Jasi Swim Team

Jasi Swim Team: Newsletter | Results | Splash Nights | About Jasi Swim Team

Contact

Peter Burgon
Head Coach Jasi Swim Team,
Director of Coaching Jellie Park Recreation & Sport Centre,
Christchurch City Council,
New Zealand,
Mobile: 027 242 8076

CCC Swim coaching squads info and Jasi Swim Team

Jellie Park Recreation & Sport Centre is situated on the eastern side of Jellie Park on Liam road. The original outdoor Lido pool was opened in December 1964, and is a 7 lane, 55 yard facility. The diving well is 4 metres deep with two spring boards, a one metre and a three metre. There is also a learner pool and a paddling pool. The hydro slides were added in 1983.

Recreation Management Services Christchurch (R.M.S) took over the management of the facility in 1987. In October 1989 a new pool facility was built including an indoor, 8 lane, 25 metre pool and a 16 metre teaching pool.

In addition to these facilities, Jellie Park Recreation & Sport Centre has a fitness centre (2 weights’ gyms and an aerobics studio).

These facilities give users the opportunity to find aquatic and fitness activities to suit both age and ability.

R.M.S organises the coaches for the teaching and training of the swimmers; the Jasi Club organises Club and competition activities.

The Philosophy: A commitment to help you fulfil your potential.

Within the Jasi Swim Team every swimmer is encouraged to reach their full potential in swimming regardless of the level of performance attained, at local, regional, national or international levels.

We pride ourselves on the development of swimmers’ understanding of the fundamentals of swimming (such as streamlining, good stroke technique and the technical skills), along with an ability to apply these skills in a wide range of activities.

Good technique is the basis of all good swimming. At Jasi, we look to develop this by running a consistent programme of progression and development allowing swimmers to continually further develop and refine their skills.

Swimmers are encouraged to work at an optimal level rather than at a maximal level encouraging a more consistent progression.

Swimming is not just about participation in sport, but also about developing the social skills of life which have to be practised when training in a busy pool. We hope that swimmers will enjoy the experience, make new friends and learn to deal with the ups and downs which accompany any walk of life. We hope that swimming through our programme will be an enjoyable and educational experience.

Jasi Swim Team Code of Conduct

This Code has been produced to raise members’ awareness of their responsibilities within and towards the Jasi Swimming Club.

Its purpose is to ensure all members are able to enjoy their swimming without hindrance to any aspect of their participation. As part of the Swimming Club body, members have a responsibility to act in an ethical way, recognising their obligation to maintain a high standard of conduct in the spirit of the Jasi Club.

They are expected to :

In the event that a member feels disadvantaged in any way by any other member of the Club, there is a procedure to follow to air and resolve that situation.

Complaints and Grievances

If a Club member or parent wishes to lay a complaint about the conduct of a Club member, this should be done in writing, signed and submitted to the Club Secretary.

If a Club member has a grievance against the Club, this should be detailed in writing, signed and submitted to the Club Secretary.

Complaints and grievances will be dealt with at a specially convened meeting of the Complaints and Grievances Committee. In the case of a complaint, the member against whom the complaint has been laid will be invited to defend the allegation. The Complaints and Grievances Committee will endeavour to resolve the situation expeditiously.

A grievance may include any decision or action which a member may feel interferes with their ability to perform to their best within the Jasi Swim Team.

Disciplinary Actions

The Complaints and Grievances Committee may recommend to the Club Committee that some disciplinary action is required. This could range from a letter of apology through to termination of membership.

The Training Squads

After swimmers complete their Gold Award, swimmers get the opportunity to move into the training squads.

J Squad

J Squad (Jasi Squad) is the first of the training squads were swimmers continue to develop stroke ability and quality. The programme follows a more structured seasonal format rather than by term and is based upon the type of training sessions they will do in the higher squads preparing them to race through the season. The work, however, is enough to stimulate and educate, developing the swimmers fitness and interest in the sport.

Work will include a variety of different types of sets aimed at improving endurance and natural strength in the water.

Swimmers in this squad should be capable of racing 100 metres of Free, Back and Breast showing good form as well as the 200 Individual Medley.

Other elements that are learnt cover the reasons for warm up and swim down, sprinting and pacing.

Swimmers gain promotion to the next squad when all J Squad assessments have been completed.

Equipment required:

Training togs, black racing togs, a couple of pairs of goggles (the same type), Jasi cap, Jasi club polo shirt, black shorts, towel, chamois, water proof bag.

Competition level:

Jasi Splash Nights, Junior Leagues, Junior Carnivals, Jasi Winter Meet, Canterbury Championships, Junior National Championships.

Sessions are 1 hour, 3- 5 sessions per week.

C Squad

C squad (Canterbury Squad) is an extension of J squad. The sessions continue to develop the skill acquisition of the swimmers and targets these swimmers on the qualification for the Canterbury A Champs and National Junior Championships. Swimmers should be developing their strokes to a high level of aptitude and be able to race over a variety of events.

They are introduced to morning training (one morning per week) and a variety of training techniques aimed at bringing out the best in their swimming ability.

Swimmers gain promotion to the next squad when all C Squad assessments bar 1 have been completed.

Equipment required:

Training togs, black racing togs, a couple of pairs of goggles (the same type), Jasi cap, Jasi Swim Team polo shirt black shorts and Jasi Tracksuit, towel, chamois, water proof bag.

Competition level:

Jasi Splash Nights, Junior Leagues, Open Carnivals, Jasi Winter Meet, Canterbury Champs, Junior National Championships.

Sessions are 1 hour, 4-6 sessions per week.

JAG Squad

The (Junior Age Group) squad follows a seasonal programmed format, targeting specific regional and national meets. The squad aims to peak every 12 - 16 weeks at a major meet (3 major meets per season).

Swimmers in this squad are competent in all strokes and have the technical skills to compete with confidence.

While good stroke quality and technical correctness are still very important in this squad, the work is more challenging and uses a variety of different types of sets and intensities aimed at developing good all-round fitness.- Swimmers gain promotion to the next squad when they have produced 3 New Zealand Division 2 qualifying times or have competed at the New Zealand Division 2 competition.

Equipment required:

As C Squad.

Competition Level:

Jasi Winter Meet, South Island Champs, Canterbury Champs, National Junior and Div 2 Champs.

Sessions are 1 hour, 5-7 sessions per week. A Squad Swimmers in the (Age Group squad ) follow a structured, 3 peaks per year programme. They should be aiming to qualify for the New Zealand Short Course champs in December, compete at the National Age Group competitions and gain selection for the regional teams competitions in July.

Swimmers compete over a variety of strokes and distances, although they may begin to set a preference for a particular stroke and distance. Training becomes more individualised and swimmers land work is aimed to develop flexibility, muscle balance and postural strength.

Swimmers are expected to train one or two morning sessions per week as well as doing the Swimmers gain promotion to the next squad when they have produced 3 New Zealand Division 2 qualifying times or have competed at the New Zealand Division 2 competition.

Equipment required:

As C Squad.

Competition Level:

Jasi Winter Meet, South Island Champs, Canterbury Champs, National Junior and Div 2 Champs.

Sessions are 1 hour, 5-7 sessions per week. A Squad Swimmers in the (Age Group squad ) follow a structured, 3 peaks per year programme. They should be aiming to qualify for the New Zealand Short Course champs in December, compete at the National Age Group competitions and gain selection for the regional teams competitions in July.

Swimmers compete over a variety of strokes and distances, although they may begin to set a preference for a particular stroke and distance. Training becomes more individualised and swimmers land work is aimed to develop flexibility, muscle balance and postural strength.

Swimmers are expected to train one or two morning sessions per week as well as doing the

Disqualifications

From time-to-time, swimmers are disqualified for an illegal action or a mistake during a race. If you are disqualified then don't get too upset. Use it to learn what you have done wrong and take the information to ensure that it does not happen again.

Find out why, ask your coach why you were disqualified. (e.g. touched the wall with 1 hand in breaststroke). If you have good cause to question the decision, your Coach will do so, do not approach the officials yourself. A disqualification usually comes from a bad habit, practice in training and correct it there, the bad habit will not transfer to your race.

Withdrawals

Withdrawing from an event should only be done after discussion with your coach, and the appropriate forms forwarded to the meet officials by the team manager.

A swimmer not showing up without withdrawing for an event especially finals will be fined by the meet organisers. Withdrawals from finals must be done before the end of the preceding session.

You have to be aware of the results of your heat swims and if you have qualified for finals.

AND FINALLY...

Ultimately a swimmer goes to a race to try and improve on their best time and win the race.

Winning, however, should be judged in relation to your personal goals, and less in respect of other people. If you have set a goal of a time, or a performance, and you achieve it, be pleased with it and enjoy your success. Then look to see how to improve upon that performance in the future.

If your performance was not that good, then look to find out why, was it due to the way you have been training? too hard, too easy, not enough! did you warm up correctly? did you eat and drink the right foods at the right time?

Performance is reliant on putting a lot of factors together in a consistent manner on the day and the days leading up to the meet. If you do this, you will get a good performance to the level that you are capable of at that moment.

Swim meets are a great occasion to meet new people, make new friends and have some fun. Don't miss out on the swim meet experience

when released by the referee, DO NOT CLIMB OUT OF THE POOL OVER THE TOUCH PADS.

Always go to the side of the pool.

You can ask the timekeeper for your time. They will not always give it to you, but you can ask. Go and get your coach’s views on your performance.

Remember the coach is there to help you, not to hinder you, and any advice that is given will be aimed at helping you learn from your experience.

If you qualify for the finals, you need to ensure that you prepare in the same sort of way for the new race as you did for the heats. Improve on the points that let you down in the heats and above all prepare by doing what is right for you, not what everyone else does.

Splits

What do they mean?

After you have swum, your coach will usually give you a rundown of the main points of your race. The coach will usually give you your split times for the segments of your race (25, 50's or 100's depending on the distance you swam) What these splits represent is the pacing that you held in the various sections of your race.

Large differences mean that the swimmer did not use their fitness to its optimum, therefore probably didn't swim quite as fast as they were capable of.

Use your splits to learn how to swim your races better. Look at the splits of top swimmers and compare them to yours to see where you can do a better swim.

You should also try to take note of your stroke counts during the race, this will tell you more about the balance of effort and the point at which you either made the most of your stroke or otherwise.

Evening sessions available.

Swimmers will learn the concepts of economy of effort, tactical skills and training requirements Swimmers gain promotion to the next squad when they have produced set both training target times and racing performance times Equipment required:

As JAG Squad, swimmers should also have their own fins, (pullbhoys, paddles and kickboards are a good idea) and kit bag.

Competition level:

Jasi Meet or short course Nationals, South Island Champs, Canterbury Champs, National Age Group competitions.

Sessions are 1 hour 30 min , 5 - 7 sessions per week.

Youth & National Squad

These are the top squads within the club. Swimmers who train in this squad are striving to reach the top of their performance capabilities. They have shown the ability and the commitment to now face the demands of training for national events. Swimmers will develop a greater understanding of the requirements of good performance and aim to put all the skills together to fulfil their potential.

Training aims to a peak once a year at a major meet the National Youth and Open Championships, with up to 2 more peaks through the year at other planned major events.

Swimmers follow a more individualised programme based upon their strengths, weaknesses, and specific event type. We look to develop an all round balance of skills and fitness for the individual which will allow them to perform optimally.

Swimmers also follow a programme of land training aimed at developing strength stability and flexibility.

National squad swimmers will get access to sports science testing and monitoring plus extra sessions and backup which their swimming training and performances demand

Equipment required:

As A Squad, swimmers should also have their own fins, pullbhoys, paddles, kickboards and kit bag.

Competition Level:

Australian State Champs, National Youth and Open Championships, aim for regional and national team selection.

Up to 12 sessions per week.

Jasi Masters & Triathletes

Jasi masters is one of the best masters’ groups in New Zealand. It has a number of world masters representatives and NZ record holders. The group caters for a wide range of abilities and requirements, provided is the a level of training for the level and age of all the swimmers.

The group also has a lot of fun; talk of training should not worry the less experienced swimmer. The Masters club have two sessions available on Tuesday 6 - 7pm and Sunday 9 - 10am. For the more adventurous there are also 4 morning sessions, Mon, Wed, Fri 5.30 - 7am and Sat 7- 8.30am.

The morning training sessions are for those who wish to train for triathlon events and masters competition. We aim to give the type of work that is appropriate to your fitness requirements and racing demands.

The training group will target your major competitions catering for the demands of your events optimising your swimming to produce the desired performance and result while working on fitting the swimming part of your training in with the other aspects of your training programme.

Marshalling For Your Race

You've got this far without any problems. All you have to do now is to swim! It is advisable to keep an eye on the event numbers as they go by, so you know when to get ready.

You will need to marshal for your event between 2 and 4 events before your event is due to start. To help you the Jasi Team Manager and Coach will be there to advise you.

This gives the marshals time to ensure that all swimmers are there for the start of their races, hand out time cards and send you up for your race. During this time, keep warm doing stretching and warm up exercises.

Some swimmers find that now is a good time to use their walkman to cut out all the distractions and focus on the task ahead.

The Race

When you go up for your race and stand behind the block, don't take off all your clothes immediately. If you do, you will begin to cool down too quickly and start to stiffen up. Keep a top on until the last moment. Get your cap on some minutes before you go up.

Get your goggles on and set comfortably.

As the referee blows the whistle, take off your top and get onto the block.

Don't rush.

Be positive with your movements and you will get a good start. Be controlled and deliberate in your movements. Be prepared to swim fast rather than using the first quarter of your race as a warm up!

When you are racing, swim your race not someone else's. You can not do anything about the way someone else is swimming but you can do a lot about your own race, either to its benefit or detriment.

When you have finished your race, if the scoreboard is in use take a look at it. Check your time and placing.

Exit the pool by the side keep the fastest swimmers away from each other until the final. It also means that more swimmers should have the opportunity to race for a place in the final as the fastest 8 swimmers do not get a chance to wait and see what times were swum in the previous heat and then swim to just beat that time.

Heats, Semi Finals & Finals:

More National competitions around the world are now bringing in this format of racing. The heats are cycle seeded and the top 16 or 20 race off in the semi finals to find the finalists.

Race Preparation And Warm Up:

Warm ups will generally follow the same format, although their length of time may change from meet to meet and session to session. When going to a meet, you should aim to arrive at the pool 15 - 20 minutes before the warm-up begins. This will give you time to acclimatise yourself to the pool facilities, find where your team is sitting and do some stretching before getting into the pool. It is useful to have some time just to calm down from the journey to the pool and collect your thoughts for the task ahead.

Most meets will begin the warm up with a period of general swimming.

During this time diving may not be allowed. Later certain lanes may then be allocated as pace lanes and sprint lanes.

The aim of this is to give those swimmers who need the opportunity to do pace work and sprinting from a dive the space without having to dodge around swimmers who are hanging on the walls or doing slower work. If you are not doing pace or sprint work you must stay out of these lanes.

The warm up is ended approximately 5 - 10 minutes before the start of the session and is signalled by the referee's whistle. You should aim to finish your warm-up before this point as to make sure you have done all need to do.

The Jasi Swim Team

The Jasi Swim Team was started in 1989. The club has progressed to a position where it has ranked as high as 4th nationally, and has placed swimmers on national, and Commonwealth Games teams.

It has a well established squad system, and being based at Jellie Park Recreation & Sport Centre, is linked to one of the strongest ‘Learn-to-Swim’ programmes in New Zealand.

The Committe

The Jasi swimming club is run by a committee of parents who meet once a month to help the Head Coach organise competitions, meet entries, trips, fundraising, swim meets , officials and the administration of the the club. Without the committee the club would not function. Those on the committee are people who make our club one of the best run in the country. As with all committees, not everyone is on for life, new blood and new ideas are always welcome.

Officials

Vital to competitive swimming are the swim meet officials.

These are volunteers and include the referee, the starter, the inspectors of turns, the results recorder, the chief timekeeper and lane timekeepers.

As an interested parent, get involved at one of the Club’s Splash Nights. You will be teamed up with a qualified timekeeper who would show you the basics and help you through the meet. After officiating at a number of events, you may desire to become qualified, you can sit exams and become registered with Canterbury/West Coast Swimming as a qualified official.

You may choose to remain a time keeper or become a chief time keeper, a recorder or inspector of turns, it is all up to you.

Remember this is voluntary and you can choose which meets and sessions you would like to officiate at. You will gain an insight into the considerable work done behind the scenes of a competition and gain a better understanding of the needs of swimmers and meets organisers to make the sport successful and help the swimmers achieve their goals and help make the meets more interesting. For more details please contact a committee member.

Fund Raising

As with most amateur clubs, Jasi must raise funds to supplement their revenue gained from subscriptions.

We work throughout the year on a variety of fundraising activities that allow us to subsidise swimmers travelling out of Christchurch.

Team Uniform

As with all teams, the Jasi Swim Team has a uniform for all swimmers to wear at competitions.

The blue club polo shirt and black, blue, white tracksuit and (black shorts), should be worn to meets to identify members of the Club. Pool coats for swimmers are also available. This is our uniform and we expect all competitive swimmers to wear it.

For racing the club swimmers wearing caps race in a Jasi cap and wear black togs, togs with the Jasi logo and the other uniform items are available from the Jasi Swim Shop at Jellie Park.

Jasi Swim Meets

We organise and run several competitions during the year. Our annual events are the Jasi Distance Meet and our Jasi Winter Meet were other clubs have an open invite to enter and compete. These meets are run under the laws of the New Zealand Swimming Federation.

As well as our annual swim meets, we also have Club evenings, our Jasi Splash Nights, swimmers from the Jellie Park development squads and training squads can race each other in all strokes over 4 evenings throughout the year, getting race practice and have some fun at the same time.

What do I do at the Meet?

Study the Meet Programme

The start sheet or heat sheet will usually contain all the events that are to be swum in a session in the order in which they are to be swum. It will also list the order of the finals. You need to find out:

Seeding: Events can be seeded in a number of different ways.

Timed Finals: This is done in meets where times are the most important aspect. It means that swimmers of similar pace will be kept together, with the fastest swimmers in the last heat. Swimmers get only 1 shot at this swim. These events can be swum mixed or split male and female.

Cycle Seeding: The fastest 3 heats are seeded, (see below) in an 8 lane pool top 24 swimmers are placed in the last 3 heats on a cyclic basis.

The other swimmers in such an event will swim in ascending time order through the preceding heats.

This sort of seeding is used to borrow a pair from someone else, only to find that they do not fit quite right and feel uncomfortable just before you swim.

Your spare goggles should be the same, so that it does not matter if one pair breaks. You can just pick up the next pair and use them with ease and comfort. When you buy goggles, test them out in training so you are happy with them before you race in them. Take your time and get the right ones. It is no good looking ‘cool’ in your snazzy goggles if you can't see out of them the moment you hit the water!

Clothing

You will need some warm and comfortable clothing to wear while around the poolside. This should so be team uniform as it is deigned for the purpose.

T-shirts, you should have a couple so you have a spare when the first one gets wet, tracksuit, shorts, socks and some suitable footwear which will keep your feet dry.

A hat for the cold, or shade in the sun, There are also Jasi Pool coats for extra warmth and protection.

Other Useful Items

Books, remember that longer meets can get quite tiresome so have something to read.

A walkman is useful as it allows you to have some time to yourself when you can shut out all other noise around you.

Water bottle (plastic) which you can either have pre-filled, or fill it when you get to the meet. Keeping your fluid balance right is one of the most important aspects of your race preparation.

Food, meets can be long so food is important to keep your energy up. Food should be kept in a water tight container.

Have all your gear ready in the bag before you go. You will be in a better frame of mind to concentrate on your swimming.

Don’t leave it to your parents, you get your gear ready.

Competitive Swimming, What Is It All About?

Competition can be an enjoyable experience as well as a daunting one.

Walking out of the changing rooms for the first time in a new pool where you are expected to show your best, can leave a young swimmer a little nervous. Even older and more experienced swimmers can get overawed by the situation of a major meet, in a new environment away from home. It can happen to the best of people if they are not prepared for the situation that confronts them.

Hopefully, what follows will answer some questions. This will put you in the position where you go into a competition confident, and able to give your best throughout the day, able to compete to your optimum level when you wish to and need to and avoid some of the pitfalls.

What is competition?

  1. It is a contest in which people compete, both against the clock and against other competitors.
  2. It is an opportunity to test your abilities against others.
  3. An opportunity to see how close you get to your personal goals.

    4. There may be one winner of the race, but many winners within the race.

  4. It is an opportunity to test those skills that you have learnt and practised in training. To use the fitness that you have developed optimally over weeks of work so that you can maximise your performance over a specific distance and stroke.
  5. It is a carnival to celebrate the enjoyment of the sport of swimming.
  6. It is quite often forgotten by all involved: the officials the coaches, the parents, and the swimmers who have to cope with the pressure from the other three parties, that swimming can be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable of sports at its best.

Enjoy the experience!

What competitions can I enter ?

There are many different types of competitions around. They cover different age ranges, abilities, strokes and distances. Your coach is there to help advise you to which meets and events are right for you.

  1. nior & Open Carnivals, where swimmers compete merely against the clock to get a time, often to gain qualifying times for one of the other meets including National Championships. These are generally organised by the clubs but have to have centre approval and officials to count for qualifying standards.
  2. Centre or Club Meets, run by the host club or centre, usually aimed at age grouped swimmers. They can be short meetings of one session lasting or have multiple sessions over a number of days.
  3. National Meets, Swimmers have to qualify for these competitions . Here swimmers have earned the opportunity to compete at the highest standard in New Zealand in their age group and race with the best swimmers in the country.

How do I enter a competition?

Entry forms and a meet description form are put out on the notice board giving all swimmers time to complete and return forms to the box. It will list all of the events that will be swum at the Meet. The attached entry form is for you to write in your details and the races you wish to enter. Place your completed entry form in the post box at the Swim Shop by the date printed on the form, with the correct entry fees included. There are no late entries.

Entries are then checked by a committee member who has this responsibility, and to pass them onto the meet organisers.

Some Open Meets require you to purchase the entry cards at the meet, fill them out with all the relevant information (Name, Date of Birth, Registration No, Entry time etc.). Post entries before you begin the warm up.

What Do I Need?

Be prepared, the night before the meet make sure all your gear is sorted and everything is accounted for. Nothing is more unsettling than realising you have forgotten your togs or something else when you get to the pool. Following are what you will need and can help you through a meet.

Bag

You should have a large, waterproof bag to take, to keep all your things in.

This should be big enough to keep your clothes in, if there are no lockers. Never leave your gear in the changing room.

Towels

You will need at least two towels, one to dry yourself between the races and one to use once you have finished swimming. Over the day your towels will become wet, so try to have one that is dry so that you can dry yourself quickly. A chamois is useful as this will save your towel.

Togs

A number of them are required on competition days. You should have training togs in which to warm up, then some good racing togs to race in. Your racing togs should fit snugly and be close fitting with no loose material in the backside when wet.

Be careful when buying togs. Make sure that they fit you and don’t rub.

Look around for costumes that are well constructed and will not fall to pieces quickly. Price isn't always the best guide!

Caps

If you wear a cap to race it must be a Jasi cap. You should have a couple of spares in your bag. Caps have a habit of splitting just when you don't need them to. Use an older caps or training not racing.

Goggles: Have a couple of spare pairs. If the nose piece or elastic breaks, you do not want to be fiddling with them, or searching frantically to borrow a pair from someone else, only to find that they do not fit quite right and feel uncomfortable just before you swim.

Your spare goggles should be the same, so that it does not matter if one pair breaks. You can just pick up the next pair and use them with ease and comfort. When you buy goggles, test them out in training so you are happy with them before you race in them.

Take your time and get the right ones. It is no good looking ‘cool’ in your snazzy goggles if you can't see out of them the moment you hit the water!

Clothing: You will need some warm and comfortable clothing to wear while around the poolside. This should so be team uniform as it is deigned for the purpose.

T-shirts, you should have a couple so you have a spare when the first one gets wet, tracksuit, shorts, socks and some suitable footwear which will keep your feet dry.

A hat for the cold, or shade in the sun, There are also Jasi Pool coats for extra warmth and protection.

Other Useful Items: Books, remember that longer meets can get quite tiresome so have something to read. A walkman is useful as it allows you to have some time to yourself when you can shut out all other noise around you.

Water bottle (plastic) which you can either have pre-filled, or fill it when you get to the meet. Keeping your fluid balance right is one of the most important aspects of your race preparation.

Food, meets can be long so food is important to keep your energy up. Food should be kept in a water tight container.

Have all your gear ready in the bag before you go. You will be in a better frame of mind to concentrate on your swimming.

Don’t leave it to your parents, you get your gear ready.

What do I do at the meet?

Study the Meet Programme

The start sheet or heat sheet will usually contain all the events that are to be swum in a session in the order in which they are to be swum. It will also list the order of the finals. You need to find out:

Seeding: Events can be seeded in a number of different ways.

Timed Finals: This is done in meets where times are the most important aspect. It means that swimmers of similar pace will be kept together, with the fastest swimmers in the last heat. Swimmers get only 1 shot at this swim. These events can be swum mixed or split male and female.

Cycle Seeding: The fastest 3 heats are seeded, (see below) in an 8 lane pool top 24 swimmers are placed in the last 3 heats on a cyclic basis. The other swimmers in such an event will swim in ascending time order through the preceding heats.

This sort of seeding is used to keep the fastest swimmers away from each other until the final. It also means that more swimmers should have the opportunity to race for a place in the final as the fastest 8 swimmers do not get a chance to wait and see what times were swum in the previous heat and then swim to just beat that time.

Heats, Semi Finals & Finals: More National competitions around the world are now bringing in this format of racing. The heats are cycle seeded and the top 16 or 20 race off in the semi finals to find the finalists.

Race Preparation And Warm Up

Warm ups will generally follow the same format, although their length of time may change from meet to meet and session to session.

When going to a meet, you should aim to arrive at the pool 15 - 20 minutes before the warm-up begins. This will give you time to acclimatise yourself to the pool facilities, find where your team is sitting and do some stretching before getting into the pool. It is useful to have some time just to calm down from the journey to the pool and collect your thoughts for the task ahead.

Most meets will begin the warm up with a period of general swimming. During this time diving may not be allowed. Later certain lanes may then be allocated as pace lanes and sprint lanes. The aim of this is to give those swimmers who need the opportunity to do pace work and sprinting from a dive the space without having to dodge around swimmers who are hanging on the walls or doing slower work. If you are not doing pace or sprint work you must stay out of these lanes.

The warm up is ended approximately 5 - 10 minutes before the start of the session and is signalled by the referee's whistle. You should aim to finish your warm-up before this point as to make sure you have done all need to do.

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Marshalling For Your Race

You've got this far without any problems. All you have to do now is to swim! It is advisable to keep an eye on the event numbers as they go by, so you know when to get ready. You will need to marshal for your event between 2 and 4 events before your event is due to start.

To help you the Jasi Team Manager and Coach will be there to advise you.

This gives the marshals time to ensure that all swimmers are there for the start of their races, hand out time cards and send you up for your race. During this time, keep warm doing stretching and warm up exercises.

Some swimmers find that now is a good time to use their walkman to cut out all the distractions and focus on the task ahead.

The Race

When you go up for your race and stand behind the block, don't take off all your clothes immediately. If you do, you will begin to cool down too quickly and start to stiffen up. Keep a top on until the last moment. Get your cap on some minutes before you go up. Get your goggles on and set comfortably.

As the referee blows the whistle, take off your top and get onto the block.

Don't rush. Be positive with your movements and you will get a good start. Be controlled and deliberate in your movements. Be prepared to swim fast rather than using the first quarter of your race as a warm up!

When you are racing, swim your race not someone else's. You can not do anything about the way someone else is swimming but you can do a lot about your own race, either to its benefit or detriment. When you have finished your race, if the scoreboard is in use take a look at it. Check your time and placing.

Exit the pool by the side when released by the referee,

DO NOT CLIMB OUT OF THE POOL OVER THE TOUCH PADS. Always go to the side of the pool.

You can ask the timekeeper for your time. They will not always give it to you, but you can ask. Go and get your coach’s views on your performance.

Remember the coach is there to help you, not to hinder you, and any advice that is given will be aimed at helping you learn from your experience.

If you qualify for the finals, you need to ensure that you prepare in the same sort of way for the new race as you did for the heats.

Improve on the points that let you down in the heats and above all prepare by doing what is right for you, not what everyone else does.

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Splits

What do they mean?

After you have swum, your coach will usually give you a rundown of the main points of your race. The coach will usually give you your split times for the segments of your race (25, 50's or 100's depending on the distance you swam) What these splits represent is the pacing that you held in the various sections of your race.

Large differences mean that the swimmer did not use their fitness to its optimum, therefore probably didn't swim quite as fast as they were capable of.

Use your splits to learn how to swim your races better. Look at the splits of top swimmers and compare them to yours to see where you can do a better swim. You should also try to take note of your stroke counts during the race, this will tell you more about the balance of effort and the point at which you either made the most of your stroke or otherwise.

Disqualifications

From time-to-time, swimmers are disqualified for an illegal action or a mistake during a race. If you are disqualified then don't get too upset. Use it to learn what you have done wrong and take the information to ensure that it does not happen again.

Find out why, ask your coach why you were disqualified. (e.g. touched the wall with 1 hand in breaststroke). If you have good cause to question the decision, your Coach will do so, do not approach the officials yourself. A disqualification usually comes from a bad habit, practice in training and correct it there, the bad habit will not transfer to your race.

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Withdrawals

Withdrawing from an event should only be done after discussion with your coach, and the appropriate forms forwarded to the meet officials by the team manager.

A swimmer not showing up without withdrawing for an event especially finals will be fined by the meet organisers. Withdrawals from finals must be done before the end of the preceding session.

You have to be aware of the results of your heat swims and if you have qualified for finals.

AND FINALLY...

Ultimately a swimmer goes to a race to try and improve on their best time and win the race.

Winning, however, should be judged in relation to your personal goals, and less in respect of other people. If you have set a goal of a time, or a performance, and you achieve it, be pleased with it and enjoy your success. Then look to see how to improve upon that performance in the future.

If your performance was not that good, then look to find out why, was it due to the way you have been training? too hard, too easy, not enough! did you warm up correctly? did you eat and drink the right foods at the right time ?

Performance is reliant on putting a lot of factors together in a consistent manner on the day and the days leading up to the meet. If you do this, you will get a good performance to the level that you are capable of at that moment.

Swim meets are a great occasion to meet new people, make new friends and have some fun. Don't miss out on the swim meet experience.

 

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