DEFINITIONS

Alternate: In a Prelims/Finals meet, after the finalists are decided, the next two fastest swimmers other than the finalists are designated as alternates. The faster of the two being the first alternate and the next being second alternate. If a finalist does not participate, the alternates are called to take their place. Alternates are required to scratch if not attending finals after finalists have been determined. 

Anchor: The final swimmer in a relay. 

Backstroke: Backstroke is one of the four competitive racing strokes.  Backstroke is swum as the first stroke in the Medley Relay and second stroke in the I.M. Racing distances are 50 meters, 100 meters and 200 meters. Sometimes races are offered in 25m.  

Bell Lap: The part of a freestyle distance race (800 meters or longer) when the swimmer has two lengths plus five meters to go. The stroke & turn lane judge rings a bell over the lane of the swimmer when the swimmer is at the backstroke flags. 

Blocks: The starting platforms located behind each lane. Blocks have a variety of designs. 

Breaststroke: One of the four competitive racing strokes. Breaststroke is swum as the second stroke in the Medley Relay and the third stroke in the I.M.  The racing distances are 50 meters, 100 meters and 200 meters. Sometimes races are offered in 25m. 

Bulkhead: A wall constructed to divide a pool into different courses, such as a 50-meter pool into two 25-meter courses. 

Butterfly: One of the four competitive racing strokes. Butterfly (aka fly) is swum as the third stroke in the Medley Relay and first stroke in the I.M. Racing distances are 50 meters, 100 meters and 200 meters. Sometimes races are offered in 25m. 

Cap: Worn on the head to protect hair, reduce drag, keep hair out the face and worn as part of team uniforms. 

Championship Finals: The top eight (or 10 in a 10-lane pool; pre- determined by the sanction) swimmers in a Prelims/Finals meet who, after the prelims are swum, qualify to return to the finals. The fastest heat of timed finals swum either at the start or finish of the heats when swimming slow to fast or fast to slow. 

Circle Swimming: Performed by staying to the right of the black line when swimming in a lane to enable more swimmers to swim in each lane.  In practices, lanes usually alternate either (right-left or left-right) in order for a more cohesive flow to the lanes. 

Circle Seeding: A method of seeding swimmers when they are participating in a prelims/finals event. The fastest 18 to 24 swimmers are seeded in the last three heats usually, with the fastest swimmers being in the inside lanes, (i.e.) Lane 4 in the final three heats. 

Classification: is a sport classification process for para-swimmers. Every para-swimmer must meet the eligible impairment (diagnosis) requirements as well as establish a minimum impairment criteria. Swimming Canada has three levels of domestic classification (level 1,2 and 3).  

Clinic: A scheduled meeting for the purpose of instruction, (i.e.) Official's clinic, Coach's clinic. 

Club: An affiliated swim club or team, member of Swim Sask.  

Code of Conduct: Swimmers, coaches and officials agree to at the start of each swim season.  

Consolation Finals (B Finals): After the fastest eight swimmers or four swimmers, the next eight swimmers or 16 swimmers in a Prelims/Finals meet who, after the prelims are swum, qualify to return to the Finals. Consolations vary depending on the meet information and after multiple heats are held and are conducted before the Championship (fastest) finals heat. 

Course: Designated distance (length of pool) for swimming competition. (i.e.) Long Course (LC) = 50 meters / Short Course (SC) = 25 meters. SCY = Short course Yards. 

CSCA: The Canadian Swim Coaches Association. The professional organization for swim coaches throughout the nation. Certifying coaches and offering many services for coaches' education and career advancement.  Coaches have to have a certain level of qualification from the NCCP and may also be Chartered Professional Coaches registered with the Canadian Association of Coaches (CAC). 

Deck: The area around the swimming pool reserved for swimmers, officials and coaches. Only "authorized" members should be on deck.  

 Deck Entries:  Accepting entries into swimming events on the first day or later day of a meet if allowed. 

Disqualified: A swimmer's performance is not counted because of a rules infraction. A disqualification is recorded by a Swim Sask trained official and submitted to the Referee for approval. Typically, swimmers are disqualified for an illegal stroke, turn, or finish. The benefit of the doubt is always given to the swimmer.            

Dive Tank: A separate pool or a pool set off to the side of the competition pool. This pool has deeper water and diving boards/platforms. During a meet, this area may be designated as a warm-down pool with proper supervision. 

Drag: The extra clothing swimmers may wear to create resistance while practicing, often in the form of shorts, t - shirts or multi-layered suits. 

Dryland: The exercises and various strength building programs swimmers do out of the water under supervision of their coach. 

Entry: An individual, relay team or club roster's event list in a swim competition. 

Entry Deadline: The date meet entries must be received to be accepted by the meet host.  

 Entry Fees: The amount per event a swimmer or relay is charged by the host of the Meet. This varies depending on the type of Meet.  

Entry Limit: Each meet will usually have a limit of total swimmers they can accept (depending on their sanction) or a time limit they cannot exceed. Once an entry limit has been reached, a meet will be closed and all other entries returned. There may also be an entry limit placed on swimmers which allows them to enter only a prescribed number of events in the meet. 

Electronic Timing: The timing system usually has touchpads in the water, junction boxes (plungers) on the deck with hook up cables, buttons for backup timing, and a computer-type console that prints out the results of each race. Some systems are hooked up to a scoreboard that displays lane number, place and time. 

Event: A race or stroke over a given distance. May be a timed final or set in heats and finals at a meet.  

False Start: When a swimmer makes a forward motion on the stating platform before the horn. One false start will disqualify a swimmer or a relay team, although the starter or referee may disallow the false start due to unusual circumstances. 

False Start Rope (Recall Rope): A recall rope across the width of the racing pool for the purpose of stopping swimmers when an official error has occurred or the referee has deemed it appropriate. The rope is about 50 feet from the starting end of the pool. 

Fastest to Slowest: A seeding method used on the longer events held at the end of a session. The fastest seeded swimmers participate in the first heats followed by the next fastest and so on. 

Fees: Money paid by swimmers for services, eg.  training fees, registration fee, Swim Sask membership fee, etc. 

FINA: Federation Internationale de Natation - the international rules-making organization for the sport of swimming. 

FINA Points: FINA points are accumulated by each swimmer for each event swum in a sanctioned Meet. The FINA Point scoring assigns point values to swimming performances: more points for world class performances (typically 1000) and fewer points for slower performances. Canadian Senior National Times typically hover around 700 points. The FINA Point scoring allows comparison of results among different events. Point values are assigned each year for both Long Course and Short Course events. 

Finals: The final race of each event. 

Final (Official) Results: The results of each race of a swim meet once approved by the meet officials. 

Fins: Large rubber flipper-type devices that fit on a swimmer’s feet. Used in swim practice, not competition. 

Flags: Backstroke flags placed 5 meters from the end of the pool. They provide a safety tool and enable backstrokes to execute a turn more efficiently by counting their strokes to the turn instead of turning around to look.  

Flutter Kick: The kick used in the freestyle stroke. The legs alternate, moving up and down. 

Freestyle: One of the four competitive racing strokes. Freestyle (aka Free) is swum as the fourth stroke in the Medley Relay and fourth stroke in the I.M. Racing distances are 50-meter, 100-meter, 200 meter, 400 meter, 800 meter and 1500 meters. Sometimes races are offered in 25m. 

Goals: The short- and long-range targets set by swimmers to achieve success in the pool or daily goals which swimmers should set for workouts such as stroke counts, kick counts, breathing patterns, split times needed to do to ensure goal times at swim meets. 

Goggles: Plastic type devices worn by swimmers to keep their eyes from being irritated by the chlorine in the water. 

Heats: All of the swimmers entered in the event are divided into heats or groups of swimmers. The results are compiled by the times swum, after all heats of the event are completed. 

Heat Sheet (Program): The pre-meet printed listings of swimmers' seed times in the various events at a swim meet. These are available at the beginning of the meet and are usually offered for sale.  They may also be downloaded to phone aps if allowed. 

Horn: A sounding device used mainly with a fully automatic timing system. 

IM (Individual Medley): A swimming event using all four of the competitive strokes on consecutive lengths of the race. The order must be: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle. Equal distances must be swum of each stroke. Distances offered: 100 meters (SCO), 200 meters, and 400 meters. 

Invitational Meet: A meet hosted by one club who invites members from several other clubs to participate.  

Kick Board: A flotation device used by swimmers during practice. 

Lane: The specific area in which a swimmer is assigned to swim. (ie) Lane 1 or Lane 2. 

Lane Ropes: Continuous floating markers attached to a cable stretched from the starting end to the turning end for the purpose of separating each lane and quieting the waves caused by racing swimmers. 

Lap: One length of the course. Sometimes may also mean down and back (2 lengths) of the course. 

Leg: The part of a relay event swum by a single team member. A single stroke in the IM. 

LMS: Swimming Canada’s Learning Management System used to access and sign up for officials and coach clinics and courses.  https://edu.swimming.ca/

Meet: A series of events held in a competition.  

Meet Mobile: An app that provides access to meet programs, including heat sheets, psych sheets and real-time results when used at swim meets. This does not replace official results.  

MQS (Meet Qualifying Standard): is a standard that is required to enter a swim meet.  

Negative Split: Swimming the second half of the race equal to or faster than the first half.          

Non-Conforming Time: A short course time submitted to qualify for a long course meet, or vice versa. 

NT (No Time): The abbreviation used on a heat sheet to designate that the swimmer has not swum that event before. 

Officials: The Swim Sask certified volunteers who operate the many facets of a swim competition. 

On Track Times: help identify a pool of athletes that Swimming Canada can work with in order to increase the probability that it is directing resources to those athletes who have the highest probability of positively impacting Canada's international senior swimming results. 

Open Competition: Competition in which any qualified club, organization or individual may enter. 

Pace Clock: The electronic clocks or large clocks with highly visible numbers and second hands, positioned at the ends or sides of a swimming pool so the swimmers can read their times during warm-ups or swim practice. 

Hand Paddle: Colored plastic devices worn on the swimmers’ hands during swim practice. 

Para-swimming: Swimming Canada’s fully integrated swimming program for people with a disability from grassroots to elite.  Para-swimming combines a broad range of disabilities into three categories: Physical Impairments, Visual Impairments, Intellectual Impairments 

PB (Personal Best): Is also known as individual best time and is the best time a swimmer has swum for an event. 

Positive Check In: The procedure required before a swimmer swims an event in a deck seeded or pre seeded meet. The swimmer or coach must indicate the swimmer is present and will compete. There is usually a designated time period that a swimmer must check in for an event and failing to do so would mean that s/he would be scratched from that event. 

Practice: The scheduled workouts swimmers attend with their swim team/club. 

Prelims: Session of a Prelims/Finals meet in which the qualification heats are conducted. 

Prelims - Semis – Finals: Type of meet with two or three sessions. The preliminary heats are held in the morning session. The fastest eight (Championship Heat) swimmers and the next eight fastest swimmers (Consolation Heat) return in the evening to compete in the Finals. A swimmer who has qualified in the Consolation Finals may not place in the Championship Finals even if their finals time would place them so. The converse also applies. 

Pre-seeded: A meet conducted in which a swimmer knows what lane and heat they are in by looking at the heat sheet or posted meet program. 

Psych Sheet: An entry sheet showing all swimmers entered into each individual event (meet) organized by their entry time, fastest to slowest. 

Pull Buoy: A flotation device used for pulling by swimmers in practice. 

Qualifying Times: Published times necessary to enter certain meets or the times necessary to achieve a specific category of swimmer. See 'Age Group' or 'Provincial' times.  

Relays: A swimming event in which four swimmers participate as a team. Each swimmer completes an equal distance of the race. There are two types of relays: 1) Medley relay - one swimmer swims Backstroke, one swimmer swims Breaststroke, one swimmer swims Butterfly, one swimmer swims Freestyle, in that order. Medley relays are conducted over 200 meter and 400 meter distances. 2) Freestyle relay - Each swimmer swims freestyle. Free relays are conducted over 200 meter, 400 meter and 800 meter distances. 

RTR: Swimming Canada’s Registration, Tracking and Results system used by clubs, swimmers, coaches, and officials for annual registration as well as tracking and results. https://www.s wimming.ca/en/registration/

Sanction: A permit issued by Swim Sask to a member club to conduct a sanctioned meet. 

Sanctioned Meet: A meet that is approved by Swim Sask. Meet must be conducted according to Swim Sask rules. All participants, including coaches, athletes and officials must be Swim Sask members. 

Scratch: To withdraw from an event after having declared an intention to participate. Some meets have scratch deadlines and specific scratch rules and if not followed, the swimmer can be disqualified from remaining events.  

Seed: Assign the swimmers heats and lanes according to their submitted or preliminary times. 

Senior Seeded:  

Senior Meet: A meet that is for senior level swimmers and is not divided into age groups. Qualification times are usually necessary and will vary depending on the level of the meet. 

Session: Portion of meet distinctly separated from other portions by locale, time, type of competition or age group. 

Set: A specific segment of a daily practice, often used by the coaches to teach the concept of pacing. 

SNC (Swimming Canada): The governing body of swimming in Canada. 

Split: A portion of an event that is shorter than the total distance and is timed. (i.e.) a swimmer's first 50 time is taken as the swimmer swims the 100 race. It is common to take multiple splits for the longer distances. 

Sprint: Describes the shorter events (50 and 100). In training, it means to swim as fast as possible for a short distance.  Sometimes races are offered in 25m. 

Start: The beginning of a race. The dive used to begin a race. 

Stand-up: The command given by the Starter or Referee to release the swimmers from their starting position. 

Step-Down: The command given by the Starter or Referee to have the swimmers move off the blocks. Usually, this command is a good indication everything is not right for the race to start. 

Streamline: The position used to gain maximum distance during a start and/or push-off from the wall. 

Stroke: There are 4 competitive strokes: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle. 

Submitted Time:  Times used to enter swimmers in meets. These times must have been achieved by the swimmer at previous meets or at sanctioned club time trials. 

Swim-A-Thon:  An activity involving all swimmers utilized by swim clubs to raise money. 

Swim Sask: The provincial governing body for the sport of swimming in Saskatchewan 

Swim-off: In a Prelims/Finals type competition, a race after the scheduled event to break a tie. The only circumstance that warrants a swim-off is to determine which swimmer makes finals or an alternate, otherwise ties stand. 

Taper: The resting process in training. Prior to a major competition, training is completed in a rested state.  

Timed Finals: Competition in which only heats are swum, and final placings are determined by those times. 

Time Standard: A time set by a meet or Swim Sask or SNC that a swimmer must achieve for qualification or recognition 

Time Trial: An event or series of events where a swimmer may achieve or better a required time standard.  This event must apply for a sanction for the times to be ratified. 

Touch Pad: The part of an electronic timing system that rests in the water at the finishing end of each lane. Times are recorded electronically as the pad is touched. 

Transfer: The act of leaving one club and going to another. There is a limit of one transfer per season without penalty.  

Trials: Swimming Canada sanctioned long course swim meet held the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to decide what swimmers will represent Canada on the Olympic and Paralympic Team.  

Unofficial Time: The time displayed on wall board, meet mobile or read over the intercom by the announcer immediately after the race. After the time has been checked, it will become the official time. 

Warm-down: This is usually low intensity swimming used by swimmers after a race or main practice to rid the body of excess lactic acid and to gradually reduce heart rate and respiration.  This usually includes hydration and eating to allow the body to draw stores from the proper area of the body and not the muscle.  

Warm-up: The practice and "loosening-up" session a swimmer does before a main set at practice or before a meet begins or their event is swum.