Site:

A.J. Loos Swimming Center 3815 Spring Valley Road Dallas, TX 75244

Two 25-Yard Pools    972-888-3191

Meet Director:
Please read the meet information carefully. Direct any questions to the meet director.

Mike Colvin 701 N Central Expy Bldg 1 Richardson, TX 75080

972-238-8174 Day   972-238-8191 Fax    972-783-8028 Home    E-Mail [email protected]

Meet Referee:
Dan McAllen   214-341-7390 Home   972-233-3383 Work

Sanction and Liability:
This meet is held under the sanction of United States Swimming, Inc. The sanction number is 005-98. In granting this sanction, it is understood and agreed that United States Swimming, Inc., North Texas Swimming, Inc., Dallas Independent School District, and all meet officials shall be free from any liabilities or claims for damages arising by reason of injuries to anyone during the conduct of the event. Damage to a facility, when proved, will cause the offending swimmer, if unattached, or the offending swimmer's club, if attached, to be held accountable for repairs.

Pre-TAGS General Meeting And Opening Ceremonies:
All swimmers must be represented at a pre-meet general meeting which will be held on Thursday, March 5, 1998. The meeting will be held at 8:30 PM at the Harvey Hotel. The location of the meeting will be posted at the hotel. Any possible changes in the conduct of the meet will be decided at this meeting. It is each swimmer's and coach's responsibility to be aware of any decision or changes that are made at this meeting.

There will be a short opening ceremony Friday, March 6, 1998, at 9:00 AM at the start of the Preliminaries. Each team will be introduced and recognized. Team banners or flags may be carried by team representatives. The opening ceremony will conclude at 9:15 AM and will be followed promptly by the meet events.

Team pep rallies and demonstrations may be held BEFORE the playing of the National Anthem.

Meet Operations:
All events, other than the 1000-yard Freestyle, 500-yard Freestyle, 400-yard Individual Medley, and 1650-yard Freestyle, will be pre-seeded. The 1000-yard Freestyle, 500-yard Freestyle, 400-yard Individual Medley, and 1650-yard Freestyle will be deck-seeded and will be listed in the heat sheet in psyche form. Postive check-in is required for all deck-seeded events and the relays according to the guidelines that follow. All events, other then the 1000-yard Freestyle and the 1650-yard Freestyle and all relays, will be conducted on a Preliminary and Finals basis.

1000-yard Freestyle
The 1000-yard Freestyle is a deck-seeded event and requires a positive check-in at the Clerk of Course by Thursday 5:00 PM. The 1000-yard Freestyle (events 1 through 4) will be swum as a Timed Final and will be combined into one event for girls and one event for boys. Each event will be seeded by qualification times and scored separately by age group. The 1000-yard Freestyle heats will be swum in the deep end fastest to slowest alternating girls and boys.

500-yard Freestyle
The 500-yard Freestyle is a deck-seeded event and requires a positive check-in at the Clerk of Course by Friday 9:00 AM.

400-yard Individual Medley
The 400-yard Individual Medley is a deck-seeded event and requires a positive check-in at the Clerk of Course by Saturday 9:00 AM.

1650-yard Freestyle
The 1650-yard Freestyle is a deck-seeded event and requires a positive check-in at the Clerk of Course by Saturday 7:00 PM. The 1650-yard Freestyle (events 83 through 86) will be swum as a Timed Final and will be combined into one event for girls and one event for boys. Each event will be seeded by qualification times and scored separately by age group. The fastest heat of girls and fastest heat of boys will be swum simultaneously during Sunday's Finals; the girls in the deep end and the boys in the shallow end after the conclusion of Events 79 through 82. ALL OTHER HEATS WILL BE SWUM, FASTEST TO SLOWEST, AS THE FINAL EVENT IN SUNDAY'S PRELIMINARY SESSION and will begin 10 minutes after the conclusion of the last relay heat.

Current U.S. Swimming Rules and Regulations, as amended, will apply. All scratches for Preliminary events must be made to the Clerk Of Course prior to the end of the Final session on the day before the event is scheduled. A scratch box will be provided at the Pre-TAGS General Meeting for Friday's events and for all relay events. Refer to current U.S.S. Rules and Regulations Paragraphs 206.5.9D and 206.5.9E for scratch rules and penalties for Finals. Should any inconsistencies arise between TAGS meet information and Texas Swimming Association (TSA) Rules, TSA Rules shall prevail.

Eligibility:
Any swimmer, 18 years or younger, registered with any of the five Texas Local Swimming Committees (LSCs), is eligible to compete in the Texas Age Group Championships, provided he or she meets the time standards established for the events in which he or she enters, within the established time period. Typographical and transcription errors with regards to achieved qualification times will fall under U.S.S. Rules and Regulation Paragraph 206.9.7. Swimmers 13 or over with a Junior or Senior National qualification time for the current year achieved prior to February 25, 1998, will not be allowed to swim that stroke and distance for which the Junior or Senior National qualification was achieved in either individual or relay events.

All swimmers must have a current U.S.S. registration number with one of the five Texas LSCs. Competitors must indicate their U.S.S. number and their age, as of March 5, 1998, on the Team Consolidated Entry Forms. "Applied For" or "Pending" is not an acceptable U.S.S. number, and any entries made out in this manner will not be accepted. There will be no opportunity to obtain a valid U.S.S. number or registration at the site of the competition.

Swimmers may compete for a team that is registered with any of the five LSCs, as long as that team is also a member of the TSA. If the team is not properly registered and the swimmer holds a valid U.S.S. registration with any of the five Texas LSCs, he or she may compete "Unattached", but he or she is not eligible for team points. Teams MUST BE MEMBERS of TSA to compete for team points or team awards in the TAGS Championships. All teams must comply with all TSA entry requirements.

Relays:
All relays will be conducted as Timed Finals. The relays will be conducted with the fastest heat for each event being swum at Finals. All other heats will swim during the Preliminary Session. Each team must declare on the TAGS Relay Form which relays they wish to be eligible to swim during the Finals Session on Sunday. Of the teams making this declaration, the fastest eight will be seeded in Finals. Teams seeded in Finals must swim or scratch.

Relay cards indicating the relay team identification (i.e. A, B, etc.), the relay swimmers, and any alternates must be returned to the Clerk of Course by 10:30 AM each day. The order of swimmers on relay teams will be strictly enforced as defined by current U.S. Swimming Rules and Regulations Paragraph 102.4.9:

Schedule:

Thursday - March 5, 1998
               3:00 to 9:00 PM ..............  Warm-Up
               4:30 to 5:45 PM ..............  Warm-Up (1000 Yard Freestyle)
               6:00 PM ......................  Prelims/Finals Begin For Events 1 - 4
               8:30 PM ......................  Pre-TAGS General Meeting (Harvey Hotel)

Friday - March 6, 1998
               7:00 to 7:35 AM ..............  1st Warm-Up
               7:35 to 8:10 AM ..............  2nd Warm-Up
               8:10 to 8:45 AM ..............  3rd Warm-Up
               9:00 to 9:15 AM ..............  Opening Ceremonies
               9:20 AM ......................  Prelims Begin For Events 5 - 34
                                               Boys - Shallow End / Girls - Deep End
               5:30 to 6:20 PM ..............  Warm-Up
               6:30 PM ......................  Finals Begin For  Events 5 - 34

Saturday - March 7, 1998
               7:00 to 7:35 AM ..............  1st Warm-Up
               7:35 to 8:10 AM ..............  2nd Warm-Up
               8:10 to 8:45 AM ..............  3rd Warm-Up	
               9:00 AM ......................  Prelims Begin For Events 35 - 78
                                               Girls - Shallow End / Boys - Deep End
               5:30 to 6:20 PM ..............  Warm-Up
               6:30 PM ......................  Finals Begin For  Events 35  - 78

Sunday - March 8, 1998
               7:00 to 7:35 AM ..............  1st Warm-Up
               7:35 to 8:10 AM ..............  2nd Warm-Up
               8:10 to 8:45 AM ..............  3rd Warm-Up
               9:00 .........................  Prelims Begin For Events 79 - 118
                                               Boys - Shallow End/Girls - Deep End
               3:30 to 4:20 PM ..............  Warm-Up
               4:30 PM* .....................  Finals Begin For Events 79 - 118

*There will be a minimum two hour break between the end of the Preliminary Session and 
 the start of the Final Session.  The Final Session will start no earlier than 4:30 PM,  
 but may start later based on the end of the Preliminary Session.

Proof Of Times:
Times submitted for proof must have been achieved from January 1, 1997 to February 25, 1998 for entry in to the meet. Proof of time is required when:

• A swimmer/relay fails to achieve the qualifying time for an event.
• A swimmer/relay is disqualified from an event.
• A swimmer late enters an event.

Awards:
Individual Events: Medals 1st thru 8th
Relay Events: Medals 1st thru 3rd; Ribbons 4th thru 8th
Team: TAGS Flags will be awarded to teams that finish in 1st thru 10th places. The First Place team will receive the TAGS traveling trophy. Team scores by sex and age group will also be maintained but no awards will be given thereof.
Outstanding Boy and Girl Award: State of Texas plaques will be awarded to the outstanding boy and girl swimmer who place highest in the National Top Sixteen (16) Short Course Rankings of 1997 as published in Swimming World Magazine. The winners of this award will be determined by the most points earned for times equal to or better than a place in the Top Sixteen list. In the event no points are scored as specified in the current TSA Handbook, the awards will not be given.
High Point Award: A high point trophy will be given to the outstanding boy and girl swimmer in each age group based upon the total number of points in individual events during the meet.
Team Age Group Award: A flag or pennant similar to, but not the same as, the above team flags will be given to the first place girl's and boy's teams in the following age groups using individual events only: 10 & Under, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18.

All individual event and relay awards will be ready to be distributed to the swimmer or his/her coach daily up to one hour after the conclusion of the meet. Coaches/teams failing to pick up their team's awards within one hour after the conclusion of the meet shall make arrangements to receive the awards with the Meet Director at no expense to North Texas Swimming. If the awards are not available within one hour of the conclusion of the meet, the awards will be distributed to each team at the expense of North Texas Swimming.

Team Flags, Outstanding Swimmer Plaques, and High Point Trophies will be awarded within one hour of the conclusion of the meet. Coaches, teams, and athletes failing to pick up their awards one hour after the conclusion of the meet shall make arrangements with the Meet Director to receive the awards at no expense to North Texas Swimming.

Scoring:
All events will be scored by age group.

Entry Information:
Swimmers may enter as many individual events as desired, but may only compete in a total of seven events during the entire meet with no more than three during any one day. Time Trial events will count as one of their three events during any one day, but not as one of their seven events for the meet, plus two relays.

Individual entries for each swimmer and all club relay entries for each age group and sex must be recorded on the Team Consolidated Entry Forms and TAGS Relay Forms included with this Meet Information. A completed Altitude Adjustment Form must accompany entries made using the altitude adjustment formula. The coach's name and address filled out in the appropriate space on the Team Consolidated Entry Forms will be used as the address for mailing the Final Results. All seed times must be submitted in 100ths (0.00) of a second. Times submitted in tenths (0.0) will have 0.09 second added. HYTEK Team Manager software entries are encouraged in addition to the completed forms.

Any entry made with a qualification from a Short Course Meter swim or a Long Course Meter swim will be entered at the Short Course Yard minimum time standard.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 6:00 PM, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1998.

Late entries will be accepted no later than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of each session. Swimmers who late enter must preprove their time at the Clerk of the Course and will be entered at the cut off time and swim in open lanes in the first heat or a zero heat will be added if necessary. The late entry fee is $25.00 per event.

Send entries and check (made payable to North Texas Swimming, Inc) for the appropriate fees to:

Adele Wherry 2205 Le Mans Drive Carrollton TX 75006

972-418-1544

WARNING: Telephone and fax entries will NOT be accepted. Entries received after 6:00 PM, Wednesday, February 25, 1998, or entries received without a check covering the total entry fee, will be returned to the sender without being processed.

Entry Fees:

Individual Events Late Entries: Relay Events: Time Trial Events:

$2.50    $25.00 Per Event    $5.00    $5.00

Final Results:
Final Results will be mailed to participating teams at the address for the coach listed on the Team Consolidated Entry Forms within 10 days. Additional copies may be ordered from the Awards Desk for $5.00. The Final Results will also be posted on the North Texas Swimming Web Site: http://www.ntswim.org

Time Trials:
Time Trials will be held each day, time permitting, for only TAGS participants entered on the initial Team Consolidated Entry Forms. Time Trials will be held between the Preliminary and Final Sessions. The events will be requested by the swimmers. A swimmer may swim a maximum of one time trial per day. Time Trial results cannot be considered for State Records. Time Trial results will be printed and attached to the TAGS Final Results. The sanction number is 006-98.

Officials:
Meet Directors, Referees, Starters, Stroke and Turn Judges, and Coaches must be members of U.S. Swimming, Inc. There will be a check-in sheet in hospitality area prior to each session. Please check in at least 45 minutes prior to each session. Officials meetings will be held 30 minutes prior to each session in the hospitality area. The meet has been approved for national certification. Those desiring to be certified are required to work four sessions. There will be a national certification meeting at 7:30 AM Saturday.

Admission and Concessions:
No admission will be charged. Programs will be available for a one-time charge for the entire meet. Each program will contain coupons redeemable for the Finals Heat Sheets. Finals Heat Sheets will also be available separately at $1.00 per session. Food concessions will be available at the meet. Workers, Officials, and Coaches will be provided meals and refreshments in the hospitality area. Shirts, pins, and other souvenir items will be available for sale at the front main entrance.

Admission to Deck:
Deck Passes will be issued to meet workers and to U.S.S. Registered Coaches, Officials, and Meet Marshalls, who are working in an official capacity at TAGS. Spectators wishing to serve as timers will be allowed on deck only while timing. All Coaches, Officials, and Meet Marshalls must show their U.S.S. Registration Card to receive their Deck Passes. The deck will be closed to all others.

Committee Meetings:
A meeting of the TAGS Committee will be held on Saturday at 2:00 PM at the Harvey Hotel. A meeting of the North/South All-Star Committee will be held on Saturday after the Prelims.

General Warm-up (25 minutes)

•  NO DIVING from the blocks or pool edge. Swimmers enter the water feet first in a cautious manner.
•  No sprinting or pace work permitted.
•  All lanes to be used for general warm-up.

Specific Warm-up (10 minutes)

POOL	PUSH/PACE	RACE STARTS	GENERAL WARM-UP
8 lane	1 & 8	2, 3, 6, & 7	4 & 5

-Push/Pace Lanes: Push off from starting end - circle swimming only. NO DIVING!

-Race Starts: Sprint lanes for race starts and backstroke starts. Race starts at designated times, swimming in one direction only.

-General Warm-up: No diving or sprinting. Circle swimming only.

NO DIVING in warm down area between the bulkheads. Enter feet first GENTLY!

Coaches responsibilities:

•  Coaches shall instruct their swimmers reguarding the safety guidelines and warm-up procedures.
•  Coaches shall supervise swimmers throughout the warm-up session.

Host's responsibilities:

•  A minimum of one marshall for each two lanes shall be on deck to enforce the safety guidelines and warm-up procedures. The marshalls shall report to the Meet Referee and/or Head Marshall and receive instructions from them.
•  The marshalls shall have the authority to remove from the deck for the remainder of the warm-up session any swimmer or coach who refuses to adhere to the safety guidelines or warm-up procedures.
•  Warm-up procedures shall be included in the meet information.

Miscellaneous:

•  Discretion and common sense shall always prevail during warm-up. Therefore, the Meet Referee may modify any procedures should the needs of the meet so dictate.

*These Warm-Up Procedures and Safety Guidelines were adopted by the Texas Swimming Association, October, 1987, to conduct North/South All-Star competition and Texas Age Group Swimming Competitions (TAGS).