Glossary

Most of this comes from the USA Swimming Mini Rulebook 2009:

** If you would like more terms added, please email Jim Frey, anapab@freyfamily.cc

OFFICIAL GLOSSARY - Swimming Words and Terms

ADJACENT EVENTS — the next shorter and next longer distances of that stroke.

AGGREGATE TIME — times achieved by four individuals in separate starts which are added together to arrive at a relay time for entry purposes.

AMATEUR SPORTS ORGANIZATION — a not-for-profit corporation, club, federation, union, associa-tion, or other group organized in the United States which sponsors or arranges any amateur ath-letic competition.

ANCHORED (STARTING PLATFORM) — stable at all times without human aid.

APPRECIABLE — sufficient in extent to be recognized.

APPROVAL — a permit issued by an LSC for meets conducted in conformance with USA Swimming technical rules in which both members and non-members may compete.

ATTACHED — an athlete member who represents a member club in competition after having met the requirements of Article 203.

BLOCKS — Platforms at one end of a pool on which a competitor stands for the start of a swimming race.

BODY — the torso, including shoulders and hips.

BULLPEN — place where swimmers report at meets, before their event, to receive their entry cards and to be arranged into their heat and lane assignments.

CALM STATE OR SURFACE — normal level surface without turbulence.

CLOSED COMPETITION — competition open only to the members of one organization or group.

CLUB — an organization which has been accepted for membership in the Corporation and which operates on a year-round or seasonal basis.

COMPETITION — an athletic performance by an athlete, either individually or as part of a team or club.

COMPOSITE TIME — a time achieved in a relay event by four members of an organization.

CONFORMING TIME — qualifying time standard that corresponds to the meet competition course.

CONSOLATION — (finals) competition for the fastest of those who failed to qualify for the finals.

COURSE — designated distance over which the competition is conducted.

LONG COURSE — 50 meters (55 yards to be recorded as 50 meters).

SHORT COURSE — 25 yards or 25 meters.

DECK ENTERED MEET — meet where all entries are accepted on the first or later day of that meet and subsequently seeded into events.

DECK SEEDED MEET — meet where all entries are due prior to first day of meet and swimmers must declare availability to swim prior to the scratch deadlines.

DOMESTIC COMPETITION — any amateur athletic competition within the jurisdiction of USA Swimming which does not meet the definition of international competition.

DRAW — random selection by chance.

DUAL COMPETITION — competition between two clubs.

END OF COURSE — designated wall for racing turns and finishes.

EVENT — any race or series of races in a given stroke and/or distance. For competitive limits, one event equals one preliminary, or one preliminary plus its related final, or one timed final, or one time trial.

EX-OFFICIO — a member with full rights of membership unless otherwise limited by USA Swimming; ex-officio members cannot be counted to establish a quorum.

FINAL — any single race which determines final places and times in an event.

FINALS — the concluding session of each day of the meet in which the final race of each event is swum.

FINALIST — one who swims in a final race.

FIRST DAY OF MEET — day on which first competitive swimming event is conducted.

FOREIGN SWIMMER — an athlete member of a FINA member-country federation, other than USA Swimming, or an athlete member of USA Swimming who is not eligible to represent the United States in international competition due to FINA sports citizenship requirements. (See Sports Citizen).

FORWARD START — a forward entry facing the course.

FOUL — an instance of obstruction, interference, collision, or equipment malfunction which prevents the successful completion of a race.

HEADQUARTERS — USA Swimming’s office in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

HEATS — a division of an event in which there are too many swimmers to compete at one time.

PRELIMINARY HEATS — competition in which a number of heats are swum to qualify the fastest swimmers for the finals where final placing for the event will be determined.

TIMED FINAL HEATS — competition in which only heats are swum and final placings are determined by the times performed in the heats.

HORIZONTAL — parallel to the surface level of the water.

INITIAL DISTANCE — that first portion of a race for which an official time may be recorded but which is not in itself a completed event.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION — any amateur athletic competition between any athlete(s) or mem-ber organization(s) of USA Swimming, either individually or as part of a team, and any athlete(s) or member organization(s) (e.g., clubs) representing any foreign country.

INVITATIONAL COMPETITION — for those swimmers, organizations and clubs invited by the host.

JUNIOR OLYMPIC — a type of Age Group competition conducted by Zones and LSCs.

LANE — the specific area in which the swimmer is assigned to swim; e.g., lane one.

LANE LINE — continuous floating markers attached to a line stretched from the starting end to the turning end for the purpose of separating each lane.

LANE MARKINGS — the guide lines on the bottom of the pool and in the center of the lanes running from the starting end to the turning end.

LEG — (relay) the part of the relay event that is swum by a single team member.

LENGTH — extent of the course from end to end.

LSC (LOCAL SWIMMING COMMITTEE) — an administrative division of USA Swimming with supervisory responsibilities within certain geographic boundaries designated by USA Swimming.

MALFUNCTION — a mechanical or electronic failure; not a human failure by the swimmer.

MANUAL START — the start of any timing device by an individual in response to the same starting signal given to the swimmer(s).

MARK — (take your) starting position.

MAY — permissive, not mandatory.

MEET — a series of events held in one program.

MIXED CLASSIFICATION — meet in which events of Age Group and Junior, Senior, or any other classification are offered.

NATIONAL AGE GROUP (NAG) RECOGNITION TIME — an official time that betters the tenth fastest time in a single age group (ages 11-17) as reported by the SWIMS database averaged over the previous two years.

NATIONAL TIME VERIFICATION — certification of a national qualifying time made by a swimmer and issued by a verification official of the area in which the meet was held. National Time Verifications (NTVs) shall be issued for any time that equals or betters a national time standard or international trials time standard.

NON-CONFORMING TIME — qualifying time standard that does not correspond to the course that will be competed in a meet.

OBSERVED SWIM — a swim observed by assigned USA Swimming officials for conformance with USA swimming technical rules in a meet conducted under other than USA Swimming rules.

OPEN COMPETITION — competition which any qualified club, organization or individual may enter.

PLACE JUDGES — two place judges, one on each side of the finish line, who will record the order of finish of all swimmers by lane.

POOL — the physical facility in which the competition is actually conducted.

POSTAL/INTERNET MEET — a swimming competition conducted in multiple pool locations with results compiled in a central location.

PRELIMINARY — session of the meet in which the heats are held.

PROGRAM — the order of events, including starting times and intermissions in a meet or portion thereof (See Session), sequentially listed by class of competition, sex, age group, distance, and stroke as set forth in meet announcement.

PROPULSIVE — having power to propel.

PROTECTED COMPETITION — any amateur athletic competition between any athlete or athletes offi-cially designated by USA Swimming as representing the United States, either individually or as part of a team, and any athlete or athletes representing any foreign country where (a) the terms of such competition require that the
entrants therein be teams or individuals representing the respective nations, and (b) the athlete or group of athletes representing the United States are organized and sponsored by USA Swimming and are selected by USA Swimming in accordance with a defined selection or tryout procedure that is open to all and publicly
announced in advance. Except for domestic amateur athletic competition, which by its terms requires that entrants therein be expressly restricted to members of a specific class of amateur athletes such as those referred to in Section 4 of Article VII of the USOC Constitution, the term “protected competition” shall also include any domestic amateur athletic competition or event organized and conducted by USA Swimming which has been designated by USA Swimming in its selection procedure, and publicly announced in advance, as a competition or event directly qualifying successful competitors therein as an athlete representing the United States in a protected competition as defined in the immedi-ately preceding sentence of this subsection.

RACE — any single swimming competition; i.e., preliminary, final, timed final.

RECORD ATTEMPT — swimming against time in a record attempt, unpaced by other swimmers. (Refer to Article 104 for record requirements).

REINSTATEMENT — return of all or limited rights of membership in USA Swimming.

REPORTABLE TIMES — times achieved in conformance with applicable USA Swimming rules which may be submitted to USA Swimming for recognition.

SANCTION — a permit issued by an LSC to a USA Swimming group member to conduct a meet in conformance with all USA Swimming rules.

SCISSOR — use of the top of the instep of one foot and the bottom of the other foot in the propulsive part of the kick.

SCRATCH (from an event) — withdraw an entry from competition.

SEASONAL CLUB — an organization which has been accepted for membership in USA Swimming and which operates on the basis of a period of time specified by the LSC.

SEED — to distribute the swimmers among the required number of heats and/or lanes, according to their submitted or preliminary times.

SEEDING — EVENTS SEEDED ON THE DECK — swimmers are called to report to the clerk of course for their event on the day of the meet. After scratches are determined, swimmers are seeded in the proper heats.

PRE-SEEDED HEATS — swimmers are arranged in heats in events according to submitted times and heat sheets are prepared prior to the day of competition.

SESSION — any portion of a meet distinctly separated from other portions by locale, time, or type of competition, i.e., preliminaries and finals; morning and evening; Senior and Age Group, etc.

SHALL — mandatory.

SHOULD — recommended but not mandatory.

SIMULTANEOUSLY — occurring at the same time.

SPLIT TIME — time recorded from official start to completion of an initial distance within a longer event.

SPORTS CITIZEN — an athlete who has represented a nation other than the United States in interna-tional competition is a sports citizen of that nation and is considered ineligible to represent the United States until FINA requirements for changing sports citizenship (sport nationality) have been met. (See Foreign Swimmer)

STILL WATER — water contained within four walls, or landlocked, and has no perceptible current or movement other than that caused by wind or by other swimmers. (Circulatory systems should be off during competition.)

SUBMITTED TIMES — those filed with an entry, as having been previously achieved.

SWIMMING VENUE — the area located on the sides and ends of the pool, spectator area, team areas within the pool facility (e.g., portion of the building designated for teams and swimmers, or fenced area around outdoor pool), locker rooms, and such other areas as may be specifically designated by the host club or organization, meet director, or referee.

SUSPENSION — deprivation of all rights of membership in USA Swimming.

TIMED FINALS — competition in which only heats are swum and final placings are determined by the times performed in the heats.

TIME STANDARD — the time a swimmer must have previously achieved in order to compete in that event at any designated competition.

TOUCH — contact with the end of the course.

UNATTACHED — a member who competes but does not represent a USA Swimming member club or another FINA member Federation.

USA SWIMMING — United States Swimming, Inc., a Colorado corporation.

VERTICAL — at a right angle to the normal water level.

WALL — vertical portion of the pool, contiguous surfaces of the deck and overflow gutter, the front portion of the starting block or platform, or the touchpad at the end of the course.

WARNING SIGNAL — a starting pistol, bell, whistle, air horn, or other appropriate audible device.

Blocks:  Platforms at one end of a pool on which a competitor stands for the start of a swimming race.

Bullpen:   Place where swimmers report at meets, before their event, to receive their entry cards and to be arranged into their heat and lane assignments.

Consolation heat:  The first, or slower, of two heats of finals at a championship meet.

Course:   designated distance over which the competition is conducted. Long course (LCM) is 50 M and short course is 25 YDS (SCY) or 25 M (SCM).

DQ . Disqualification. A swimmer is usually disqualified when he performs a stroke, touch or turn incorrectly or when he enters the water before the start (false start).

False Start: When a swimmer enters the water before a race or moves during the start, he may be charged with a false start. This results in disqualification, since USA has a "no false start" rule.

Dual Meet: Meets conducted between two teams, usually with a limitation on the number of entrants from each team.

Finals . The session of a meet where qualifying rounds were held previously to determine the finalists.  Usually there are 1-2 heats of finalists and their order of finish determines the ultimate placement in a given event. Most trials-finals meets are on a championship level.

Heat:   The group of swimmers who swim a race at the same time. Several heats may be held in a particular event.

Heat sheets:  Printed listings of all swimmers by event number and entry time. These are also called the Meet programs or "Psych Sheets."

IM:   Individual medley. The event where a swimmer swims butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and any other stroke in that order.

Lane:  Any of several parallel courses on a track or swimming pool in which a competitor must stay during a race.

Lap:  Two lengths of the pool.

Length: One length of the pool.

Medley relay:  Four swimmers on each team each swim one fourth of the total prescribed distance in the order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.

OVC:  Official Verification Card. Issued by meet officials to swimmers achieving a Junior National or Senior National time.

Prelims or Trials: In certain meets, the qualifying rounds for each event to determine the finalists.

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

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

Seed times: The times a swimmer uses to enter a meet. These times appear on the heat sheet and the entry cards and determine the swimmer’s heat and lane assignment in a meet.

Seeding: The process of assigning swimmers to lanes and heats by time. In general the swimmers with the slower seed times swim in the earlier heats. The order of swimming in the final heats depends on the type of meet.

 

Split : The time a swimmer achieves in one or more laps of his race. Coaches use these times to help instruct swimmers in pacing. For example, the time for the first 50 yds in a 100 yd race is the swimmers 50-yd split.

Starter: The USA official responsible for starting each heat and calling the swimmers to the blocks.

Stroke and turn judge:   A YMCA or USA official, who determines the legality of swimmers' strokes, turns and finishes and disqualifies those who do not conform to YMCA or USA rules.