HARGRAVE MILITARY ACADEMY
HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING DUAL MEET PRIMER
Coach John Eife
If you are new to High School swimming you will find it is different from club or summer league swimming. High School competition pools are short course pools, either 25 yards or 25 meters.
There are eleven swim events and one dive event per meet. One scoring heat is held for each event; one for girls, one for boys, for a total of twenty-two events. There are no scoring second heats in any event with the exception of multi-team championship meets.
The events (described below) are:
200 Medley Relay
200 Freestyle
200 IM
50 Freestyle
1 Meter Diving-exhibition in 2013-2014
100 Butterfly
100 Freestyle
500 Freestyle
200 Free Relay
100 Backstroke
100 Breaststroke
400 Free Relay
During the season most meets will be ”dual meets” against another school. These are usually schools within our conference. There may be an occasional meet that is with a school outside our conference. These meets do not count toward conference standing. At the end of the season all independent schools in the state are seeded into the Virginia Independent School (VISSA) State championship meet, as well as the Easterns Interscholastic Swimming Championships, considered one of the fastest high school swimming meets in the world..
Here is how a dual meet is run and scored. To start each event, swimmers are called to the starting position by the starter who visually checks that all swimmers are motionless. We ask our supporters to remain quiet to ensure a fair start for all swimmers. Also, there should be no flash photography. When all swimmers are set, the starting horn or gun is sounded to start the race. If the starter feels that one of the swimmers has moved, left early or achieved an unfair advantage, the guilty swimmer may be disqualified after the race for a false start. Should a swimmer inadvertently enter the water before the starting signal, they may be disqualified at the discretion of the officials. ONCE THE RACE HAS STARTED, WE EXPECT OUR FANS TO CHEER THEIR LUNGS OUT!
Point values are awarded as follows (note premium points for winning):
Individual Events:
1st place = 6 points
2nd place = 4 points
3rd place = 3 points
4th place = 2 points
5th place = 1 point
Relays:
1st place = 8 points
2nd place = 4 points
3rd place = 2 points
In dual meets (two teams head-to-head) there are 14 points available for each of the three relays for 42 points. Each individual event has 16 points available for 128 points. The total meet has 170 points available. The first team with more than 85 points is the winner. Ties do occur. If you are interested in keeping score yourself you can download a PDF score sheet to print and bring with you or an Excel sheet that you can use on a Smartphone.
Events In Order
200 YARD MEDLEY RELAY
In the medley relay each swimmer swims two lengths. The first swimmer swims backstroke, the second breaststroke, the third butterfly, and the final swimmer anchors the relay with freestyle.
200 YARD FREESTYLE
Eight lengths of the pool freestyle. In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke, but the fastest is what is often called the crawl, which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the water surface and an alternating (up-and-down) flutter kick. On turns and finishes, some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. Most swimmers do a flip turn.
200 YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY (I.M.)
Eight lengths of the pool; two lengths of each stroke. The individual medley, commonly referred to as the I.M., features all four strokes. In the IM, the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes after one fourth of the race to backstroke, then breaststroke and finally freestyle. The rules of each stroke apply to that leg of the IM, except for the backstroke turn into the breaststroke leg. Here the swimmer must remain on his/her back all the way into the wall.
50 YARD FREESTYLE
Two lengths of the pool freestyle. In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke, but the fastest is what is often called the crawl, which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the water surface and an alternating (up-and-down) flutter kick. In this event, it is critical to limit breathing and have very fast starts and turns.
1 METER DIVING
Typically each team will be represented by both swimmers and divers. The diving event consists of each diver completing seven dives, each scored and assigned a degree of difficulty based on the complexity of the dive being performed. Scores are determined by averaging the official scores awarded by each judge and multiplying that number by the degree of difficulty. Diving is considered one of the swimming events and therefor divers may also swim in other events during the meet.
100 YARD BUTTERFLY
Four lengths of the pool butterfly. Some consider the butterfly to be the most beautiful of the strokes. It features a simultaneous movement of the arms over the water combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must keep both legs together and may not flutter, scissor or breaststroke kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously on the turns and the finish.
100 YARD FREESTYLE
Four lengths of the pool freestyle. In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke, but the fastest is what is often called the crawl, which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the water surface and an alternating (up-and-down) flutter kick.
500 YARD FREESTYLE
Twenty lengths of the pool freestyle. In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke, but the fastest is what is often called the crawl. This event awards the swimmers who have mastered their cardiovascular conditioning and know how to pace themselves. Most swimmers have someone count for them at the far end of the pool.
200 YARD FREESTYLE RELAY
Eight lengths of the pool; each swimmer swims two lengths. The freestyle relay events consist of four swimmers, each swimming one quarter of the total distance of the event.
100 YARD BACKSTROKE
Four lengths of the pool backstroke. Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns, swimmers may turn onto the stomach and do a flip turn (they cannot glide into the wall and then turn). Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall at the turn. The swimmer must finish on the back.
100 YARD BREASTSTROKE
Four lengths of the pool breaststroke. The breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pushed forward from the breast. In the return of the arms, the hand cannot go part the waist. The kick is a simultaneous somewhat circular motion similar to the action of a frog. On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously. One of the hardest parts of the breaststroke is the start. After the dive, while still underwater, the swimmer can (but doesn’t have to) do one arm pull where the hands can go past the waist, one dolphin kick, and then another arm pull-with a breaststroke kick – to bring them to the surface.
400 YARD FREESTYLE RELAY
Sixteen lengths of the pool freestyle; each swimmer swimming four lengths. The freestyle relay events consist of four swimmers, each swimming one quarter of the total distance of the event.
This is the final event.
TRADITION & SPORTSMANSHIP
Hargrave swimmers will always be respectful of coaches, officials, spectators and competitors.
Hargrave swimmers remain in the pool until all swimmers in their heat are finished.
Hargrave swimmers will offer their hand in congratulations to swimmers in adjacent lanes.
All cheering will be of a positive nature.
GO TIGERS!!!
