for 2012
A Parent's Guide to Surviving the Summer Swim Season
Swim Meets
Every season includes a schedule of dual swim meets and the season culminating RCSL Championship
meets. The dual meets usually begin the last week of May and conclude in early
to mid July and are
followed by the Championships that take place over an entire weekend in late July. In addition
to the League Rules for these competitions, we have a general set of rules for our team for all
the participants in these meets that can be found on the "Team Rules" page (follow the
link at the top of the page to view these rules).
In the 2012 Season Section of the web site, we have our meet schedule and we post a "This
Week's Meet" page for each dual meet. This page will include the information relative
to the meet and links to information such as the entries, parent volunteers, a meet info sheet
you can print out and the meet's results.
We post similar pages to cover the Championship meet details each season as well.
All RCSL meets divide the competition into age groups and genders so that the athletes
will compete against their same gender and age. The age groups are 6 & under, 7 &
8, 9 & 10, 11 & 12, 13 & 14 and 15 - 18. This last group is further divided
into 15 & 16 and 17 & 18 for the Championships.
All of these meets require that we submit our entries prior to the meet. Dual meet entries are usually due 48 hours before the meet while the Championship entries are due at the conclusion of the dual meet season. The coaches will determine what events a swimmer will compete in based upon their readiness (technique, endurance, etc.) to perform that event. For the Championship meet, the swimmers are limited to no more than five of the six individual events offered and the coaches will consult with the athletes and their parents before submitting these entries.
Most dual meets will include a relay event for each age group, time permitting. There are two relay events for each age group in the Championship meets.
Dual Meets
To help our swimmers prepare for the RCSL Championships, the League sponsors a complete dual meet
schedule. The dual meets are usually held on Thursday nights or, due to the many rained out meets
of past summers, Saturday mornings in May, June and July. The schedule of events will vary each week
to allow a chance for all of our swimmers to swim each event offered to their age group. This year’s
meet schedule is included on the 2012 Season Information Sheet.
WE WILL ONLY BE HOSTING ONE “HOME” DUAL MEET IN 2012 AFTER HOSTING TWO VERY SUCCESSFUL DUAL MEETS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALMOST 20 YEARS THE LAST 2 SUMMER!
We will also be hosting the League's "Last Chance" Meet on Saturday, July 14th. This is a new idea the
League has launched this summer and we are honored that they want us to host it. More details will be
available in late May or early June for this meet.
See the Dual Meet Schedule on this web site or in the Information package for additional information.
The age groups for dual meets are the similar to those for Championships – 6 & Under, 7
& 8, 9 & 10, 11 & 12 and 13 & 14 - except the older kids are combined into a
single 15-18 age group. Ribbons are awarded to the top eight finishers in each individual event
and to the top three relay teams, which usually results in every swimmer winning at least one
ribbon at each meet. Should any swimmer fail to win one of these ribbons, the team awards them
a “participation” ribbon for their effort.
Ribbons are usually handed out to the swimmers at the Friday practice following each dual meet.
Each dual meet has two special 6 & Under events with each participant usually receiving a
ribbon immediately after completing their race. Swimmers are allowed to compete in three (3)
individual events and one (1) relay in the dual meets.
While the dual meets are scored on a team basis, our coaches measure success more by how our swimmers improve over the course of the season than by the places and points in the meets. This emphasis makes every swimmer a “winner.” Our coaches and swimmers take these meets very seriously and everyone is urged to participate in as many of the dual meets as possible. If your swimmer(s) will be unable to attend a particular meet, please notify the coaches in writing or through the web site by the Monday practice preceding the meet so our entry will be correct.
RCSL Championships
The biggest meet of our season is the summer ending RCSL Championships Meet. One of the largest
swim meets held in the entire country each year, the League estimates that almost 2,000 swimmers
will again compete in this year’s meet. It is the only meet where all nineteen teams in the League
come together to compete for the coveted Team Championship trophies.
This year's Championships will be July 26th through 29th at the Cecil Field Aquatic Center.
They begin on Thursday evening with the 6 & Under Championships session and run Friday evening
and all day Saturday and Sunday for all of the other age groups - 7 & 8, 9 & 10, 11 &
12, 13 & 14, 15 & 16, and 17 & 18.
The 6 & Under session is set-up to run in about 2-1/2 to 3 hours on that Thursday evening and
for these newcomers to our sport to have an enjoyable “taste” of what the big Championship meet is
like. The Championship meet sessions will vary in length and include a Friday evening, Saturday
morning and afternoon and Sunday morning session. The exact schedule of who swims when will be
posted to the web site with our Championship meet information in mid June.
The awards for the 6 & Unders include medals for the top 16 places while the awards at Championships include team trophies, medals for "A" times and "B" times and the fastest sixteen “C” times. Each child will also receive a RCSL participation pin as well.