Swim Team

DUAL MEETS Eligibility – All team members are eligible to participate in dual meets. The diving events are at the beginning of the meet, followed by the swimming events. Events alternate with girls swimming/diving first, followed by boys, for each event. All meets hold the events in the same order. Swimmers may swim “officially” in up to two individual events and one relay. Up to twelve divers from each team compete in an official capacity. If an athlete participates on both the dive and swim teams during any particular meet, the diving will count as ONE official event, thereby reducing the number of swim events he/she is eligible for in that meet. See Meet schedule on the Wedgewood website or on the Swim/Dive information bulletin board for times and meet locations. Inclement weather – When inclement weather causes the postponement of dual meets, both teams shall remain ready to start the meet up to 1½ hours from the starting time. If poor weather conditions persist, the meet will be rescheduled to a time to be determined by the Colonial League representatives and respective coaches (generally the following day).

ALL-STAR DIVING

ALL-STAR SWIMMING:  (Colonial League teams are divided into East and West, based upon the teams’ finishing places in the 2016 Championships Finals. Coaches meet a few days prior to the meets to determine which swimmers will be chosen as All-Stars, based on the current year’s performance.) Eligibility – All participants must have performed in at least one official meet of the current season. Swimmers are eligible to participate in 3 events: 2 individual events and one relay. For relays, there must be at least one swimmer from each of the three teams. All participants receive an All-Star t-shirt. Ribbons are awarded for places 1-6.

COLONIAL LEAGUE CLASSIC: Eligibility – The Colonial League Classic is open to all swimmers in the League who did not participate in the All-Star meet. This is a fun event. It is less competitive than other swim meets; swimmers are not disqualified for any reason; lots of ribbons are won and self-esteem is promoted.

DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS:

SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS:  Eligibility – A swimmer must have competed in at least two official meets during the regular season as a swimmer, and a diver must have competed in two meets (dual and/or diving) as a diver.

Timers:
20 timers are needed for home and away meets because we split the timing into two shifts per meet. The first group of timers will time for approximately the first 30 races. The second group of timers will time for the last 30 races. The head timer will write down all three of the swimmer’s times on the Timers’ Sheet and if the swimmer is disqualified, will write the reason. A timer’s meeting will be held 15 minutes prior to the start of the meet to go over working the stopwatch, etc. There will be three timers per lane in addition to one back up timer. This is a great job for anyone who wants to be close to the action! No experience necessary. Note, timers are not allowed to catch the head of a backstroke swimmer per League rules. Runners: 2 runners per home meet. This is a fast paced but fun volunteer opportunity. The runner’s job is to collect the Timers’ Sheets when they are completed and bring them to the scoring table. Sneakers or comfortable shoes are recommended for this role! No experience necessary.

Scorer: 2 scorers per home meet to enter times in the HYTEK swim software. The scorers sit under the canopy with the best view of the races! Basic training in HYTEK is required. Ribbon Writers: 4 ribbon writers are needed per home meet. Ribbon writers are also needed for large events such as Colonial Classics and Championships. At home meets, we split the ribbon writing into two shifts per meet. The first group will ribbon-write for approximately the first 30 races. The second group will write ribbons for the last 30 races. Ribbon writers sit under the canopy at the scorer’s table, and stick printed labels onto ribbons for both teams. Ribbon writers also have a great view of the races! No experience necessary.

Bullpen: 2 per home and away meets. This role is split into two shifts. These volunteers organize the swimmers in a designated area where swimmers sit when the event that they are swimming in is approaching. In this job, you typically have a good view of the races and have the chance to get to know all the swimmers. Starter: 1 per home meet. This person sets the pace of the meet. S/he begins each race. The starter must have a consistent tone and pace to allow for smooth starts and will use the starter system.

Stroke and Turn Judges: Two per home and away meet. Knowledge of proper and “legal” technique of all four strokes, turns and starts required which will be provided to you during the pre-season clinic. This person walks up and down the side of the pool watching each swimmer’s stroke technique. The Stroke and Turn Judge lets the swimmer and coach know of any disqualification and the reason. Please consider attending the Stroke and Turn clinic.  It’s a fun time and a great way to meet other Wedgewood parents.

What is a “heat”?

There are six lanes in the pool. Many races have more than six swimmers competing. Therefore, there may be more than one heat in any given race.

What is the “bullpen”?
The bullpen is a specially designated area where swimmers sit when the event that they are swimming in is approaching, usually 5 or 6 races ahead of time. At Wedgewood, benches are lined up in the area behind the diving blocks, at the deep end of the pool. Swimmers sit on the benches, organized by heat and are directed to the blocks when their race is next. At home meets, the events will be posted on the fence near the bullpen; check the sheet to find your child’s events. You may write the race and heat #s on your child’s hand with a sharpie pen. Listen as events are called to the bullpen – it is your swimmer’s responsibility to get to the bullpen in a timely manner. At away meets, always locate the bullpen when you get there and then listen as events are called to the bullpen.

What does it mean to swim “unofficial”?
Swimmers can be placed in a race in an “unofficial” category. This is because there is only one “official” heat for each race with three swimmers from each team in the official heat. “Unofficial” swimmers cannot place or score in an event, but they will have their time officially recorded and their unofficial time can be used to select them for All Stars.

How is the Meet winner determined?
Each team scores points as follows: Swimming events, except relays, score 6 points for first place, 4 points for second place, 3 points for third place, 2 points for fourth place and 1 point for fifth place. Relays score 7 points for first place and 3 points for second. Diving events score 5 points for first place, 3 points for second place and 1 point for third place.

What is the cut-off for each age group?
The age group in which a swimmer or diver competes for the entire season is determined by the swimmer’s age on June 30th (swimmers/divers can compete in any higher age group).

Can a swimmer be disqualified?
If a Stroke and Turn judge disqualifies a swimmer, that official shall inform the swimmer and head timer for that swimmer’s lane of the reason for the disqualification. The official shall also record the reason for the disqualification on the timer’s sheet.