Y Swim Meets and Competitions
Q: What are the different meets?
A: While the various types of meets may sound confusing, they are just variations on the same concept of a swim meet. The difference is usually who sponsors the meets. YMCA Swimming and USA Swimming have adopted the same technical rules for competition.
DUAL MEETS – For Rocky Run, these meets are within the YMCA Penn Del Swim League. This is a league of other YMCA competitive swim programs in the region. Each season, there are 5 to 6 dual meets per team. The season runs from mid November through January. The meets are held on a Saturday, some at home, some away. The dual meets culminate with a League Championship meet in late January or early February.
YMCA INVITATIONALS – These meets are sponsored by a YMCA competitive swim team. These meets, like USA Swimming meets, allow swimmers to swim different events/distances than are offered at the Penn Del dual meets.
Q: What are the YMCA District, States and National swim meets?
A: The meet referred to as "Districts" is the YMCA PA East District Swim meet. This is a swim meet, usually held in March, against other YMCA swim teams from eastern Pennsylvania area. To swim in the meet, swimmers must obtain a qualifying time in each event for which they swim at districts. The top 6 individual finalists and top 6 relays from each district advance to the PA State Championships (States). This meet is usually held at the McCoy Natatorium at Penn State University.
YMCA Nationals (Y—Nats) are two swim meets (short course in the spring and long course in the summer) against competitive Y swim teams from around the country. Qualifying times must be achieved to participate in the meet. This is the highest level of YMCA competition.
Q: How long are the dual meets?
A: The dual meets last around 3 hours. Keep in mind all swimmers will need to arrive at the pool prior to the meet to warm-up and must stay until the meet is over.
Q: Will I have swim meets every weekend?
A: Swimmers will not have a swim meet every weekend. There are 5 to 6 dual meets between early November and late January. Swimmers are encoureaged to swim at all the dual meets as well as Y championships for which they are qualified.
Additional invitational and USA Swimming meets are scheduled throughout the swim season. Attendance at these meets is not required; it is up to each family to determine, which, if any, of these meets they attend.
Q: For swim meets, can my child pick his or her events?
A: For the dual meets, league champs and districts, the coach will make the line up. This is to ensure that all swimmers can participate based on the meet line up and what best meets the team and swimmer's interest. For some USA Swimming and Y Invitational meets, parents and athletes pick events. For other meets, the coaching staff selects events. Remember that good event selection can encourage development in and out of the pool. Coaches may recommend or change events based on this philosophy. If a swimmer's parent is unsure of what to sign up for, this can be addressed in the comments during signup.
