Hunt Valley Swim & Dive Team

A - E

Age Group

• Grouping of swimmers for competition:
  • 8Us (8 and under)
  • 10Us (10 and under - typically for Individual Medley)
  • 12Us (12 and under)
  • 13&Os /   (13 and over - for developmental meets)
  • 9-10
  • 11-12
  • 13-14
  • 15&Os (15 and over)

Alternate

• The next fastest swimmer.

Alternate Breathing

• In freestyle: breathing to one side, swimming three strokes, then breathing to the other side, and repeating.

Anchor

• The final swimmer in a relay.

Backstroke

• One of the four event strokes. Swimmers must stay on their back, with alternating arm movements and a flutter kick. Turns do not require a hand touch.

Backstroke Flags

• Pennants over the pool, 5 meters from the wall, alerting backstroke swimmers of the approaching end.

Breaststroke

• An event stroke with simultaneous hand movements and a frog-like kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously during turns.

Block

• The starting location for swimmers, except in backstroke, which begins in the water.

Butterfly ("Fly")

• An event stroke with simultaneous overhead arm movements and a dolphin kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously during turns.

Clerk of Course

• The area where swimmers gather with their heat before a race. Managed by an official to ensure smooth operation.

Developmental Meet

• Also known as "B meet" or "Monday meet." A meet for swimmers to compete in any stroke in which they are legal, as determined by the coach.

Drill

• A practice exercise focusing on a specific part of a stroke to improve technique.

DQ

• Slang for disqualification, called by an official for an illegal stroke, start, or turn.

Dryland

• Training and warm-up activities are performed outside the water, usually before swimming.

Event

• Any race in a specific stroke, IM, or relay for each age group and gender.

F - M

False Start

• Occurs when a swimmer leaves the block or moves before the race starts.

Finish

• The final phase of the race, is marked by the swimmer touching the wall.

Freestyle

• One of the four event strokes. Swimmers can use any stroke, but the crawl is most common, characterized by alternating arm movements and a flutter kick.

Heat

• A division of an event when there are too many swimmers to compete at the same time.

IM (Individual Medley)

• An event where swimmers use all four strokes in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

Lane Lines

• Dividers that separate individual lanes in the pool are made of rotating disks to dissipate waves.

Ladder

• A list of swimmers' times, from fastest to slowest, in each stroke by age group and gender.

Length & Lap

• A length is once across the pool; a lap is a length across and back.

Marshall

• A parent volunteer responsible for crowd control and safety at a swim meet.

Medley Relay

• A relay where each swimmer performs one of the four strokes in the following order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle. Only swum on Saturday meets.

Meet

• A competition for swimmers to test their progress and improve their times.

Mixed Age Relay

• A relay with swimmers from each age group (10 & under, 11-12, 13-14, 15 & up) swimming 25 meters of freestyle.

O - W

Official

• A judge at the pool ensures swimmers follow NVSL rules. Roles include stroke and turn judges, starters, timers, and referees.

Parents

• The adults who support their children by driving them to practices and meets and enjoying the swimming experience as much as the swimmers.

Personal Best ("Dropped Time")

• When a swimmer improves their time in an event, achieving a new personal record.

Relay Exchange

• The transfer between the finishing swimmer and the starting swimmer in a relay, ideally occurring simultaneously with the touch of the wall and the push-off from the block.

Scored Meet

• Also known as "A meet," "Saturday meet," or "Duel meet." A competition where the top swimmers in each age group compete for points.

Set

• A workout segment involving specific strokes, styles, and distances, such as kick sets, pull sets, or sprint sets.

Split

• The intermediate time of a swimmer during a race, is recorded every 25 meters.

Starts and Turns

• The process of starting a race and making turns at the wall, with specific rules depending on the stroke. 
• There are several types of turns. Categories include open turns (breaststroke and fly) and closed turns or flip turns performed for freestyle and backstroke.

Streamline

• A position used to maximize distance during a start or push-off from the wall.

Stroke and Turn Judge

• A certified NVSL official who ensures the legality of strokes and turns during a meet.

Time Trials

• A time-only event at the beginning of the season to establish swimmers' times and determine their initial placement on the ladder.

Timers

• Parent volunteers who time each swimmer during a race. The middle time from three watches is the official time.

Touch

• The act of a swimmer making contact with the pool wall to complete a race.

Two-Hand Touch

• In breaststroke and butterfly, swimmers must simultaneously touch the wall with both hands for the touch to be legal.

Warm-up

• Exercises performed by swimmers before a race to prepare their muscles for competition.

Watches

• Stopwatches used by timers to record swimmers' times during a race.