What are Motivational Times? What is a Meet Notice? Let's find out!
Hi Clippers,
I know for those that are new (and maybe for some that are returning), the world of competitive swimming can be a bit confusing. I’m hopeful that this information will be useful in helping to determine if your swimmer qualifies for a particular swim meet as we dive deeper into the short course swim season!
What are Motivational Times?
Many of the meets that our swimmers attend are offered based on the swimmer's age and ability. Ability levels are determined by Motivational Time Standards that USA Swimming sets every 4 years based on national averages by age group (10&U, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18). Many meets will specify the time standards that are allowed, which may say “A & faster’ or ‘BB & slower’ - these refer to the USA Swimming Motivational Time Standards for the season.
Below are the links to the 2024-2028 short course yard motivational time standards. The 14 & U link includes the 10&Us, 11-12s, and 13-14s times while the 13 & O links includes the 13-14s, 15-16s, and 17-18s times.
2024-2028 Short Course Yard Motivational Time Standards (14 & U)
2024-2028 Short Course Yard Motivational Time Standards (13 & O)
We participate in meets from September through March in 25-yard pools that are called Short Course Yards (SCY). Starting in April or early May, some swimmers will begin to participate in Long Course Meter (LCM) meets, which is an Olympic size 50-meter pool. At that time, we switch to the Motivational Time Standards that are for Long Course Meters. Those times will be shared with you in the early spring.
Where can I find my swimmer’s times?
Your swimmer’s meet results are available in your Clippers SportsEngine account. After you login, find your swimmer’s Member information, and one of the tabs should say Best Times and another for Meet Results. Best Times will show your swimmer’s fastest times that they have achieved in each event they have swum. Meet Results will list their results by meet starting with the most recent meet they have participated in.
You can also use the USA Swimming Time Search to find your swimmers' results from all previous meets.
How do I read the Motivational Times?
First, choose the event in which you are looking to compare your swimmers time to and have that time handy. You’ll want to locate your swimmer’s age group on the Short Course Yard Motivational Times, with Girls on the left side of the table for each age group and Boys on the right.
Times on the outside of the list are the first time to achieve, called a ‘B time’. If your swimmer has achieved this time, you should compare their time to the next time listed moving toward the center, called a ‘BB time’. If your swimmer has swum faster than this time, they have achieved a ‘BB time’; if they have not achieved this time yet, they have a ‘B time’. This time comparison should be continued until you reach a time faster than your swimmer’s time (i.e. if your swimmer is faster than the BB time but slower than the A time, they have a ‘BB time’. If they are faster than the A time but slower than the AA time, they have an ‘A time’.). Swimmers can only have one time standard per event (distance and stroke).
An example: Let’s say your daughter is 10 years old and you want to see where her 50 freestyle falls on the Motivational Times. Her time is 37.18. On the 10 & under Girls chart, the 37.18 is faster than 39.79 which is the B time standard, but not quite the BB time standard of 35.99. This would mean that her 50 free short course time is considered to be a ‘B time’. If she swims a 35.26 at her next meet, she would have achieved the ‘BB time’ (no longer a ‘B time’) and this is her new time standard for the 50 free.
When your swimmer ages up to a new age group (i.e. your swimmer turns 11 and goes from the 10&U to 11-12 age group), their time standards will change. They will keep their best times, but the time standards achieved in a younger age group do not carry over to the older age group. For example: your son just turned 11 and his 50 back time is 36.76. This was an ‘A time’ in the 10&U age group but is now a ‘B time’ in the 11-12 age group. This is normal and a part of the sport that encourages the swimmers to keep working hard to improve as they get older.
For swimmers that are 8 years old and younger (8&U), time standards should not be a big focus for your swimmer yet. While the standards are 10&U, they are intended mostly for the 9 and older swimmers. Most meets our 8&U swimmers attend do not have time standards and are therefore open to all swimmers in the 8&U age group.
What is a Meet Notice?
As you look to register for a swim meet, it will be important to first review the Meet Notice that is linked to the event on the website as it contains a lot of information. It is important to practice reading these Meet Notices and then ask your swimmer’s Lead Coach if you need clarification. Some important things to look for:
Date and Pool Location
Meet Fees
- This shows much you will be charged per race and for each swimmer’s surcharge.
- Charges are placed onto your TeamUnify account after the swim meet takes place. Those charges are automatically processed to your credit card on file on the 1st of the month. NO FEES should be brought to the meet for your swimmer.
Rules
-This will list things like no spectators on the pool deck, no video recording behind the blocks, 12 & Under Tech Suit Ban, etc.
Eligibility
- This is the section that will note the Motivational Time Standards that may be needed to participate, if they may allow bonus events, or if No Times (NT’s) are allowed.
- Occasionally there is a separate section with Bonus Entry guidelines (for example: you qualify in 1 event, but may be allowed to bonus in additional events)
Entry Limitations
- How many events you can swim in per session
Positive Check-In
- Certain meets you attend may require a positive check-in. This means that the swimmer must either check themselves into their events that day OR notify the coach the day that they are present. The Coaching Staff will always help remind the swimmers and notify them where they will need to check-in.
- This is common in meets that have distance events that are 400 yards/meters or more OR when meets are potentially very full and they want to eliminate empty lanes.
Awards
- Will the host team offer ribbons, medals, etc
Order of Events & Qualifying Times
- This will list for you which events are on which days and what qualifying times may be needed to participate in those events.
An example of a Meet Notice is linked here. We have highlighted in yellow the important sections to pay attention to.
How can I check that my swimmer is eligible for a meet?
When marking your swimmer’s availability for a meet on the website that has qualification restrictions (“faster than…” or “slower than…”), you can check if your swimmer qualifies for the meet by clicking on each session to expand to show the events in that session. This shows the events offered along with your swimmer’s best times. The screenshot below is an example of what you as the parent should be able to see for each meet session. If a time is black, they are qualified to swim that event at this meet. If a time is red, they are not qualified to swim that event. Depending on the rules for bonus events (as outlined in the Meet Notice), your swimmer may be able to swim some or all of the events showing red, but you will need to double check. If it is a “slower than” meet, swimmers will not be able to swim events with times showing in red as they are too fast for the meet. Times in red may be swum at “faster than” meets depending on the rules laid out in the Meet Notice for bonus swims.
It is important for you to check your swimmer’s eligibility along with availability for a swim meet. If you know your swimmer does not qualify for a meet and will not have the chance to qualify before entries are due (i.e. your swimmer has BB times and the meet requires A times and they are not swimming another meet before this one), please do not mark them as available. This will help the coaching staff complete meet entries on a shorter timeline.
Who should I contact with questions?
If you have questions regarding which meets your swimmer should attend or if they qualify, you should contact your swimmer’s Lead Coach (listed below):
If you have questions regarding meet entry deadlines and meet fees, please contact the Team Administrator, Kelsey Lord, directly.
