Feeling Confused?
We get it, not everyone knows everything about swim and it can be overwhelming, but the good news is that we have you covered! We have compiled a list of common swim terminology to help!
Swim Terminology
Block - The mount that swimmers dive into the pool from
Champs Meet - The final meet of the season. Swimmers must make qualifying times in the season to participate
Deck - The area around the pool that is off-limits to spectators
Disqualified/DQ - A swimmer or relay team’s performance is not counted because of a rules infraction. Trained officials make the calls.
Entry - An individual, relay team, or club roster's event list in a swim competition.
Event - A race or stroke over a given distance. An event equals 1 preliminary with its final, or 1 timed final.
Final Results - The printed or computer-generated copy of the results of each race of a swim meet. Hosts typically post results on deck and in spectator areas at meets
Flags - Pennants that are suspended over the width of each end of the pool ≈15 ft from the wall. Backstrokers use these as a gauge as they approach the wall for their turn or finish.
GroupMe - An app used for team communications and announcements
Heat - Swim meets are broken down into a series of races called ‘heats’ when there are more swimmers in an event than lanes
Heat Winner - The swimmer who swims the fastest for that heat, though they are not necessarily the winner for the event
IM (Individual Medley) - A race where the swimmer swims each of the 4 strokes in a certain order, with equal distances for each stroke. The order is Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke & Freestyle
Last Chance Meet - A meet for swimmers to make a final attempt at qualifying for Champs
Medley Relay - A race where a group of 4 swimmers each swim 1 or the 4 strokes in a certain order, with equal distances for each stroke. The order is Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly & Freestyle
Officials - The certified adult volunteers who operate the many facets of a swim competition on deck. Our officials wear a white collared shirt and can be seen around the perimeter of the pool.
Ready Area - An area near the pool deck where swimmers line shortly before their event. Swimmers are arranged in event order.
Personal Best (PR) - The swimmers’ best (fastest) time for each event from the whole swim season. The personal best times can be used by the coaches to create the line-ups.
Points - Points are earned in each event, the team that earns the most points “wins” the meet
Relay - A swimming event in which 4 swimmers participate as a relay team, each swimmer swimming an equal distance of the race.
Scratch - When a swimmer is withdrawn from an event
Stroke Names - Butterfly, Back Stroke, Breast Stroke, Freestyle
Swimtopia - App used to manage the swim. Parents use Swimtopia need to mark the swimmer’s availability for meets. Also use the app to keep track of dates, times, and locations of events.