Meet Guidelines & Information
|
|
MEET ATTENDANCEAll swimmers who are capable, will be entered in meets, unless prior notice has been given. If you will be missing a meet, please scratch using the Meet Sign-out book during practices. Under PWSL guidlines, you must compete in two meets to be eligible for Divisionals. Failure to not sign out and then not show to a meet is extremely detrimental to the team. It causes unnecessary burden on the coaching staff, and parent volunteers, such as Clerk of Course, Referees, Computer Scoring, etc., not to mention is critical for the formation of Relay teams. Bottom line, is it is inexcusable. If you have a true emergency such as illness, please do any or all of the following: (1) Email Jeanie Ingram, communications manager, at jmsingram@comcast.net, or Coach Tessa at tessamarie173@yahoo.com. Even very early on meet days, it is very likely that someone will see your message. (2) Tell a friend who is on the team that you won't be there, and ask him/her to give the message to the coach. (3) Call (703) 843-1689 and leave a message. Swimmers who are absent from meets with no prior notice or no excuse or attempt to contact the team, may be suspended from competing in further meets. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ MEET ELIGIBILITYAll swimmers who are capable, will be entered in meets, unless prior notice has been given. Coaches determine the events swimmers are entered into which can be up to three individual events and two relays. Good attendance will help ensure that all members of the Makos are entitled to compete in the end-of-season Divisional Meet. PWSL Bylaws require that in order to participate in Divisionals, the following criteria must be met:
Note, if a swimmer was disqualified in a race, that time will not be considered a valid entry time. PWSL rules expressly prohibit participating in a Divisional meet as an exhibition swimmer (times/scores don't count). ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ WARM-UPSAs a member of the Makos Swim Team, you will be expected to arrive on time to meets to allow for participation in Warm Ups. The on-time arrival should be considered 5:45 A.M. for home meets, and 6:00 A.M. for away meets. This will allow for ample time to get settled in, check in with a coach to let him or her know that you are in attendance and be prepared to enter the pool on time for the scheduled warm-up for the team. Failure to arrive on time for warm-ups or simply not participating in warm-ups can result in being scratched from Relays, or further meet suspension. If you will be missing the meet due to an emergency, please follow one of the procedures outlined on the Meet Attendance information above. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ DQsAll individual races and relays are observed by trained referees known as Stroke and Turn Judges. As the name implies, these officials judge to ensure that each race is swum fairly with proper (legal) stroke technique and turns. If the Stroke and Turn Judge witnesses an infraction, he or she will thus disqualify the swimmer (DQ) and the time earned for the swimmer will not count, nor will he or she score any points. Disqualifications are necessary to keep the competition fair and equitable for all competitors. Rules governing swimming strokes followed by Stroke and Turn Officials trained by the Prince William Swim League are the same as set by USA Swimming (USAS) the official governing body for swimming in the United States. For complete information on the rules of swimming as set by USAS, see www.usaswimming.org. Disqualifications are recorded on slips of paper known as DQ Slips. These slips are married to the swimmers time card after a race is swum. After the scoring process is completed, these slips and cards are returned to the coaches so they are aware of the reason for the DQ. Coaches will use this information as a tool to help train the swimmer and master the stroke. Disqualifying in a race is something even the best, most seasoned swimmers do. It is just part of the sport, and as upsetting as it can be for both the swimmer and parents, it is a learning experience. It is important that the swimmer understand the reason for the disqualification and work towards improving their stroke or becoming more contentious of the potential for disqualification. For specific language on any technical rules consult the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations book. Violations of the rules are reported to the Referee. The rules require that every reasonable effort be made to notify the swimmer or his coach of the reason for the disqualification. If your child is disqualified in an event, be supportive rather than critical. For beginning swimmers, a disqualification should be treated as a learning experience, not as a punishment. A supportive attitude on the part of the official, coach, and parent can make a positive situation out of the disqualification. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ SCORINGPWSL swim meets are comprised of 67 events: 19 relays and 48 individual events. Swimmers compete in one of the following age groups: 8 & Under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-18, as determined by their age as of June 1. Swimmers earn points for their teams by competing in relay events and by being one of the six fastest finishers on their team in individual events. PWSL Divisional Meet scoring is identical to scoring for regular season meets. The specific scoring scenario is based on the number of teams competing at the Divisional meet. Three-team Divisional Meets use tri-meet scoring, and a four-team Divisional Meet uses quad meet scoring. The team with the most points wins the meet. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ AWARDSSwimming is unique in that along with wins as a team as a whole, there is recognition for each individual swimmer. Some of the basics are detailed below. Meet Place Ribbons
Achievement Ribbons
Heat Ribbons
Cyber Meet Ribbons After all Divisional Meets are completed, PWSL-wide results are combined and the overall top twenty-four swimmers in each individual event are awarded special recognition ribbons.
|