Time Trials is the first meet of the season. Every swimmer swims as many strokes as they can, which gives the swimmers and coaches a baseline to measure progress throughout the season. It also gives new swimmers and families an opportunity to become familiar with the running of a meet. 

 

All families are expected to help at the time trial their swimmer attends.  Any swimmers unable to attend time trials can have a make-up during practice. 

 

Time Trials establish the initial “ladder” for the season. The ladder is a listing of swimmers in order of times (fastest to slowest) in each age group/stroke. Time Trial times ARE NOT official CSL times; therefore, they are not able to be used to determine Divisional Entries. 

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Saturday Dual ‘A’ Meet

Saturday morning meets are scored and used to determine the team standings within the league. 

 

The coach selects the Saturday meet participants and has full discretion over entries. Each team may enter three swimmers per event. Each swimmer is limited to three individual entries, excluding relays. 

 

Sometimes, the host team will offer exhibition events/heats. Exhibition events provide an opportunity for younger swimmers to compete. Their times are recorded but they cannot score points for the team. 

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Wednesday Developmental ‘B’ Meet

Wednesday evening “developmental” meets are not scored and are open to all swimmers. They are a great opportunity to compete, improve times, and try new strokes. Swimmers may enter up to three individual events. 

 

However, if a swimmer swam in the previous Saturday meet and placed first, second, or third in an individual event, they would be ineligible to compete in the same event at the following Wednesday meet. (For example, if Mary swam freestyle on Saturday and placed 1st, she would be ineligible to swim freestyle at the next Wednesday meet. However, if Mary swam backstroke on Saturday and placed 4th, she could swim backstroke in the following Wednesday meet.)

 

Please note that the stroke order changes for each B Meet as follows: 

Swimmers swim in only one event – the Individual Medley (“IM”). This meet, “IM Tough,” gives swimmers an opportunity to swim an IM without first swimming any other events. Because they are fresher, it gives them a chance to record their best time. The coaches select swimmers for this meet from those swimmers who have recorded an IM time during the season.

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CSL Relay Carnival

The Colonial Swim League (CSL) Relay Carnival is a meet usually held on a Sunday morning midway through the season. This is a team event. No individual events. The coaches select swimmers for the team events based on the best times and on the coaches’ discretion and strategy for maximum performance at the meet.

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Divisional Qualification Meet (“Divisionals”)

At the end of the regular season a Divisional Swim Meet is held by each of the four CSL divisions to determine who will compete at the All-Star Meet. The location of the meet rotates among the teams. Each team may select three eligible swimmers per age group in the five individual events (free, back, breast, fly, and IM). A swimmer may swim in a maximum of three events for this meet. Swimmers of each individual event are selected based on the best times and on the coaches’ discretion. Ribbons are awarded to the first six places. 

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All-Stars

The All-Star Meet is the last meet of the season. The fastest 18 swimmers from across all Divisional Qualification Meets throughout the Colonial Swim League are eligible to swim in the All-Star Meet. Swimmers may qualify for up to three individual events.