroke, the next swimmer swims the breaststroke, then butterfly and finally freestyle.  Each member of an 8 & under relay swims 1 length of the pool.  In all of the other age groups, each swimmer swims a 50 of their stroke.

How do I get on a parents relay?

Excellent question.  Ask one of the coaches to be on a parent relay.

How can parents help?

We need lots of parent help.  We need volunteers to help time, start, referee, record times, print ribbons and collect cards for timers, etc.  Kids are very proud of their parents when they see them participating in their swim meets.  Parents can also help by being supportive and encouraging of their child.  Hopefully, our kids will develop a life long love of swimming not just for competition, but also for health.

Will my child get to participate in the City Meet?

Not all of our swimmers will get to swim a stroke other than freestyle in the city meet.  Unfortunately, we are only allowed three swimmers for each event except in the exhibition freestyle event.  At the city meet they have a freestyle exhibition and award ribbons 1 to 16.  Your child must swim in 2 dual meets in order to compete at the city meet.  The top three swimmers in each event will swim that stroke in the city meet.

Why is my child not swimming in a relay?

This is probably best explained by an example.  Take the freestyle relay, for instance, in which four swimmers participate.  If there are only three swimmers in your child’s age/gender group, then there are not enough swimmers to make a relay team.  If there are more than four swimmers, but less than eight, then there are only enough swimmers to make one relay team.  In the latter case, the swimmers with the top four individual freestyle times are chosen for the relay team.  Only “A” relays from each team is awarded points during a dual meet.

Does it matter what order the medley relay is swam in?

Yes, the medley relay must be swum in the following order:  backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.

How can we tell who wins the meet?

All swimmers swimming in a competition event are placed and scored.  Swimmers swimming in an exhibition event are not scored or placed.  a place judge for each team sits at the finish line and decides which swimmer was first, second and so on.  Points are assigned based on place (see “scoring” terminology for points awarded) and tallied up by the scorekeepers as the meet progresses.  At the end of the meet, the team with the most points wins.  Dual swim meet results can be found on the RCSL website.  These official results are usually posted within 48 to 72 hours after the meet.  Once the results are verified, they will be posted here under Swim Meet Results.

How can I tell what event we are on?

The official (starter) with the bullhorn that starts each race will announce the event and heat before each race.

Why do we have exhibition swimmers?

Each team is limited to three swimmers in each competition (scored) event.  A freestyle exhibition event allows every swimmer on the team an opportunity to swim in a dual meet.  Exhibition events are important because they allow your swimmer to improve their time and it helps the coaches track their progress.  Please help your child understand that they should watch for and celebrate “best times,” which are their personal records in this stroke.  Their times will be on the exhibition ribbons that are given out a few days after each meet.

My child got DQ’d.  What is this about?

For some of the strokes there are technical things that they legally can and can not do.  For example, in butterfly and breaststroke, they must touch the wall with both hands and simultaneously during the turn and finish of the race.  If the official notices that a child is doing something illegal for that stroke, they can get disqualified or DQ’d.  The coach can find out exactly what they did wrong so they can work on it for the next meet.  Try not to make a big deal about this.  All swimmers are DQ’d at least once during their swimming career.

I don’t see my question here.  What do I do?

If you have any more questions ask a board member/committee head or email the webmaster.