A lot of everyday words take on a specific meaning at a swim meet. This list is far from complete, but it includes the words we use most frequently in our summer league. For WAVES, see Champion.
BODY - the torso, including shoulders and hips.
CLOSED COMPETITIONS - competition open only to the members of one organization or group.
COURSE - designated distance over which the competition is conducted. (25 Meters for Summer league meets; 50 Meters for Year round summer competition and Olympic competition; 25 Yards for year round fall and winter competition and college meets.)
COPING - the deck tile, approximately one foot wide, at the edge of the pool. The front of the coping is the line where the tile meets the water; the back of the coping is the line where the tile meets the deck.
DECK - the surface running between the pool and the fence.
DUAL COMPETITION - (DUAL MEET) competition between two clubs.
EVENT - any race or series of races in a given stroke and distance for a specific age group and sex. For example, the following are three different events: 1. Girls 8 & Under 25 meter freestyle; 2. Boys 8 & Under 25 meter freestyle; 3. Girls 9-10 50 meter breaststroke, (see also heats.)
FORWARD START - a forward entry facing the course.
FOUL - an instance of obstruction, interference, collision, or equipment malfunction which prevents the successful completion of a race.
HEATS - a division of an EVENT in which there are too many swimmers to compete at one time. An event with 30 swimmers in a 6 lane pool would require 5 heats. HORIZONTAL - parallel to the surface of the water.
LANE - a specific area in which the swimmer is assigned to swim (lane 1, lane 2, etc.)
LANE LINE - continuous floating markers attached to a line stretched from the starting end to the turning end for the purpose of separating each lane.
LANE MARKINGS - the guide lines at the bottom of the pool in the center of each lane, running from the starting end to the turning end.
LEG - (relay) the part of the relay event swum by one swimmer.
