General Eligibility and Meet Rules

1. All swimmers will swim the entire season, including City/County, at the age they have attained on June 1 of the current year.

 2. All swimmers must be members of the RVAA member club for which they swim.

3. Guests may swim exhibition in any weeknight meet if space is available. Clerk will issue cards and times will be filed by the RVAA to be used as official times if swimmers complete eligibility requirements. No points or ribbons awarded.

4. Up to three non-member coaches may swim for points and ribbons for any team.

5. Swimmers must pay non-refundable RVAA dues:

 *submitted by swimmer online by May 28th $30, after May 29th $35

6. A physician’s statement and an explanation of any limitation must accompany a swimmer’s request to be classified as “PHYSICALLY LIMITED.” Prior to the start of the summer swim season, a committee of referees will review all requests. Therefore, the written request and doctor’s verification must accompany the registration and dues form. The referee at the meet site will judge temporary handicaps (ex. broken arm) on an individual basis.

7. Any swimmer in any age group may start from the deck adjacent to the starting block. However, without a medical waiver, NO ONE may start in the water other than on backstroke or medley relay.

8. With the exception of caps, goggles, nose plugs, and ear plugs, all other swim aids are unacceptable during competition.

9. Each delegate, coach, and judge will receive a copy of the technical stroke rules, and may provide copies to interested swimmers or parents.

Team Responsibilities

10. Each team must supply its share of required workers to run a meet. Teams should refer to the RVAA worker requirements provided to their delegates for a description of the minimum number of workers required by each pool for each meet. Note: The RVAA may penalize a team if one or more of its workers leave the meet without first securing a qualified substitute for his or her position.

11. The RVAA and its officials may penalize any individual team or teams that fail to comply with the RVAA Meet Rules. The magnitude of the violation will determine the penalties applied: warnings, loss of team points, or disqualification. The referee will make his or her decision according to RVAA referee guidelines. That decision will be final.

12. Each participating team must provide a work roster, clerk of course worker(s), and a no show list to each host pool by 5:00 PM on the day of the meet. All other workers must arrive at the meet location by 5:30 PM. All Monday night meets begin at 6:00 PM.

13. No team may begin warm-ups without the presence of its coach and one responsible adult (or two responsible adults if the coach is absent). Every team must post a coach or adult at each end of the team’s warm-up lanes. All warm-ups will end no later than 5:50 PM or as designated by the meet referee.

Referee and Judging Policies

14. Meet events may be changed only in the case of a typographical error in the RVAA Newsletter. Referees are not to change the order of events.

15. Unless hazardous weather conditions exist, meets must be swum on the assigned date. However, when weather conditions necessitate a change, the referee will delay or postpone the meet after consultation with the coaches. The referee must notify the summer director on the same evening of the postponement. If the referee postpones a Monday night meet, the teams shall attempt to swim the meet on either Tuesday or Wednesday night of that week if pool availability and weather conditions permit. Teams will hold no makeup date for the last Monday night meet; however, if necessary, they may hold an open event on the following day.

16. In Monday night meets and at City/County, strokes and turns officials will judge six and under swimmers as they judge every other age group. If a six and under swimmer disqualifies or fails to place, he or she will receive a participation ribbon but will receive no points. Every six and under swimmer will receive a participation ribbon or a place ribbon.

17. The referee will relieve meet officials and workers of their duties if the officials or workers consume alcoholic beverages before or during the meet.

18. Swimmers should be confident and making forward progress of the length of the pool.  The referee will make the decision of whether the swimmer is unsafe or the swimmer is making progress in a timely manner.

Classification and Scoring Rules for Monday Night Meets

19. In Monday night competition, a swimmer will be classified for seeding and scoring purposes as Gold, Silver, or Bronze for each event based on the current RVAA Meters Time Standards. 

20. Fastest qualifying times determine the winners of each race. Ribbons and points will be awarded to the top five qualifiers in each of the three time standard divisions based on their FINAL time at THAT Monday night competition.

21. To earn Gold or Silver classification, a swimmer’s time must be equal to or faster than the stated time standard for their age group.

22. A swimmer may move up or down within the Gold/Silver/Bronze divisions from meet to meet.

23. Adult swimmers, ages 19 and up, will receive points but no ribbons at Monday night meets.

24. Monday meet relays receive ribbons, but no points.

In the case of meet postponement or cancellation:

25. Table officials will record all individual times regardless of the status of the meet completion.

26. After each Monday night meet, the participating teams have 48 hours to identify and notify the computer.data entry manager of any apparent errors in the results. After the 48 hour period has elapsed, the unchallenged results shall stand as official.

pparent errors in the results. After the 48 hourperiod has elapsed, the unchallenged results shall stand as official.