Glossary of terms (Barracudas)

Glossary of terms

Age Group Swim Meet

All USS registered swimmers 18 years old or younger who have met the qualifying time standard for specific events are eligible to participate in their age category. Age on the first day of the meet shall govern the entire meet.

Bull Pen

Place where swimmers report at meets before their events to receive their entry cards and to be arranged into their heat and lane assignments. Not all meets will employ this method. At many meets, swimmers, especially those over 10 will be expected to get to their events on their own.

Course

Designated distance over which the competition is conducted. Long course (LCM) is 50 m and short course is 25 yards (SCY) or 25m (SCM).

Deck seeding

Heat and lane assignments are determined for the swimmers at the beginning of each meet session, after scratches are taken out. This is used at positive check-in-meets.

DQ or Disqualification

A swimmer is ussually disqualified when he performs a stroke, touch or turn incorrectly, or when he enters the water before the start (false start).

False Start

When a swimmer enters the water before a race or moves during the start, he may be charged with a false start. This results in disqualification of the swimmer at the USS meet since USS Swimming has a "no false start" rule.

Dual Meet

Meets conducted between two teams.

Finals

The session of the meet where qualifying rounds were held previously to determine the finalists. Usually there are 1-2 heats of finals and their order of finish determines the ultimate placement in a given event. most prelim-final meets are on a championship level.

Heat

The group of swimmers who swim a race at the same time. Several heats may be held in a particular event. Heats usually are swum with the slower swimmers in earlier heats.

Heat Sheets

Printed listings of all swimmers by event number and entry time. These are also called the meet programs or "Psych Sheets".

Individual medley. The event where swimmer swims butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle in that order.

Lap

Two lengths of the pool.

Length

One length of the pool.

LSC

Local Swimming Committee.

Medley Relay

Four swimmers from a team, swim one fourth of the prescribed distance in the order : backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. For example in a 100 yard Medley Relay each swimmer will swim their assigned stroke for 25 yards.

Official

A specially trained person who wathes swimmers to ensure they are performing their starts, strokes, and turns according to USS rules.

Referee

The USS official who has the final authority over all other officials at the meet.

Seed Timers

The times a swimmer uses to enter a meet (usually their best times). These times appear on the heat sheet and they determine the heat and lane in whicha swimmer is placed.

Seeding

The process of assigning swimmers to lanes and heats by time.

Starter

The Official responsible for starting each heat and calling the swimmers to the blocks.

Stroke and Turn Judge

An Official who determines the legality of swimmers strokes, turns, and finishes and disqualifies those who do not conform to USS standards.

Touch Pad

An electronic pad which stops a clock when the swimmer touches it at the end of the race. This is usually the official time, although corrections are made if the swimmer misses the pad.