Rocky Run and USA Swimming
USA meets are not just for the fastest or best swimmers. These meets are for any swimmer who wants the opportunity to compete against others of a similar age and speed. Such competitions help all swimmers swim faster!
USA SWIMMING MEETS – These are meets sanctioned by USA Swimming. Many of these meets have time standard requirements for entry. USA Swimming meets allow swimmers to swim different events/distances than are offered at Penn Del swim meets. Some are local, some require travel and overnight stay.
Q: What is the structure for USA Swimming meets? Who goes to which meets and who decides?
USA Swimming establishes time standards, or "Cuts" for some of its major meets. Many meets are open for all swimmers. Swimmers are always striving to make their next cut. This encourages age group swimmers to “step up their swimming” to the next level. This allows swimmers at each age group to see where their times are relative to national standards and set personal goals to achieve the next time cut.
The coaching staff selects which swim meets each age group will attend. This is done at the beginning of the season. Parents can choose which of the selected USA Swimming and Y invitational meets their age group swimmers attend and in which events they swim. All swimmers are encouraged to swim in Y dual meets and Y championship meets as a priority. Swim times from Y meets do not count for USA Swimming unless the meet is sanctioned by USA Swimming.
Junior Olympics "cuts" are a goal of USA swimmers. Junior Olympics are at the end of February/early March for short course. Long course JO's are in July.
Q: Do you require all your swimmers to have a USA Swimming registration?
A: Not all swimmers are recommended for a USA Swimming registration with Mid Atlantic Swimming (our LSC.) This fee will be processed at the time of Fall/Winter registration. 8 & Under swimmers will not be attending USA meets. We prefer that our younger swimmers focus on YMCA Swimming.
Q: What does a typical USA Swim Meet look like?
A: Each USA Meet is broken out into sessions by age group. Attendance may be for 1 or more sessions. Warm up is mandatory. From the first race of the session, the last race needs to be completed within 4 hours. Frequently, the timeline will be released the week of the meet. A swimmer is responsible for showing up on time to check in and then may leave after their own last swim, regardless if the team has finished competing.
Q: Who registers my swimmer for USA Meets?
A: Coaches do not sign swimmers up for USA Meets. Parents need to commit their swimmers through Team Unify. See below:
How to Sign Up For a USA Swim Meet
Once a USA or Y invitational meet has been "posted" to our website (ie: it is ready for sign up), it will appear as an entry under "Swim Meets" at the bottom of the home page or in the “Events” section across the top.
To sign your swimmer up:
1. Sign in to your account ("sign in" button is on the left of the home page), using the email you signed up for the team with and your password.
2. Once you are signed in, click "Attend/Decline" for the meet you wish to enter.
3. Click on the button in the upper right hand corner and you will see a list of your registered swimmer(s).
4. Click on the swimmer you wish to enter and the events for which s/he is eligible will appear.
5. Click on the events you wish to enter, then "register" at the bottom, and you are set.
More USA Swimming FAQs
Q: Does it cost anything to swim in a USA Meet?
A: Yes, typically the cost is between $5-$7 per event to swim at a given meet along with a travel fee.
Q: What does "NT" mean next to an event when signing my child up?
A: If an event has "NT" next to the event, that means your swimmer does not have a time for that event because they have not swam it in a USA meet.
Q: What are qualifying times? When the event is posted it will say Qualifying Times in the meet description.
A: Qualifying times mean that swimmers have to have an official time that is faster than (or sometimes slower than) a particular time standard. Official times are those that are swam in USA swim meets. If a meet has qualifying times and your swimmer IS eligible- the time will be written in black next to the event. If the time is red that means your swimmer is ineligible for that event.
