FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where do I register?
Registration is online.
How long is the season?
- Practice typically begins in early May.
- Meets run from June to early July.
- Top swimmers may qualify for the City Meet, usually held in July.
- The official practice schedule will be posted on our website when available.
What equipment does my swimmer need?
- A Longpoint Sailfish swimsuit and cap (required for meets; suit is optional for 6&U swimmers)
- A swimsuit and cap of your choosing for practice (suit should be of the style for the sport, such as Speedo, TYR, Arena, etc.)
- Two high quality pairs of goggles
- A kickboard
- A pull buoy (13/14 & 15/18)
- Each swimmer receives a free team t-shirt.
Who can join the swim team?
- Anyone can join...you do not need to live in the Longpoint neighborhood!
- Non-resident swimmers pay a slightly higher registration fee due to liability coverage.
- Swimmers should be able to swim 25 yards (the length of the pool) before joining.
- To compete in a meet:
- Ages 7 & up must swim 25 yards in under 60 seconds.
- Ages 6 & under must swim 25 yards in under 1 minute 10 seconds.
What if my swimmer has never swum competitively?
That’s okay! We welcome all swimmers interested in learning competitive swimming.
What commitment does joining the team require?
- Regular attendance is encouraged, but we understand that families have busy schedules. Swimmers should aim to attend as many practices and meets as possible to get the most out of the experience.
- Club team swimmers may substitute club swim practice for LPST practice. However, year round swimmers are expected to attend at least one practice per week and most/all meets in order to be considered for City Meet.
- Swimmers are encouraged to attend practice on the day of a meet to help with preparation. However, we understand that conflicts arise. If a swimmer cannot attend morning practice but still wishes to compete, they should communicate with the coach in advance.
- Parents are required to volunteer throughout the season or pay an opt-out fee. (See the Volunteer Sign-up Tab for details.)
What do coaches expect from swimmers?
Coaches expect swimmers to:
- Show up, listen, and put forth their best effort.
- Respect coaches’ decisions.
- Stay committed to improving their skills.
How do I know which age group my swimmer is in?
Swimmers are grouped by age and gender, based on their age as of June 1st.
Age Groups:
- 6 & Under: Boys & Girls
- 7-8: Boys & Girls
- 9-10: Boys & Girls
- 11-12: Boys & Girls
- 13-14: Boys & Girls
- 15-17: Boys & Girls
- 18-year-olds may compete if they are in high school or a recent graduate.
How does the CCAA organization work?
Visit the CCAA website: http://swimccaa.com
How does the City Meet work?
- The City Meet is a championship event featuring the top swimmers from all CCAA teams.
- Any registered swimmer can compete, but each team may only enter:
- 2 swimmers per event (except for relays, which require 4 swimmers).
- Each swimmer can compete in 2 individual events and 2 relays, except for the Individual Medley (IM), which allows for an additional event.
- In rare cases, swimmers may compete in more than 4 events if there are limited swimmers in their age group.
When will I know if my swimmer made the City Meet team?
- Coaches will announce the City Meet team during the final week of practice in June.
- Selections are based on fastest times, team commitment, and potential for success.
- Being chosen is an honor, no matter how many events a swimmer is selected for.
- Our team ranking in CCAA is determined by our City Meet performance, so we encourage all swimmers and families to attend and support the team!
Meets: What to Expect
How is a swim meet organized?
Swim meets are organized by age group and event making a total of 53 events.
6&Under swimmers compete in the freestyle only.
Swim Meet Event Order
Mixed Medley Relays
-
100-Yard Mixed Medley (7-8 Year Old)
- 2 girls & 2 boys compete in a relay, each swimming one 25-yard lap of a designated stroke.
-
200-Yard Mixed Medley
- 2 girls & 2 boys compete in a relay, each swimming one 50-yard lap of a designated stroke.
-
Age Groups:
- 9-10 Year Old
- 11-12 Year Old
- 13-14 Year Old
- 15-18 Year Old
Freestyle Events
-
25-Yard Freestyle
- 6 & Under Girls
- 6 & Under Boys
- 7-8 Girls
- 7-8 Boys
-
50-Yard Freestyle
- 9-10 Girls
- 9-10 Boys
- 11-12 Girls
- 11-13 Boys
- 15-18 Girls
- 15-18 Boys
Butterfly Events
-
25-Yard Butterfly
- 7-8 Girls
- 7-8 Boys
-
50-Yard Butterfly
- 9-10 Girls
- 9-10 Boys
- 11-12 Girls
- 11-13 Boys
- 15-18 Girls
- 15-18 Boys
Backstroke Events
-
25-Yard Backstroke
- 7-8 Girls
- 7-8 Boys
-
50-Yard Backstroke
- 9-10 Girls
- 9-10 Boys
- 11-12 Girls
- 11-13 Boys
- 15-18 Girls
- 15-18 Boys
Breaststroke Events
-
25-Yard Breaststroke
- 7-8 Girls
- 7-8 Boys
-
50-Yard Breaststroke
- 9-10 Girls
- 9-10 Boys
- 11-12 Girls
- 11-13 Boys
- 15-18 Girls
- 15-18 Boys
Individual Medley (IM)
-
100-Yard Individual Medley
- One swimmer swims 25 yards of each stroke (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle) for a total of 100 yards.
-
Age Groups:
- 9-10 Girls
- 9-10 Boys
- 11-12 Girls
- 11-13 Boys
- 15-18 Girls
- 15-18 Boys
Freestyle Relays
-
100-Yard Free Relay (7-8 Year Old)
- 4 swimmers compete as a team, each swimming one 25-yard lap of freestyle.
-
Age Groups:
- 7-8 Girls
- 7-8 Boys
-
200-Yard Free Relay
- 4 swimmers compete as a team, each swimming one 50-yard lap of freestyle.
-
Age Groups:
- 9-10 Girls
- 9-10 Boys
- 11-12 Girls
- 11-13 Boys
- 15-18 Girls
- 15-18 Boys
How long does a swim meet last?
Swim meets are designed to last around 2.5 hours but can last up to 3 hours depending on the size of the teams competing. Because summer swimming is dedicated to allowing as many swimmers to swim as often as possible, there can be a high number of exhibition heats. It is important to remember the exhibition heats are just as important as points heats for many swimmers.
How does scoring at the swim meet work?
The FIRST heat of each event is a points heat, meaning that in this heat our team earns points toward the final score. At every swim meet, two swimmers from our team and two swimmers from the opposing team will compete for point placement.
First Place (Blue Ribbon) = 5 points
Second Place (Red Ribbon) = 3 points
Third Place (White Ribbon) = 1 point
Fourth Place (Yellow Ribbon) = 0 points
Swimmers receive a 4th Place ribbon for swimming in a points heat even though no points were scored to the team.
How does the coach come up with the Heat Sheet?
Coaches work hard to come up with a strong, competitive line-up for each meet that still allows for all swimmers to get in the water as much as possible.
How do I read the Heat Sheet?
As a parent or first time swimmer the heat sheet can be very confusing. Coaches will create a heat sheet listing swimmers in each event by AGE/HEAT #/LANE #. Swimmers swimming for points will be listed as swimming in the first heat.
What does it mean to compete for points?
It is a CCAA rule that all swimmers on the team roster must swim for points twice over the course of the season. Swimming for points twice means swimming in 2 points heats over the whole season (all 8 meets), not swimming for points twice in every meet. These 2 "points" heats can be in any stroke and includes swimming on a relay team. The most important thing to remember as a parent and a swimmer is that thisis a CCAA rule that each coach does their best to honor. It is difficult to maintain a highly competitive swimteam and still honor this rule. Many times, even if your swimmer has the best time in an event, your swimmer may swim exhibition in order to give someone who needs points credits the chance to earn them. Sometimes this means sacrificing points in one heat in order to gain points somewhere else in the meet. It also means that some swimmers will be swimming for points more often as ultimately the goal is to win team points. Coaches do their best to see the whole picture of team, meet and overall season as a opportunity forevery swimmer while at the same time putting our best team forward for competition.
What does it mean to swim exhibition?
While exhibition swimmers do not score any points for the team, swimming in Exhibition Lanes and Exhibition Heats are just as crucial to the development of a swimmer as swimming for points. The sport of swimming is often about more than the score at the end of a meet. Each individual swimmer should have personal and team goals to accomplish by the end of the season. Therefore every race counts toward achieving those goals. Swimmers should work hard to see their times improve after each race. Likewise, teammates should encourage each other and cheer just as loudly for each race regardless of number of points earned.
Just as the FIRST heat is the only points heat, so also the inside four lanes are the only swim lanes that count for points. That leaves Lane One and Lane Six open for exhibition swimmers even in a points heat. Every heat after the FIRST heat is an exhibition heat.
What does it mean to be disqualified (DQ) during a swim meet?
Swimmers can be disqualified for a number of reasons. Typically, swimmers are disqualified for swimming a stroke illegally (using a flutter kick during the breaststroke, rolling over from back to stomach before touching the wall in backstroke, using the rope or the the bottom of the pool to "push" forward in any way, touching the bottom of the pool during a race, etc.) Swimmers will be DQ only when swimming for points. Exhibition lanes are also learning/teaching lanes for swimmers working on perfecting a stroke before competing for points. If a swimmer is going to be DQ, a swimming official will raise their hand and report the error. If a swimmer is DQ, the swimmer will not receive any points for the team and they also forfeit their ribbon. For example, if a DQ swimmer came in first in the heat, they forfeit their place, their ribbon and their points. The second place swimmer moves to first place, the third place moves to second and so on. Find out more about DQs under the information tab.
DQ Information
Disqualifications: Reasons and Explanations
Freestyle:
Walk on the bottom of the pool. A freestyle race allows you to use different swimming techniques. However, you must swim the entire race without touching the bottom.
Push off the bottom or side of the pool. Not only can you not stop and rest on the bottom of the pool, you cannot utilize the bottom or side of the pool to push yourself forward.
Pull on the lane line. Lane lines become very tempting to tired swimmers, but grabbing a lane line to help move you along in the water will get you disqualified.
Make a turn without touching the wall. Turns must include a hand or foot touching the wall, or you technically have not completed the lap.
Stop swimming before the race is over. All laps must be completed without stopping on the wall, lane line or bottom of the pool.
Butterfly:
Swim underwater for more than 15 meters. You can do as many dolphin kicks as you want off the start, but you must emerge from the water by the 15-meter mark in order to avoid disqualification.
Alternate your arms or bring them out of the water non-simultaneously. The butterfly stroke requires you to simultaneously bring both arms up and out of the water, and then re-submerge them out in front of your head at the same time.
Use a flutter or breaststroke kick. The only kick permitted in butterfly is the dolphin kick, which is performed by moving your feet up and down and keeping both feet together at all times.
Turn over on your back. Always swim butterfly on your stomach. Turn your shoulders during turns so that you push off the wall with your chest facing the bottom of the pool.
Touch the wall with 1 hand during a turn or finish. 2-hand touches are required for all turns during a butterfly event. You must also touch with 2 hands to finish the event.
Breaststroke:
Take more than 1 pull or kick while underwater. You are allowed 1 pull and kick underwater off a start or turn. Your head must emerge with the second pull to start an above water stroke.
Use a dolphin, flutter or scissors kick. Using any kick other than a breaststroke kick will result in immediate disqualification.
Pull with alternating arms. You must pull your hands in toward your chest and push them out to the front in unison.
Turn over on your back. The entire stroke must be performed on your chest side. When you push off the wall during turns, be sure that you turn your shoulders so that your chest is over the bottom of the pool.
Touch the wall with 1 hand during a turn or finish. A 2-hand touch is required for breaststroke turns and finishes. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously to avoid disqualification.
Backstroke:
Stay submerged past 15 meters off the start. Backstroke starts can originate underwater, but you must be on top of the water by the 15-meter mark to avoid disqualification.
Push off the bottom of the pool. Backstroke starts that go too deep often tempt swimmers to race to the top of the water by pushing off the bottom. This action will get you to the top, but you will be immediately disqualified.
Turn onto your stomach in the middle of the lap. You must stay on your back throughout the event, except when entering a turn.
Kick or pull after flipping onto your stomach for a turn. Turns must be continuous motions; kicks and pulls after the initial flip onto your stomach for a turn are not permitted.
Miss the wall on a turn. Your hand or foot must touch the wall before you can move on to the next lap.
Pull on the lane line. If you grab the lane line to propel you forward during a race, you're disqualified.
Finish the race on your stomach. A backstroke event must be finished on your back. A turn onto your stomach for the final touch will disqualify you.