| Age-Group Swimming |
Youth swimming competitions divided into age brackets: 6 & under, 7–8, 9–10, 11–12, 13–14, 15–16, 17–18. |
| Blocks |
Platforms swimmers start races from. |
| Deck |
The poolside area for swimmers, coaches, and officials only — no parents unless volunteering. |
| DQ |
Disqualify. Starter or Stroke and Turn judge may DQ a swimmer for illegal strokes, starts, turns, or finishes. A DQ means the swim does not count for points, “pops,” records, or qualifying times. |
| Dual Meet |
Any meet in which only two teams are participating. |
| Heat |
A single race by stroke, age group, and sex. For example, the first six girls in the 7/8 freestyle are “Heat 1,” the next six are “Heat 2.” |
| Heat Sheet |
The program that shows all participating swimmers, events, heat numbers, and lane assignments. The announcer will also call event and heat numbers, and results are displayed on the electronic board. |
| IM |
Individual Medley. One lap (25 yards) of each stroke in order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle, totaling 100 yards. |
| Recorder |
A person in each lane records times for each race. |
| Scratch |
Withdrawing from an event at a meet, often used strategically at larger meets. |
| Seed Time |
The entry time for a swimmer used to assign heats and lanes. Faster seed times are placed in earlier heats and center lanes. |
| Starter |
The USA Swimming official responsible for starting each heat and calling the next to the blocks. |
| Streamline |
A long, straight body position used during starts and turns to reduce drag underwater. |
| Stroke & Turn |
Officials ensure swimmers perform strokes, turns, and finishes correctly. Volunteers must complete annual training. |
| Time Trials |
Our first meet of the season, held internally to establish base times. Scores aren’t kept. |
| Timer |
Three people at the finish end of each lane time every race — half from the host team, half from the visiting team. |
