Competitive Swim Info

USA Swimming Organization:

STAR Swim Team is a member of the following organizations:

*CLICK ON ORGANIZATION NAME TO VISIT THE WEB SITE*
USA Swimming - National governing body which is located in Colorado Springs
Central Zone Committee - Regional governing body of USA Swimming
Minnesota Swimming Inc - "MSI" The Local Swimming Committee (LSC)

Strokes and Races:

STAR swimmers learn and develop each of the four competitive swimming strokes: Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle.

*CLICK ON THE STROKE NAME FOR MORE INFO*
Backstroke - Breaststroke - Butterfly - Freestyle

The Individual Medley race, or "IM" features all four strokes swum in the same event by a single swimmer. The competitors swim one fourth of the race in each of the strokes and in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.

There are two types of relay races - Medley and Freestyle. Each relay team consists of four swimmers. A critical factor in any successful relay is the exchange between swimmers. The swimmer on the block must remain in contact with the starting block until the incoming swimmer touches the wall. An early departure by one swimmer results in a DQ (disqualification) for the entire relay team.

> Read more about Medley & Freestyle Relays

Meets and Time Standards:

At USA swim meets, swimmers compete against others of the same age, gender and swimming ability. Events are categorized by gender in the following age groups: 8 and under, 9-10, 11 -12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18. There are some minor variations in these groups but usually each age group swimmer will be competing against swimmers no more than two years older than they are. Within each age group, the competition is further narrowed by time standards.

>Read more info about Meets

>View current Time Standards at MSI Web Site