Fox Point Fintastics

Here is everything you need to know about RSL swim meets! 

Swimming is unlike any other team sport in that it requires full participation from parents in order for the competitions to occur. Each family is required to volunteer for a total of 5 jobs throughout the season. Since dual meets are divided into two halves, one job consists of working for one-half of the meet. There are a wide variety of volunteer positions for parents. Parents of returning families are asked to have at least one parent per family complete a trained position. 

Positions requiring Rappahannock Swim League (RSL) training:

Some training is available online. 

• Referee
• Data Coordinator
• Stroke and Turn Judge
• Head Timer
• Clerk of Course
• Starter

Positions that do not require training:

• Concessions 
• Awards Clerk
• Setup/clean up
• Lane timers
• Scorers
• Heat ribbons presenter

General info

Recommended gear for meets:

• Goggles, team suit, and cap 
• Extra towels
• Sharpies (to write events on hand/arm)
• Change of clothes
• Chairs, blankets, and toys for entertainment (meets can last a long time)
• Healthy snacks
• Water
• Cash for the concessions

Meet Info

When you arrive:

• Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time begins. 
• Before arrival, write each event number, heat, and lane on your swimmer’s arm in permanent (i.e., waterproof) marker, like a Sharpie. This helps your swimmer remember what events he or she is swimming and will help him/her know when to report to the Clerk of Course prior to the event. 
• Swimmers report to the pool and/or coach for warm-ups. It is very important for all swimmers to warm up with the team. 
• Swimmers return to the parent’s area after warm-ups.

When the Meet Starts

• Know what events your swimmer is competing in. It is important for a swimmer to know what event numbers he or she is swimming. 
• Keep an eye on the Clerk of the Course board. Upcoming events are displayed on the pool deck in a designated gathering area for swimmers.  Swimmers need to report to this area with cap and goggles when their event is “called.” 
• Right before the race, swimmers will move from the Clerk of Course to the designated block. It is always a good idea to have your swimmer check in with the lane timers to make sure he/she is in the right lane and heat.

The Four Strokes

The four competitive swimming strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. The combination of all four strokes is called the individual medley.

In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke. The stroke most commonly used is sometimes called the crawl, which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the surface of the water surface and an alternating (up-and-down) flutter kick.

Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns, swimmers may rotate to the stomach and perform a flip turn and some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. The swimmer must finish on the back.

The breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pressed out from in front of the breast in a heart-shaped pattern and recovered under or on the surface of the water. The kick is a simultaneous somewhat circular motion similar to the action of a frog. On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously at, above or below the water surface.

Some consider the butterfly to be the most beautiful of the strokes. It features a simultaneous recovery of the arms over the water combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must keep both legs together and may not flutter, scissor kick or use the breaststroke kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously on the turns and the finish.

The individual medley, commonly referred to as the I.M., features all four strokes. In the IM, the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes after one-fourth of the race to backstroke, then breaststroke, and finally freestyle.

Swimming Vocabulary Terms

• Age requirement: The age group in which a competitor swims will be determined by his/her age as of June 1st of the current swim year. A competitor turning 19 after the June 1st cutoff is eligible to swim the entire season.
• Backstroke flags: Lines of flags placed above the lanes at each end to signal the backstroker that he is five yards or meters (depending upon the course) from the wall. If your child is swimming the backstroke, the coaches will teach them to count their strokes once they pass under the flags until they touch the wall.
• Block: the starting platform.
• Course: Designated distance over which the competition is conducted.
• Disqualification (DQ): This occurs when a swimmer has committed an infraction of some kind; e.g., freestyle kick in the butterfly. A disqualified swimmer's time cannot be used as an official time.
• Dryland Training: Training done out of the water that aids and enhances swimming performance; usually includes stretching and calisthenics.
• Event: Any race or series of races in a given stroke or distance.
• False Start: Occurs when a swimmer is moving before the start is sounded or during a relay when the swimmer waiting at the block or on the wall starts before the finishing swimmer touches the wall.
• Finals: The concluding meet of the season, when all swim teams participate at one all day meet.
• Heat: A single race in an event in which there are too many swimmers to compete at one time.
• Heat Sheets: The swim meet program that includes information such as the name of the events, heats, lanes, and swimmers. These are normally hung on the fence prior to the meet for your viewing.
• I. M.: Slang for Individual Medley event in which the swimmer uses all four strokes in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
• Lane: The specific area in which the swimmer is assigned to swim, i.e., lane 1, lane 2, etc.
• Lane markers, lines or ropes: Continuous floating markers extending from one end of the pool to the other.
• Lane markings: Guide lines on the bottom of the pool and in the center of each lane extending from one end of the pool to the other.
• Leg: The part of a relay event that is swum by a single team member.
• Medley Relay: A group of four swimmers each swimming different strokes in an event; back, breast, butterfly, and free.
• Meet: A series of events held in one program.
• No Time (NT): Seed time is entered as "No Time" if a swimmer has never swum an event before.
• Official: A judge on the deck of the pool at a sanctioned competition who enforces RSL Swimming rules. There are stroke and turn judges, administrative officials, starters, and referees.
• Relay: An event in which 4 swimmers compete together as a team to achieve one time.
• Scratch: To withdraw from an event in a competition.
• Seeding: Swimmers are arranged in heats in events according to submitted times and heat sheets are prepared prior to the competition.
• Starter: Meet official who sounds a horn that begins each heat of an event.
• Starting blocks: Platforms from which the swimmer enters the water at the beginning of an event.
• Streamline: The position used by swimmers when starting or pushing off the walls designed to reduce water resistance.
• "Take your mark": The starter’s command to swimmers to which they must respond by at once assuming a starting position
• Time Trial: A time-only swim, which is not part of a regular meet.
• Timed final heats: Each swimmer swims that particular event one time and final placing is determined by the times performed in those heats.
• Timers: Volunteers who time swimmers in a specific lane during a swim meet.
• Warm Up: Low-intensity swimming used by swimmer prior to the main practice set or race to get muscles loose and warm. Warm up gradually increases heart rate, respiration and helps to prevent injury.