COMPETITIVE SWIMMING 101

What is competitive swimming?

Competitive swimming is a sport that combines individual and team-based elements. Participants attend practices to train with the goal of competing in swim meets with a club team, high school, or college team. Swimmers race competitors to improve their own times and also focus on improving their technique and endurance during training. The sport is unique in that swimmers compete in a variety of different strokes, including backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle, as well as in an individual medley (IM) in which each swimmer competes a specified distance of each of the strokes. Relays are also done in which one swimmer from each team swims each of the four strokes. It’s important to note that these four strokes are the only ones competed in USA Swimming meets, even though your child may have learned other strokes in swimming lessons

Why join swimming?

Swimming is a sport that is open to everyone, regardless of age, gender, or ability. It’s a great way to make lifelong friends and build relationships while also learning valuable lessons about time management and communication. Swimming is also a great outlet for an athlete’s mental health, providing a low-impact workout that can help reduce stress and anxiety. Whether you’re looking to compete at a high level or just enjoy the water, swimming is a fun and rewarding sport that can be enjoyed by all.

What is USA Swimming? 

USA Swimming is the national governing body for the sport of swimming. All youth swim programs must be members of this organization. Membership provides limited, co-benefit accident and liability insurance for swimmers participating in supervised workouts and swim meets. 

What is Minnesota Swimming? 

Minnesota Swimming is the Local Swim Committee (LSC) that oversees our geographic area, which includes all of Minnesota and a few select counties in Western Wisconsin. MSI grants annual charters to clubs like NSST, making them a part of the USA Swimming family. MSI also administers all USA Swimming sanctioned meets that take place within their jurisdiction.

Why are there two swim seasons? 

The competitive swimming year is divided into two separate seasons, each with their own set of championship meets. The first season runs from early September through March and is typically referred to as the Short Course Season because all competitions during this time, with the exception of the Spring National Championship Meet, take place in a 25-yard, or "Short Course" pool. The second season runs from early April through early August and is usually referred to as the Long Course Season because meets in this season are held in 50-meter, or "Long Course" pools whenever possible. The Long Course format is used for all USA Swimming Senior National Meets, as well as most major international meets such as the World Championships and the Olympics.

Since USA Swimming uses two separate formats (Long Course vs. Short Course) throughout the year, swimmers who swim year-round will have two different sets of best times, just as the club has two different sets of club records. Swimmers, coaches, and parents often try to "convert" times so that races and times in different formats can be compared. However, Long Course / Short Course conversions are rarely accurate, and it is more helpful to view each season and the times achieved in the season separately..

What are the four competitive strokes?

Swimming is a unique sport in that swimmers compete in a variety of different strokes. Races are performed at various distances (depending on the age group) in each of the following strokes: backstroke (back), breaststroke (breast), butterfly (fly), and freestyle (free), as well as in an individual medley (IM) in which each swimmer competes a specified distance of each of the strokes. Relays are also done in which one swimmer from each team swims each of the four strokes. It's important to note that these four strokes are the only ones competed in USA Swimming meets, even though your child may have learned other strokes in swimming lessons.

What are meets?

Swim meets are a great opportunity for swimmers to compete against others with similar abilities or times. North Star Swim Team believes that competitions are an important step in the progression of each swimmer, and therefore encourages its athletes to participate in the meets the club attends. 

At all Minnesota Swimming meets, swimmers compete in events based on their age group, with each group having its own set of events to ensure that swimmers compete in a wide variety of events without requiring any athlete to swim an event they are unable to do. The meet is divided into various events categorized by stroke (Butterfly, Breaststroke, Backstroke, Freestyle, Individual Medley, or Relays), length (50 yards or meters, 100 yards or meters, and 200 yards or meters), gender (Women, Men, or Mixed), and age group (8 & Under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15 & Over). Each event is split into heats, and swimmers are organized into 6-8 lanes per heat. There is one swimmer per lane, and usually multiple heats in each event. At almost all meets attended by NSST, swimmers compete only against swimmers of the same gender and in the same age group, and seeding is done by time, which means your swimmer will always compete in a heat of swimmers of roughly the same ability level.

What are the different types of meets?

USA Swimming meets come in a variety of different formats, ranging from Novice to Junior and Senior National Championships. All of these formats are determined based on time standards that indicate the minimum (and sometimes maximum) achievements under which a swimmer may compete in a designated meet. All MSI meets use the Minnesota Swimming Time Standards, while regional or national meets typically use standards based on the USA Swimming Time Standards.

Minnesota Swimming classifies its time standards into 5 groups: bronze, silver, gold, champ (CH), and ZONE. These levels represent a progression upward (e.g., silver times are faster than bronze times) and usually indicate the type of meet a swimmer may compete in.

• Open Meets: NSST frequently attends meets that are open to all swimmers, regardless of their time standards or prior experience. These meets provide a great opportunity for swimmers to gain experience and confidence in a supportive environment.

• Time Standards Meets: In this type of meet, swimmers may compete only in events for which they have an specific time or faster (e.g., silver meets must be silver times or faster).

• Minnesota Championship meets: These meets are not considered open meets; swimmers must have a provable USA Swimming time that meets the time standard within the last calendar year.

• • Minnesota Achievement Championships (MAC) is a meet that will allow bronze-level swimmers to have a final meet to see their growth over the year and a chance to achieve silver times to qualify for MRC.

  • Minnesota Regional Championships (MRC): Takes place after MAC. This is a meet that will allow silver and gold level swimmers to have a final meet to see their growth over the year and a chance to achieve CH times to qualify for the State Meet.  

• State Championships: This meet uses the CH time standard and is the end of the season meet for Minnesota Swimming, held for the winter season in March, and in late July/early August for the summer season.

• Zone Championship Meets: For comparative and competitive purposes, USA Swimming has divided the country into "zones". Each LSC (such as Minnesota Swimming) is placed into a zone, and every summer following the Summer State Championships, there is a Zone Championship Meet, in which the LSCs in each zone compete against one another. Swimmers at the Zone Championship Meet compete for their LSC, not for their home club. This means that NSST does not attend zones; Team Minnesota attends zones, and any NSST swimmers competing in the meet will swim for Team Minnesota. Zones is a great way for swimmers who have typically been rivals to come together as teammates in a fun, competitive atmosphere. Travel to the zones meet is either coordinated by Minnesota Swimming, or swimmers must make their own accommodations, depending on how MSI chooses to organize the team. Team Minnesota has its own coaching staff made up of coaches from around the state that may or may not include anyone from the North Star Swim Team's coaching staff.

• USA Swimming Junior or Senior Nationals: At the conclusion of both the Winter and Summer Seasons, USA Swimming runs a Junior and Senior National Meet, in which the top swimmers in the country face off against one another. Junior Nationals is open to all swimmers ages 18 & Under; Senior Nationals is open to anyone who achieves the minimum time standard.