Frequently Asked
Questions
Q: On the entry form it always
asks for a seed time. What is a seed time?
A: Swimmers’ seed times are their personal bests for each
event they are entering. Swimmers are
allocated lanes based on their seed times to try and provide them
with a close competitor in the
adjacent lane(s). For a popular event there may be two or more
heats. The heats are run in order of
slowest to fastest.
If an event has more than one heat all the results from each of the
heats are combined to give overall
placing. This means that it is usually better to get third or
fourth in a fast heat than first in a slow
heat. This underlines the importance of being in the right heat as
swimmers record their fastest
times when there is a swimmer in the next lane that is just a bit
faster but within catching distance.
Q: What is a personal
best?
A: A swimmer’s personal best is the fastest time they have
recorded over the same distance in the
same length pool.
Q: How can a swimmer find out what
their PBs are?
A: Results sheets are available for all swimmers after a meet. They
detail the times swum by each
swimmer as well as the placings for each event. Times are also
printed on the ribbon labels. Swimmers
are encouraged to keep a log of their times.
Q: How are the times
recorded?
A: Simultaneously as the race is started a buzzer sounds, a strobe
light flashes and the electronic
clock starts. The two manual timers assigned to each lane start
their watches on seeing the strobe
light. As each swimmer finishes they touch the black pads below the
water line at the end of their
lane and this stops the electronic clock. At the same time the
manual timers assigned to their lane
stop their watches and press a plunger. The plunger stops the
electronic clock in the same way as if
the swimmer had touched the pads. It sends a back up electronic
time to the timing equipment. The
times recorded by the human timers are recorded in the timing booth
but only used in the event that
the swimmer did not make contact with the black pads or a
malfunction of electronic equipment
occurred and no record of an electronic time was available.
Q: What’s in the blue hut
next to the starter?
A: The hut houses the computer timing equipment. Two or three
people work in the timing shed during
a meet. One person is in charge of re-setting the electronic time
and pads before and after every
race. One person verifies that all the lanes got a valid time
either electronically or manually. The third
person is the computer operator. He or she inputs the time into the
computer, which determines the
places and prints the results and ribbon labels.
Q: What prizes are
awarded?
A: After an event the times from all the heats are compared to find
the overall winner. It is
customary to award ribbons or medals for places up to the number of
lanes in the competition pool. In
our case, we have a six-lane pool, so ribbons and/or medals are
awarded for 1st to 6th place per event,
not per heat. Participation ribbons are awarded to all aged 6 &
unders.
At the end of the meet or as soon as possible afterwards, the high
point awards are presented. Points
are awarded to the fastest 8 swimmers in each event as follows:
1. Steve Ebanks 39.39 9 points
2. John Smith 39.58 7 points
3. Paul Bodden 39.59 6 points
4. Tom Johnson 40.02 5 points and so on …
The points are added up for each swimmer in every sex and age
group. The swimmer with the most
points in each category wins the high point award.
Q: What are the motivational
times shown against each event on the heat
sheets?
A: For many years, US Swimming has published a set of Age Group
time standards, termed National
Motivational Times.
For example, for short course, 11-12 Boys 100m freestyle, the
current times are:
AAAA AAA AA A BB B
1:00.89 1:03.79 1:06.69 1:09.59 1:15.39 1:21.19
Stingray Swim Club utilizes the American Swim Coaches Association
Chevron Awards Program. This
nationally recognized badge program with over 35,000 participants
is based on the National Age Group
Time Standards (B-AAAA), available on the web at www.usswim.org.
Not every swimmer can win a
medal or a ribbon so the badge is a great incentive. The badges
provide an incentive package all the
way up the ladder of success for the swimmer. The badges mean a lot
to the swimmers who usually
don’t get as much recognition. At the Stingray Swim Club
annual awards banquet members receive
AAAA, AAA, AA, A, BB, B and C badges according to the times
they’ve swum during the year.
Short Course Standards
Long Course Standards
Q: What is the order of the
individual medley?
A: Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle. This differs
from the medley relay, which is
backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle.
Q: What is the difference between the 3 sets of
records?
One set of records is “The Pool Records”. These are
record times swum in the Lion’s Pool by any
swimmer affiliated with any club or country. Another set of records
is kept for “Club Short Course
Records”. A Stingray member can achieve these records in any
25m pool. A Stingray member can hold
both the club and pool record. The third set of records is for
“Long Course Records”. These records
can be set by any Stingray Member in any 50m pool.
A: A swimmer’s personal best is the fastest time they have
recorded over the same distance in the
same length pool.
Q: How can a swimmer find out
what their PBs are?
A: Results sheets are available for all swimmers after a meet. They
detail the times swum by each
swimmer as well as the placings for each event. Times are also
printed on the ribbon labels. Swimmers
are encouraged to keep a log of their times.
Q: How are the times
recorded?
A: Simultaneously as the race is started a buzzer sounds, a strobe
light flashes and the electronic
clock starts. The two manual timers assigned to each lane start
their watches on seeing the strobe
light. As each swimmer finishes they touch the black pads below the
water line at the end of their
lane and this stops the electronic clock. At the same time the
manual timers assigned to their lane
stop their watches and press a plunger. The plunger stops the
electronic clock in the same way as if
the swimmer had touched the pads. It sends a back up electronic
time to the timing equipment. The
times recorded by the human timers are recorded in the timing booth
but only used in the event that
the swimmer did not make contact with the black pads or a
malfunction of electronic equipment
occurred and no record of an electronic time was available.
Q: What’s in the blue hut
next to the starter?
A: The hut houses the computer timing equipment. Two or three
people work in the timing shed during
a meet. One person is in charge of re-setting the electronic time
and pads before and after every
race. One person verifies that all the lanes got a valid time
either electronically or manually. The third
person is the computer operator. He or she inputs the time into the
computer, which determines the
places and prints the results and ribbon labels.
Q: What prizes are
awarded?
A: After an event the times from all the heats are compared to find
the overall winner. It is
customary to award ribbons or medals for places up to the number of
lanes in the competition pool. In
our case, we have a six-lane pool, so ribbons and/or medals are
awarded for 1st to 6th place per event,
not per heat. Participation ribbons are awarded to all aged 6 &
unders.
At the end of the meet or as soon as possible afterwards, the high
point awards are presented. Points
are awarded to the fastest 8 swimmers in each event as follows:
1. Steve Ebanks 39.39 9 points
2. John Smith 39.58 7 points
3. Paul Bodden 39.59 6 points
4. Tom Johnson 40.02 5 points and so on …
The points are added up for each swimmer in every sex and age
group. The swimmer with the most
points in each category wins the high point award.
Q: What are the motivational
times shown against each event on the heat
sheets?
A: For many years, US Swimming has published a set of Age Group
time standards, termed National
Motivational Times.
For example, for short course, 11-12 Boys 100m freestyle, the
current times are:
AAAA AAA AA A BB B
1:00.89 1:03.79 1:06.69 1:09.59 1:15.39 1:21.19
Stingray Swim Club utilizes the American Swim Coaches Association
Chevron Awards Program. This
nationally recognized badge program with over 35,000 participants
is based on the National Age Group
Time Standards (B-AAAA), available on the web at www.usswim.org.
Not every swimmer can win a
medal or a ribbon so the badge is a great incentive. The badges
provide an incentive package all the
way up the ladder of success for the swimmer. The badges mean a lot
to the swimmers who usually
don’t get as much recognition. At the Stingray Swim Club
annual awards banquet members receive
AAAA, AAA, AA, A, BB, B and C badges according to the times
they’ve swum during the year.
Q: What is the order of the
individual medley?
A: Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle. This differs
from the medley relay, which is
backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle.
Q: What is the difference between
the 3 sets of records?
One set of records is “The Pool Records”. These are
record times swum in the Lion’s Pool by any
swimmer affiliated with any club or country. Another set of records
is kept for “Club Short Course
Records”. A Stingray member can achieve these records in any
25m pool. A Stingray member can hold
both the club and pool record. The third set of records is for
“Long Course Records”. These records
can be set by any Stingray Member in any 50m pool.
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