Meet Eligibility

2009-2010 Short Course Season

The championship meet phase of our season can be a confusing time for many swimmers and parents. You may be unsure which meet(s) your child qualifies for and should attend. Use the information and links below to read about the upcoming meets and determine if your child is eligible to swim at that meet. Also, at the bottom I have included guidelines to follow when signing up for Championship meets and the answer to two commonly asked questions. If you have a question about which meet(s) your child should participate in, please contact your child's coach.

To view your child's best times, visit the USA Swimming Times Database.

Meet: BASS Meet
Dates: 1/30 - 1/31
Eligibility:

• Open to all swimmers and all Olympic Development swimmers are encouraged to attend
• Swimmers may swim any events in their age bracket
• This is the last opportunity to achieve qualifying times before championship meets begin

Meet: District Champs (B/C Awards)
Dates: 2/19 - 2/21
Eligibility:

• Open only to 14 and Under swimmers.
• Swimmers may swim any events so long as their time in that event is a B time or slower.
• If you would like to see what qualifies as a B, BB, A, AA, AAA, or AAAA time, refer to the Short Course Yards (SCY) Time Standards

Meet: Region Champs (A/BB Champs)
Dates: 2/26 - 2/28
Eligibility:

• Open to all ages.
• 15 and Over swimmers may swim any event, so long as their time in that event is not faster than a Senior Champs Qualifying Time.
• 14 and Under swimmers may swim events in which their time is not faster than an Age Group Champs Qualifying Times and not slower than a BB time.
• If you would like to see what qualifies as a B, BB, A, AA, AAA, or AAAA time, refer to the Short Course Yards (SCY) Time Standards

Meet: Senior Champs
Dates: 3/4 - 3/7
Eligibility:

• Open to swimmers who have achieved a Senior Champ qualifying time.
• For Senior Champ cuts, use the following link: Senior Champs Qualifying Time

Meet: Age Group Champs
Dates: 3/18 - 3/21
Eligibility:

• For swimmers 14 and Under.
• Open to swimmers who have achieved an Age Group Champ qualifying time.
• For Age Group Champ cuts, use the following link: Age Group Champs Qualifying Times

Guidelines for Participating in Championship Meets

We encourage all Olympic Development swimmers to participate in Championship meets. Stroke School swimmers should contact Scott Baldwin if interested in participating in a Championship meet. Below are the guidelines to follow in two common scenarios that often arise when signing up for Championship meets. As always, feel free to contact your child's coach for additional advice.

Special Circumstance #1: What should we do if my child is qualified for more than one meet?

It is not uncommon for a child to be qualified for two or even three meets between the end of February and the end of March. Often parents and swimmers are unsure if they should go to all of the meets they are qualified for or only one of them. While this decision has to be made on an individual basis, typically we recommend participating in two meets during this phase of the season if your child is qualified for two and if you are able to do so. If you are qualifed for three or more meets, it is best to discuss with your child's coach which meets you should attend.

Special Circumstance #2: What if my child is not qualified for a meet such as A/BBs, but hopes to qualify at B/C Awards the weekend before? Will he be able to swim that event at A/BBs if he qualifies? Should I enter my child in the meet even though he does not yet have the qualifying times?

This is a very common scenario and a great question to ask. This situation occurs most frequently between B/C Awards and A/BBs, and also between A/BBs and Senior Champs. After A/BBs there is a full three weeks before Age Group Champs, so this decision does not typically affect swimmers going to Age Group Champs. Often the problem arises because the signup deadline for the second meet comes before the first meet even starts. Hopefully these guidelines should help.

If you would like to go a meet should your child qualify, you should sign up by the deadline listed on the Online Signup form, which is typically 15 days before the meet starts, and make a note to the coaches that your child is not qualifed for the meet yet, but may qualify at the meet the weekend before. This will prepare us to enter your child in the meet as soon as we know if your child achieves the qualifying time.

If your child is qualifed in one or more events at the second meet, but may qualify for more events at the first meet, you should DEFINITELY enter your child before the deadline on the Online Signup form and make a note of events that your child may achieve the qualifying time in. This is not necessary because we will update entries immediately after we know which events your child qualified for, but it is recommended and appreciated nonetheless. If you wait until after the deadline to sign your child up, we will only be able to enter your child in events that he or she just achieved the qualifying times for, so make sure to enter your child before the deadline so that they have a full slate of events.

Lastly, I have done my best to clarify two special circumstances that often arise while signing up for Championship meets. If you still have more questions or would like clarification, use the contact form at the bottom of the page to send a question (include your name) or just ask one of the coaches at practice. If I were to simplify and summarize the above two paragraphs it would say this: Be sure to sign up for a meet you would like to attend by the deadline, even if you are not yet qualified for it, and if you are qualified for two championship meets, try and attend both.