AGE GROUPS:  Division of swimmers by age that determines the events in which they are eligible to participate.  RCSL rules specify the following age groups:  6 & Under, 8 & Under, 9-10 year olds, 11-12 year olds, 13-14 year olds and 15-17 year olds.

ANCHOR:  The last swimmer in a relay.

BULL PEN:  Staging area at a meet where swimmers gather to receive their heat and lane assignments.

CITY CHAMPIONSHIP MEET:  End-of-season meet between all swimmers from all teams in the RCSL.

CLERK OF COURSE:  Responsibilities vary, but can include: making sure all swimmers are in the correct heat/lane prior to their race, seeding all heats, processing scratches and posting heat/lane assignments.

COMPETITIVE STROKES:  The four competitive strokes are (1) freestyle, (2) breaststroke, (3) backstroke and (4) butterfly.

COMPETITOR’S AGE:  The swimmer’s age that determines the age group in which the swimmer is placed during a meet.  In the RCSL, the eligibility of a swimmer in a particular age group will be determined by his date of birth.  A swimmer will be placed in the appropriate age group o the anniversary of his date of birth.  In instances such as the City Championship Meet when competition extends over two or more days, a swimmer’s age shall be fixed by his age on the day the meet begins.

COURSE:  The designated distance over which the competition is conducted.  The standard for individual events is 25 yards/meters for 8 & under swimmers and 50 yards/meters for 9 & up swimmers.  Relay events will be 100 yards/meters for 8 & under and 200 yards/meters for all other age groups.

DECK:  The area around a swimming pool reserved for swimmers, coaches and judges.

DQ:  Disqualification from the event.  A swimmer can be disqualified for various reasons.

DUAL MEET:  Any competition between two clubs.

E, H, L:  (Event, Heat, Lane) The order of information most swimmers write on their arms and legs before a meet begins.  For example, 49-2-4, then 69-1-7 means this swimmer is first swimming in Event 49, Heat 2 and Lane 4, then later in the meet, Event 69, Heat 1 and Lane 7.

EVENT:  Any race or series of races in a given stroke and distance for a specific age group and gender.  Example:  Girls 8 & Under 25 Yard Freestyle.

EXHIBITION:  Swimming event (freestyle) that allows all swim team members to participate in the swim meets (dual and city).  Exhibition events do not count in the total point score for any team, but usually the swimmers are provided with a participation (exhibition) ribbon.

DIVING WELL:  A separate pool or a pool set off to the side of the competition pool.  This pool has a deeper water and diving boards/platforms.  During a meet, this area may be designated as a warm-down pool with proper supervision.

FALSE START:  A swimmer moves in his position once the starter has called “take your mark.”

FLAGS:  Triangular pennants alternating two or more contrasting colors suspended on a line stretched over each lane; short course yard pool are 15 feet from the wall, in a meter pool they are 5 meters from the wall.  Used primarily to notify backstrokers that the wall is coming.

FLIP TURN:  A type of turn used in freestyle and backstroke.  As the swimmer approaches the wall, they tuck their body into a somersault, roll toward the wall and push off with their feet.

FLUTTER KICK:  The alternating kick used in backstroke and freestyle, usually 6 kicks per cycle.

HEAT:  A division of an event used to cut the number of participants, when a single race to determine the winner would mean too many swimmers competing at the same time.

HEAT SHEET:  The program for the meet, showing all the “heats” or races in chronological order, including swimmers’ names and seed times.  Heat sheets are generally available at the entrance of the pool for a nominal fee.

LANE:  The section of a pool, distinguished by line ropes, in which a swimmer is assigned to swim.  A Sharon Johnston, lanes are numbered 1 to 6, with lane 1 being the lane closest to the scoring table and lane 6 being the lane closest to the diving well.

LANE ROPE:  The easily breakable, floating markers attached to a line that stretch from the starting end to the turning end to separate each lane.

LAP:  A lap is “down and back” to the original point, thus making two lengths.  At the Sharon Johnston pool, a lap is 50 yards

LENGTH:  A length is from one side of the pool to the other.  At the Sharon Johnston pool, a length is 25 yards.

LEAD-OFF:  The swimmer to execute the first leg of the relay (Medley, Mixed and Free).

LEG:  The part of a relay event swum by one individual swimmer.

MEET:  The swimming equivalent to a “game.”  Summer league dual meets are usually held on Wednesday evenings.

MEDLEY RELAY:  Medley relay is swum by four different swimmers, each swimmer swimming one of the four strokes.  The medley relay is swum in the following order:  backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.

MIXED RELAY:  A relay composed of boy and girl swimmers

START POSITION:  The position taken by a swimmer at the beginning of the race.  The swimmer is required to have at least one foot at the front of the starting block and remain motionless until the start signal sounds.  The most common position has the swimmer bent over, knees bent and feet shoulder width apart.  some swimmers prefer a track start with one foot forward and one foot back.  During dual meets, the starts are performed from the side of the pool (not from the starting blocks).

SCORING:  Dual meet scoring is as follows:

              RELAY:  (“A” Relays ONLY)      1st place-7 points

                                                       2nd place-0 points

              INDIVIDUAL EVENTS:             1st place-5 points

                                                       2nd place-3 points

                                                       3rd place-1 point

SCRATCH:  To withdraw from an event.

SEED:  To assign a swimmer to a heat or lane according to their times.  In most cases, the fastest swimmers are in the final heat of an event.

SJST:  Sharon Johnston Swim Team

STROKE and TURN JUDGE:  A trained swim official that judges the swimmers’ legality for the event being swum.  If the stroke and turn judge finds that the swimmer’s stroke is not legal, he/she notifies the referee who can then disqualify the swimmer.

RCSL:  Rocket City Swim League

RELAY EXCHANGE:  The exchange between the swimmer in the water finishing the leg and the next swimmer on the relay team.  A smooth exchange requires the finishing swimmer’s hand to touch the wall prior to the next swimmer leaving the block (deck).

TIME CARDS:  A card that is either handed to the swimmer in the bull pen or given to the timer behind the lane.  Cards usually list the swimmers name, event number, event description and the lane and heat number the swimmer will swim in.

TOUCH:  Can be at turns or finishes.  See swimming strokes for proper touch technique(s) at turns and finishes.

TOUCH PAD:  Part of an automatic timing device placed on the wall of each lane that will register the time when the swimmer completes the distance.  The unit is activated when touched by  whatever part of the body that hits first, be it the hand, head or  foot.

WARM-UP, WARM-DOWN:  The beginning (warm-up) or ending (warm-down) section of a practice or meet where the effort is not on speed or distance, but rather to gently familiarize the body to exercise.  Very important piece of any workout as it assists in preventing injury.