Confused by Coach's lingo or Board Director jargon? Below you will find a list of common swimming vocabulary. Familiarize yourself and your swimmer with these terms:

Administration Official (Admin)- Official in charge of running the timing console, meet manager program, and printer. Determines warmups, scratches, heats and printouts. Overseees discrepencies in times and finalizes times for Metro.
Awards Chair- Volunteer in charge of correlating time results with the appropriate prize and distributing them to teams. Typically involves assigning the proper ribbon or medal for place finished. Heat winners will sometimes get to choose a rubber duck, candy, or other prize.
Backstroke (Back/ BK)- Stroke swum on back with alternating arm pull rotations and flutter kick.
Backup Timer- Volunteer who keeps track of times for all races in a specific lane with a stopwatch and a clipboard with heats and rosters of swimmers in that lane.
Block- Starting Block in the deep end of the pool. Swimmers step up and dive in for Free, Breast, and Fly. Swimmers hop in the water and use the bar or wall for Back.
Block Party- USA Swimming pilot program, allowing observed times for mini-meets run during practice or as its own session.
Breakout- Part of the race where the swimmer emerges from under the water and begins to swim the stroke.
Breaststroke (Breast/ BR)- Stroke swum on chest with simultaneous arm pull outward circles and whip kick.
Bronze Championship- 'C' level championship for all age groups in Metro swimming. Swimmers must successfully swim a race without exceeding a Silver cut to qualify for Bronze.
Bucket Turn- Turn sequence used in IM for Backstroke to Breaststroke Transition. Swimmer touches the wall on their back before backflipping and pushing off the wall on their chest.
Butterfly (Fly/ FL)- Stroke swum on chest with simultaneous forward circle arm pull and dolphin kick.
Cap- Bathing uniform worn for reducing drag and keeping hair from interfering while swimming, typically made of silicone or latex.
Check In- Arrival time for swimmers in a meet session so scratch sheets can be submitted on time.
Circle Swim- Lane swimming where the flow of traffic is to the right in both directions of the pool.
Console- Computer used for running the timing system, often a Colorado or Daktronic system.
Counter- Equipment used during Distance races to keep track of swimmer's laps. Also refers to the person using the equipment.
Cut- a Championship qualifying time.
Disqualification (DQ)- Swimmer's time is nullified due to improper technique for the stroke swum.
Distance Session- Meet session typically held on a Friday evening of a 3 day meet, usually consisting of 500yd Free (20 lengths), 1000yd Free (40 lengths), 1650yd Free (66 lengths/ 'Mile'), or 400 IM (4 lengths of each stroke/16 lengths). Swimmers entered in Distance events are required to bring their own counter and backup timer.
Dolphin Kick- Butterfly kick with the legs together kicking up and down from the hips to the knees to the toes. "Mermaid Kick"
Dryland- Workouts for swimmers designed to be on deck and out of the water.
Entries- Events swimmer is signed up for in a meet session.
Entry Fee- Cost to enter a race in USA swimming. Fees are determined by the Host Team, and once entries are received and confirmed by Metro the fee is mandatory to pay, even if scratched from the race.
False Start- Disqualification due to movement during "Take your Mark" or leaving the starting block before the starter has sounded off.
Fifty (50)- Two lengths of a short course pool. One length of a long course pool.
Finish- End sequence of a race, different for each stroke. Breast and Fly require 2-handed touch, Back requires 1-hand touching wall while on back, Free requires touching wall with 1-hand while on front.
Flags- Equipment used in Back for swimmers to measure distance from the wall for turns and finishes.
Flippers (Fins)- Equipment used on feet to kick faster and stronger.
Flip Turn- Turn sequence in Free and Back to change directions quickly by doing a half flip into the wall and jumping off in the other direction.
Flutter Kick- Alternating kick going up and down from the hip to the knee to the toe used in Free and Back.
Folder- PBAC Swim families have a designated folder at PBHS pool that will contain meet awards, caps, notices, and other means of personal communication from the club. Please check it frequently!
Freestyle (Free/ FR)- Stroke swum on the chest with alternating arm pull rotations and flutter kick. "Front Stroke", "Front Crawl".
Glide- Part of a race where the swimmer moves forward off the strength of their kick, primarily in Breast. 
Goggles- Uniform equipment to see while swimming, often using bungee cord or rubber straps to keep firm on face. Snorkel masks are prohibited.
Heat- Individual race of an overall event, usually seeded slow to fast and outside lanes to inside lanes.
Heat Sheet- Timeline and roster of Events, Heats, and Lanes during a meet session. Cannot be determined until all scratches are processed by Admin.
Hundred (100)- Four lengths of a short course pool. Two lengths of a long course pool.
Individual Medley (IM)- Race where swimmer races all four strokes in order- Fly, Back, Breast, Free
Interval- Practice sets using the pace clock to push time awareness and speed management while swimming.
Junior Metropolitan Championship (Jr. Mets)- 'A' level championship for 9-14 age groups in Metro swimming. Swimmers must successfully swim a race exceeding a Jr. Met cut.
K.O.B.- 'Kick on Back' streamline practice set
Kickboard- Floating tool used by holding the base to work on isolated kicking work.
Lane- Numbered aisle swimmer races in.
Lane Line- Divider rope with buoys separating swimmer lanes in the pool.
Long Course / Meters (LCM)- Competition swimming in a 50 meter "Olympic-Size" pool. Metro LCM season runs April-July.
Mailbox- At both PAK and PBHS there are physical mailboxes for letter dropoffs from families to the club.
Medley- Relay of four swimmers, each swimming a stroke in order- Back, Breast, Fly, Free
Meet- Competition hosted by a team and sanctioned by USA Swimming, often broken up into Sessions over a weekend.
Meet Marshall- Volunteer in charge of deck management and safety for their designated area during a swim meet session.
Meet Mobile- App used by host teams to post instant, unofficial race results.
Metro- Metropolitan Swimming, our LSC chapter of USA Swimming.
Noseplug (Plug)- Equipment used for back and underwater training to keep water from entering the nose.
Official- Volunteer who oversees the race and determines legality for swim meets- Admin, Referee, Starter, and 2 Stroke & Turn Judges are minimum required deck crew to officiate and run a sanctioned USA Swimming meet.
"On the Bottom"- The :30 mark on the pace clock
"On the Top"- The :00 mark on the pace clock.
One-Way Sprint- Warmup 25 with a Start, swimming down the middle of the lane, finishing at the wall, then exiting the pool and returning to the block. "Walk Arounds"
PAK- Pakanasink Elementary School pool, PBAC's secondary practice location.
PBHS- Pine Bush High School pool, PBAC's primary location for practice and competition.
Pace Clock- Equipment used for timed intervals in practice sets.
Paddles- Equipment used on hands and forearms to correct body position and strengthen arm pulls
Pull Buoy- Equipment used between legs to work on isolated arm strokes while legs float and dangle behind.
Pullout- Starting sequence in Breaststroke, using a single Dolphin kick, Full arm pull, and Whip kick recovery to the surface before beginning breaststroke race.
Referee- Head Swimming Official for a meet, oversees the meet and makes final call on DQs.
Relay- Race consisting of 4 teammates in the designated age group swimming a leg, either in Medley (4 strokes) or Freestyle (all Free).
SafeSport- Governing body overseeing athlete protection and proper team decorum for USA Swimming.
Scratch- Last minute removal from a race. Entry cost is still applied if scratches are done after entries have been submitted to host team.
Scratch Sheet- Check in roster for teams prior to a meet session. Must be submitted by a certain time designated by Host Team.
Senior Metropolitan Championship (Sr. Mets)- 'AA' level championships for 14-18 and Senior age groups in Metro Swimming.
Session- Designated time for age group events in a meet. Typically broken into Distance Fridays with an AM and PM session on Saturday and Sunday.
Short Course / Yards (SCY)- Competition swimming in a 25 yard pool. Primary season for PBAC, Metro SCY season runs September-March
Silver Championship- 'B' level championship for all age groups in Metro Swimming. Swimmers must successfully swim a race faster than a Silver cut but slower than a Jr. Met cut.
Speedo Sectional- 'AAA' level championships for 15-18 and Senior age groups, breaking into Zones covering many LSCs of USA Swimming.
Start- Beginning race sequence on a Starter's whistle- 4 short whistles to clear stopwatches, 1 long whistle to step up on the block, "Take your Mark"- toes wrapped over the edge of the block and hands grab the edge while staying still, and a starting buzzer to begin the race, diving into the water.
Starter- Equipment used to begin a race and start the timing system. Also refers to the Official operating the equipment.
Streamline- Body position off a wall, turn, or start where the arms stretch over the ears with hand over hand and legs stay straight and together.
Stroke & Turn Judge- Official in charge of the far end of the pool, observing swimmers for proper technique and protocol.
Surcharge- Extra meet fee to cover facility cost, typically assigned to athlete or team in the meet info.
Team Challenge (TC)- 'A' level Championship for 15-18 age group in Metro swimming. Swimmers must successfully swim a race exceeding a TC cut.
Tech Suit- High end bathing suit for ages 12+ that has advanced buoyancy and drag resistance for faster times. Expensive, delicate, and only used for upper level competition.
Test Set- Practice activity designed to determine swimmer ability and level appropriateness.
Timeline- Estimated duration of a meet session based on entry times and swimmer volume. Meet Timelines for USA Swimming should not exceed 4 hours per session after the warmup session ends.
Touch Pad- Timing equipment on the pool wall to register race times.
Touch Turn- Turn sequence off the wall, primarily in Breaststroke and Butterfly, swimmer touches the wall with two hands and pivots to push off in the opposite direction.
Transition- Turning sequence switching strokes in an IM: Fly/Back, Back/Breast, Breast/Free.
Twenty Five (25)- One length of a short course pool.
Two Hundred (200)- Eight lengths in a short course pool. Four lengths in a long course pool.
Varsity- High School Swim Teams for grades 7-12. Middle Schoolers must pass an Athletic Placement Process to join. Girls season is August-November. Boys season is November-March.
Warmup- Practice before a meet begins for swimmers to adjust to the pool and get ready to compete. Teams are often designated a session and lane for their team to use on their own or share with another team.
Whip Kick- Kick used in Breaststroke where the legs bend, extend, and snap together simultaneously. "Frog Kick"