Swimmers > FAQs

College

Am I good enough to swim in college? How do I find a college program that is right for me?

All swimmers have the opportunity to swim in college. There are college programs for every level of ability and commitment and it is only a matter of finding the program with the right fit for you.

In general, you must answer a number of questions to determine the right program for you. You need to know the size of school at which you will be happy, the size of community in which you want to live, the part of the country in which you want to live and the academic program you think you want to pursue. All of these questions need to be answered before you start choosing between swim programs.

Once those basic college search questions are answered then we can look at the type of swim program in which you will fit best. Your coaches will be happy to sit down with you and your parents to go over the choices available and help you find the program best for you. Your coaches will be happy to make contact with college coaches on your behalf or assist you in anyway during your college search.

General

How do I know in which group I have been placed?

Group assignments are made by the coaches at the start of every season. If you do not know the group to which you have been assigned, you can ask your Lead Coach from the previous season, or you can login to your family's account on the website and click on My Account on the left hand side of the homepage. your name will be listed along with your group assignment on the My Account page.

Meets

How do I know for which meets I have registered?

Meet registrations must be done by you or your parents. If you can't remember for which meets you registered, click on the Edit my Committment button under the meet in question. On the Event Signup page you will see your name listed and the word Committed with a red check mark next to it if you are signed up for this meet. If the words Not Committed are next to your name, you are not signed up for this meet.

How do I know what events I am swimming?

The events you will swim in any meet will be selected by your Lead Coach. Once your coach has selected your events, they will be listed under Coach Approved on the Event Signup page for each meet.

Entries will also be emailed to your family prior to being submitted, and you will also be able to find them as a PDF at the bottom of each meet's page on our website.

In which meets should I swim?

The Academy Bullets Swim Club encourages all swimmers on the team to compete 1-2 times per month. For direction on which meets are the best for you, please talk to your Lead Coach.

Am I able to enter a meet after the registration deadline?

Each meet has a registration deadline. Once that deadline has passed, you cannot be added to the meet. Please select your meets prior to the registration deadline. The registration deadline for each meet is listed on the homepage for that meet on the website. To view the homepage for any meet, click on the meet name on our website.

What is a Bonus Final/Consolation Final/Championships Final at at prelim/final meet?

Prelim/Final meets generally award points for the top 16 finishers in each event, but may swim the top 24 or more in finals each night. Swimmers ranking 1-8 in prelims would swim in the Championship Final, those finishing 9-16 make up the Consolation Final, while those in 17-24 place would swim in the Bonus Final. In order to qualify for these final heats, you must finish in the top places during preliminaries. If for any reason a swimmer cannot attend finals, it is the swimmers responsibility to personally withdraw from the finals session. According to USA-Swimming Rules, failure to withdraw from a finals swim will result in disqualification from the remainder of the meet.

How do I find time standards for meets?

Time standards for meets are always listed in the meet information for that meet. For championship meets, time standards are also listed on our "Time Standards" page. In order to find time standards in meet information, click on the meet name of the meet at which you are looking, and find the link to Meet Information listed on the meet home page.

How do I know if I have met the time standards for a meet?

If you don't know your best times, you can look up your best times on the USA Swimming Website. You can select the criteria you want to use to pull your best times (LC or SC, certain events or all events, etc) and then compare those times to the time standards for any meet.

Nutrition

How much/what should I eat before/after practices? Meets?

A healthy, balanced diet is all that is needed for most young athletes. If you are eating three healthy meals a day, including 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, you are getting the fuel you need to be a successful athlete.

It is important to eat prior to practice and competition as during those times, your body will need fuel to perform at peak levels. Most importantly, you must hydrate during practice and competition. You should always have 1-2 water bottles or sports drinks for any practice or competition.

Do I need to worry about banned substances?

Every athlete needs to be aware of everything they put in their body. You only need to worry about banned substances if you are taking banned substances. The most important thing to remember about banned substances is, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING YOU PUT INTO YOUR BODY REGARDLESS OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR INTENT.

If you are competing at the state high school or Pro-Series level or above, you are subject to drug testing. Before you take any prescription or over-the-counter medication or supplement, you should check all contents with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Do not ask your parents or coaches if a substance is okay. Go to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) website and get the information you need.

Practices

How do I find my practice schedule?

Practice schedules for all groups are published as Google Calendars. You can find practice schedules on your Location's Landing Page.

What is dryland?

Dryland refers to training and exercises done outside the pool. This training will focus on whole body coordination and building strength from the core out. Our dry land program is designed to be appropriate for athletes at all levels and will be run by your Lead Coach. To participate in our dry land practices you must wear athletic shoes, shorts and a t-shirt.

How many practices should I attend?

Each group has a recommended level of participation and the Academy Bullets Swim Club does not have attendance requirements for any group other than the Elite Group and National Team. Your Lead Coach can let you know what the recommendations are for your group.

Understand that if at certain times of the year you have a number of other activities, your participation may be lower than at other times of the year. Communicate with your Lead Coach about your other commitments, your expected commitment to swimming, and your practice group.

What do I have to do to move up to the next group?

Coaches consider a variety of factors in making group placements, and meet and practice performance is only one of those factors. Talk to your Lead Coach for more information regarding what s/he is looking for more informaiton.

Times

How do I find time standards for meets?

Time standards for meets are always listed in the meet information for that meet. For championship meets, time standards are also listed on our "Time Standards" page. In order to find time standards in meet information, click on the meet name of the meet at which you are looking, and find the link to Meet Information listed on the meet home page.

How do I know if I have met the time standards for a meet?

If you don't know your best times, you can look up your best times on the USA Swimming Website. You can select the criteria you want to use to pull your best times (LC or SC, certain events or all events, etc) and then compare those times to the time standards for any meet.

What is an IMX score? Do I have an IMX score?

The IMX Challenge is a motivational program where swimmers are scored on their performances in a combination of five or six events. The purpose of the program is to promote versatility in age group swimming while advocating greater participation and development across a range of events that are integral to long term success in swimming. All times are given a point value and once you have a legal time in each of your age group's IMX events, you have an IMX score.

On the USA Swimming website you can see where you rank among your own team, your state or even across the country with other swimmers your age.

Check out our "IMX Challenge" page for more information.

Training

Why are we doing this?

Any coach, at any time, should be able to answer the question, "Why are we doing this?" about anything you do. The easy answer is that you are doing everything you do in practice because your coach believes it will help you learn, improve, and grow as a swimmer and as an athlete. The specific answer will differ for everything you do. Never be hesitant to ask your coach why you are doing what you do in practice. Knowing why you do things can help you better achieve your goals as a swimmer.

What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic training?

Aerobic and Anaerobic training refers to two different energy systems used by your body to fuel exercise. The aerobic system primarily uses oxygen to fuel exercise and can only provide lower levels of energy for use. The anaerobic system uses not only oxygen, but also sugar stored in the cells of your body in order to provide fuel for exercise. The anaerobic system can provide higher levels of energy, but for shorter periods of time than the aerobic system. Through the training plans used by Bullets coaches, you will train all your body's energy systems to give you the greatest chance for success.

Website

How do I find my best times?

To find your best times, you can look up your best times on the USA Swimming Website. You can select the criteria you want to use to pull your best times (LC or SC, certain events or all events, etc).