Intro to Competitive Swimming
What to Know. What to Expect.
Welcome to the world of competitive swimming! It's a fantastic sport and great experience for anyone. Still, we recognize that many aspects of our sport are difficult for newcomers to understand. Hopefully this page will help answer any questions you may have.
USA Swimming is the national governing body for the sport of swimming. All participants of STAR Swim Swimming must be members of this organization. Membership is renewed in the fall of each year. Membership provides limited, co-benefit accident and liability insurance for swimmers participating in supervised workouts and swim meets. USA Swimming
Minnesota Swimming Inc. (MSI) is the Local Swim Committee (LSC), or administrative division, that handles our geographic area which includes all of Minnesota, and a few select counties in Western Wisconsin. MSI grants annual charters to clubs like the STAR Swim, making them a part of the USA Swimming family. MSI also administers all USA Swimming sanctioned meets that take place within their jurisdiction. Minnesota Swimming Inc. (MSI)
Seasons
The competitive swimming year is sectioned off into two separate competitive seasons, each with their own set of championship meets.
Short Course Season - The first season starts in early September and runs through March. This season is typically referred to as the Short Course Season, because all competitions during this time, with the exception of the Spring National Championship Meet, take place in a 25 yard, or "Short Course" pool.
Long Course Season - The second competitive season runs from early April through early August, and is usually referred to as the Long Course Season due to the fact that meets in this season are (whenever possible) held in 50 meter, or "Long Course" pools. The Long Course format is used for all USA Swimming Senior National Meets, as well as most major international meets such as the World Championships and the Olympics.
Because USA Swimming uses two separate formats (Long Course vs. Short Course) throughout the year, swimmers who swim year-round will have two different sets of best times, just as the club has two different sets of club records. Swimmers, coaches and parents will often try and "convert" times so that races and times in different formats can be compared, and there are several tools that will help with conversions, but parents should be aware that Long Course / Short Course conversions are rarely accurate! Longer pool length, fewer flip turns, and indoor vs outdoor pools are just some of the factors that impact times. Instead, it is more helpful to view each season, and the times achieved in the season, separately.
The 4 Competitive Strokes
One of the many things that makes swimming such a unique sport is the fact that swimmers compete in a variety of different strokes. Races are swum at various distances (depending on the age group) in each of the following strokes: Backstroke, Breastroke, Butterfly and Freestyle, as well as in an Individual Medley in which each swimmer competes a specified distance of each of the strokes.
Although your child may have learned other strokes such as the sidestroke in swimming lessons, the following 4 strokes are the only ones in USA Swimming meets.
- Backstroke: This stroke is easily identifiable as it is the only one done on the back. It is done using an alternating arm motion combined with a flutter kick and good hip, shoulder and trunk rotation. Backstrokers may flip onto their stomach to change direction at the walls, but it must be done in a continuous motion, with no more than one stroke permitted on the stomach. Race finishes must be done on the back.
- Breaststroke: Breaststroke is done using a two-arm simultaneous stroke and underwater recovery along with a strong "whip kick" which is sometimes called the frog kick. Balance in the breaststroke is attained through a "teeter-totter" motion in the water, which has swimmers alternating putting preasure on the upper and lower body, rotating over the short axis. Usually considered the slowest of the 4 strokes, Breaststroke is also one of the most difficult strokes to do correctly.
- Butterfly: Butterfly is done using a two-arm simultaneous stroke with an above water recovery along with a "dolphin kick". Using the same "teeter-totter" motion as the breaststroke, butterfliers appear to move through the water with an undular, or wave-like motion. Rhythm, timing and strength are the most important factors in a fast butterfly.
- Freestyle: In all freestyle events, swimmers may use whatever stroke they would like to get from one end of the pool to the other. Typically, however, swimmers will use the front crawl during freestyle events as it is the fastest. Because of this, coaches, swimmers and parents often use the word "freestyle" in exchange for "front crawl".
Meets
Here at STAR Swim Swimming, we believe that competitions are an important step in the progression each individual goes through as a swimmer, so we therefore encourage all eligible members to take part in the meets our club attends. At this point, however, only STAR hosted meets are required.
At all MSI meets, the events in which swimmers compete are determined based on the age of the swimmer. Each age group has their own set of events chosen to ensure that swimmers compete in a wide variety of events without requiring any athlete to swim an event he or she is unable to do (e.g. an 8 year old will not compete in the 200 fly). Each age group also has it’s own set of time standards designed to provide a set progression of improvement relative to the group’s age and physical maturity, while also ensuring that swimmers always compete against other swimmers of like ability. The USA Swimming designated age groups are 8 & Under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and Senior (17-18).
At almost all meets we attend, swimmers compete only against swimmers of the same gender and in the same age group, and seeding is done by time, which means your swimmer will always compete in a heat of swimmers of roughly the same ability level. However, some meets and events do combine boys and girls in the same heats, but all are placed according to age and times, and ultimately their pace is within their own gender.
Types of Meets
USA Swimming Meets come in a variety of different formats, from Novice all the way through Junior and Senior National Championships. All of these formats, however, are determined based on time standards which indicate the minimum (and sometimes maximum) achievements under which a swimmer may compete in a designated meet. All MSI meets use the Minnesota Swimming Time Standards, while regional or national meets typically use standards based off of the USA Swimming Time Standards.
Minnesota Swimming classifies their time standards into 5 groups: Bronze, Silver, Gold, CH, and ZONE. These levels represent a progression upward (i.e. Silver times are faster than Bronze times), and usually indicate the type of meet a swimmer may compete in.
Below is a brief description of all the types of meets you will likely encounter as a swim parent.
Bronze/Pre-Bronze Meets are for swimmers who have not previously swam an event and have an NT (“No Time”) or have a “Bronze” qualifying time or slower “Pre-Bronze” time. These meets are great for novice swimmers and first meet experiences. Bronze/Pre-Bronze Meets are also a good opportunity for more experienced athletes to attempt longer events for the first time, such as the 200 Fly, 500 Free, or 400 IM.
Gold/Silver/Bronze Meets are for all swimmers, and all members are encouraged to participate.Because these meets involve multiple ability levels, awards categories individual events are divided into three levels: “Bronze” and slower, “Silver,” and “Gold” and faster.
Silver/Bronze Meets provide an intermediate level of competition for swimmers with “Silver” times, “Bronze” times and “No Times.”
Gold Meets are for experienced swimmers who have attained Minnesota “Gold” times and faster. Team scores are kept and team awards are given.
State Meets are open to qualifiers with a “CH” (Champ) time or faster. The team state champion is determined at these meets. The Minnesota Swimming Championship for winter short course season is held each March. The State Championship for summer long course season is held each August.
What is a meet like?
Meets are an opportunity for swimmers to race competitors with similar abilities or times. Many different swim clubs, high schools and colleges come together to race in a swim meet. The meet is divided into many different events categorized by stroke (Butterfly, Breaststroke, Backstroke, Freestyle, Individual Medley, or Relays), length (i.e. 50 yards or meters, 100 yards or meters, and 200 yards or meters), gender (Women, Men or Mixed) and age group (i.e. 8 & Under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15 & Over). Each event is split into heats, and swimmers are organized into 6-8 lanes per heat. There is one swimmer per lane and usually multiple heats in each event, see below for an example swim meet program.
Swimming is not just about the place you get; individual time goals and growth in each event are prioritized within the sport. Swimmers should focus on improving their own time and achieving new time standards instead of comparing themselves to others.
Example swim meet program.
