PRINCE‑MONT SWIM LEAGUE
I ‑ RULES FOR SWIMMING COMPETITION
(Current as of May 2004)
1. General
These rules are
specifically designed for closed meets between PMSL member pools and shall
govern the conduct of all swimming meets scheduled, sponsored, or sanctioned by
the League. Rules of the United States Swimming pertaining to strokes,
disqualification’s, duties of officials, judging, timing, turns, starts,
finishes, and similar technical matters shall be observed at all League meets
unless modified by these rules. The
PMSL season is defined as the period from May through September. The dual meet schedule shall be determined
annually by no later than the Spring Meeting.
2. Competitor
Eligibility
a.
Each competitor shall
be a bona‑fide member of the Pool Club he/she represents during the current
season. A bona‑fide member is
defined to mean a member of the pool or club who meets the criteria for
membership of that pool or club. Competitors cannot represent more than one
Club in this League during the same season at the same time. (For Leagues ‑ Team switching-- see
Sec. 1, Para. 3).
b.
The eligibility of a
competitor to compete in a particular age group shall be determined by his/her
age on 11:59 p.m. on the last day of May of the current season. Each team shall maintain an up‑to‑date
roster of its swim team, containing the following information under each age
group: an alphabetical listing of
swimmers, and the birth date and sex of the swimmers. The roster shall be in the format prepared by PMSL. Copies of the roster shall be supplied to the
Division Chairman, Division Data Manager, and League Representatives of their
division member teams one week prior to the start of the League
competition. Teams may add to or delete
from this list during the season. At
dual meets, the current rosters shall be turned in to the Clerk of Course
before the start of the meet so as to be a ready reference in case of
eligibility disputes. All roster
changes shall also be filed with the Division Chairman and Division Data
Manager, weekly as they occur. If the
eligibility of a swimmer is protested to the Referee, he/she may accept other
evidence of eligibility. Protest of
his/her decision is subject to PMSL protest rules. Inaccuracies and omissions are a valid basis for appropriate
penalty by the League. In any case
where a child’s eligibility is in question, he/she shall be permitted to swim
pending final resolution of his/her status.
c.
Participation in
activities other than competitive swimming (e.g. diving, water polo, etc.)
shall not prevent swimmers from competing in Prince‑Mont League swimming
competition even if such activities are associated with competitive swimming
sanctioned by another League.
d.
In all meets (both
dual and championship), a competitor may compete in his/her own or in a higher
age group. A competitor may be moved up
to a higher age group, but must compete at that age level for the entire meet ‑
including relays. A swimmer shall
declare his/her age group for a meet in the first event that he/she swims. (Note: A swimmer competing in the 10 &
Under Butterfly shall declare his/her age group, either 8 & Under or 9-10,
in the second event he/she swims.) A
swimmer who swims out of his/her declared age group for that meet (up or down)
shall be disqualified from that event.
The event however shall count as one of his/her official swims and
he/she may continue to compete for the remainder of the meet in the originally
declared age group for that meet. A
competitor may enter up to three individual events plus one relay in any given
meet.
e.
The youngest age
group shall be the eight‑and‑under. Coaches are responsible for selecting youngsters who can swim the
distance required without delaying the meet or endangering themselves. Top age group shall be 15 to 18 years.
f.
A swimmer may
participate under protest. However, if
the decision goes against him/her or if an irregularity is detected for the
first time after the event has been completed, the points earned by the illegal
entrant shall be canceled, the order of finish corrected and the meet score adjusted
accordingly.
3. League‑Team
Switching
a.
Each competitor shall be a bona‑fide
member of the Pool or Club he/she represents during the current season.
1) Competitors may represent only one team in PMSL competition
in any one season.
2) A swimmer that desires to represent a PMSL team who has
represented another PMSL team the previous season may do so with the provision
that he/she cannot switch teams again within a two year period. Allowable exceptions are covered in paragraph
3), below.
3) The only exceptions to the two year rule of paragraph 2)
are:
a)
the previous team has
withdrawn from League competition; and
b)
a change is made in
the swimmer’s residence.
b.
If a swimmer is
claimed by two or more teams, or any related protests arise, the matter shall
be adjudicated by the President and Board of Directors.
4. Limitation on
Entries
a.
Dual Meets:
1)
Each team is eligible
to enter as many swimmers as there are assigned lanes.
2)
Each team may enter
as many relay teams as there are lanes assigned to their team. All entries shall be considered as official
for purposes of scoring.
3)
Coaches must submit a
line‑up of swimmers on appropriate PMSL Timer Cards for each individual
event to the Clerk of Course in dual meets 30 minutes before the start of the
meet. This line‑up must indicate
a rank order of fastest‑to‑slowest swimmers for each event. These swimmers shall be assigned lanes
accordingly by the Clerk. The fastest
swimmer for each team shall be assigned lane 3 or 4; next fastest swimmer shall
be assigned lane 5 or 2, etc. with the slowest swimmer assigned the outside
lanes. (8 lane pool ‑ 4/5, 3/6, 2/7, 1/8) The official line‑up for the relays shall be turned into
the Clerk of Course after Event 44.
b.
Divisional Meets:
1)
No swimmer may
compete in the Division Meets without participating in at least one scheduled
PMSL dual meet in the current season.
2)
Teams may not enter
more than two swimmers per individual event
in the Division Meet. Each team
may enter only one relay team for relay events (See Section II). The regular order of events shall be
used. Names of swimmers comprising a
relay team shall be listed on the back of the form. Alternates may be listed.
The official teams shall be designated when the relay teams report to
the Clerk of Course after Event 44.
3)
All entries shall be
made on the PMSL Official Timer’s Report.
Submitted times shall be the best recorded dual meet time of the current
season including any time swam as a legal entry in a PMSL dual meet, regardless
of age group. If the swimmer applies for an event where he/she has no dual meet
recorded time then he/she shall be assigned to the next slowest lane after
those filled by official times.
c.
All‑Star Meet
1)
The best available
swimmer or relay team in each event of each Division Meet qualifies for the All‑Star
meet. The next‑fastest swimmers
or relay teams in the Division meets from the entire League will also qualify
for the All‑Start Meet up to the maximum number of lanes available for
two heats. If one or more of the
eligible swimmers or relay teams is unable to participate, the next ranking
swimmers or relay teams from the entire League shall be eligible to
compete. However, a club qualifying a
relay team may substitute eligible swimmers when necessary because of sickness,
injury or absence of one or more of the swimmers on the qualifying team. If no alternates are available, the lane
will not be occupied for that event.
Individual awards will be granted for first through eighth place winners
and ribbons will be awarded for ninth through sixteenth place.
2)
The designated person
shall be notified by 8:00 p.m. the Tuesday preceding the All‑Star Meet,
so that a replacement swimmer can be invited to fill that vacancy.
3)
Any scratches
occurring after 8:00 p.m. on the Tuesday preceding the All-Star Meet can only
be replaced by the next available alternate swimmer from the entire League.
5. Substitutions
a.
Dual meets:
1)
Substitutions may be
made when necessary because of competitor sickness, injury or absence with the
authorization of the Referee.
2)
A competitor who is
already entered in three individual events may not be a substitute in any other
individual event.
3)
A competitor who has
swum in three individual events may be a substitute in one relay event.
4)
Authorized
substitutions shall be reported to the Clerk of Course as soon as possible, and
no event will be delayed to permit substitutions.
5)
No substitutions may
be made after competitors have been checked in by the Clerk of Course except at
the discretion of the Referee.
6)
Relay events: Substitutions shall be reported to the Clerk
of Course prior to the swimmer reporting for relays.
b.
Division Meets: Open substitutions will be permitted after
the seeding meeting until 8 p.m. the Tuesday preceding the Divisional Meet for
$5 per substitution. After 8 p.m. on
the Tuesday preceding the Divisional Meet, substitutions will be permitted only
in the event of injury, sickness or absence from the entire meet. Substitutions shall be submitted to the
Clerk of Course in the PMSL Official Timer’s Report no later than ½ hour prior
to the scheduled start of the meet.
Sickness or injury during the meet may be allowed as an exception with
the approval of the Referee.
c.
All‑Star
Meet: Substitutions are authorized only
as permitted in paragraph 4.c.(1) of Section I, and as determined by the
League.
6. Heats
a.
All heats are
official. All swimmers are official.
b.
The Lane Timer’s
watches shall govern all place finishes where Place Judges are not in mutual
agreement.
1)
There shall be no
more than nine swimmers per team in a freestyle event unless mutually agreed
upon between the two team Meet Managers prior to the day of the meet. The fastest swimmers shall be placed in the
last heat.
2)
There shall be no
more than six swimmers per team in any non-freestyle event unless mutually agreed upon between the two team Meet Managers
prior to the day of the meet. The
fastest swimmers shall be placed in the last heat.
3)
Prior agreements
shall not be modified on the day of the meet.
The fastest swimmers shall be placed in the final heat.
c.
In the event that the
host team can not accommodate the number of swimmers as stated in 1.6.b.1) and
1.6.b.2), above, the host team may appeal to the Chair of the Rules Committee
prior to the date of the meet. The Chair of the Rules Committee may grant an
exception to the number of swimmers specified above; however, the number of
swimmers can not be reduced below 3 heats for freestyle events and one heat for
all other events.
d.
When heats are
required in Division Meets, places will be awarded on a time basis between
heats.
1)
Competitors shall be
grouped into heats according to the times submitted on the PMSL Official
Timer’s Report.
2)
The fastest swimmers
shall be placed in the second heat.
3)
The Clerk of Course
shall seed each heat in descending order (fastest to slowest) of submitted
times according to the following pattern for a six‑lane pool: Lanes numbered 3, 4, 2, 5, 1, and 6.
7. Lanes
a.
There shall be a
minimum of six lanes. Swimming lanes
shall have a minimum width of five feet of unobstructed water. All lanes shall be separated by ropes with
floats. Lane ropes shall be anchored at
or slightly below water level. When
ropes are required to define a wall interruption, the rope shall be placed to
prevent any portion of the wall from projecting into the lane. All lanes must be cleared of obstruction
such as diving boards, ladders, underwater steps, etc. Pennant markers placed 15 feet from the end
of the pool and not less than three feet above the water level shall be used to
warn swimmers of the end of the pool.
b.
In dual meets lanes
shall be assigned on a basis mutually agreeable to the official representatives
of the competing teams. In the event of
disagreement, lanes will be assigned by the Referee as follows: The host team shall use the odd‑number
lanes, the visiting team shall use the even ‑ numbered lanes (See Sec.
III, Para. 1).
c.
For the All‑Star
Meet, contestants shall be assigned to lanes in descending order (fastest to
slowest) of the time recorded in the Division Meets. The pattern for a six‑lane pool shall be lanes numbered 3,
4, 2 5, 1, and 6; for an eight‑lane pool, lanes numbered 4, 5, 3, 6, 2,
7, 1, and 8.
8. Events
a.
For team meets, the
events listed in Section II shall apply and shall be run in the order
indicated, except as provided for under Section IV, paragraph 1.a. For team meets held in pools of length
greater than 25 meters and not equipped with turning boards, pennant flag
finishes shall be used for individual events.
In such cases, the event length shall be 25 yards and 50 yards, or 25
meters and 50 meters, at the discretion of the host pool. For any given meet, this provision may be
waived by mutual consent between the competing teams, in which case, individual
events will be swum at the length of the pool instead of the distances above.
b.
For Division and All‑Star
meets, the events listed in Section II shall apply and shall be run in the
order indicated, unless modified by the League, or as provided for under
Section IV, Paragraph 1.a.
c.
In relays, length
shall be as near to 25 yards or meters as feasible.
9. Officials
a.
The following officials
represent minimum dual meet requirements:
Referee------------One Announcer-------One Head Timer-------One
Head Judge-------One Starter-------------One Roving Timer-----One
Clerk of Course--One Place Judges----Two Scorers-------------Two
Assistant Stroke and Turn
Clerk of Course--One Judges------------Two Timers--Three per lane
For
duties of officials see Sec. IV.
b.
For dual meets three
Timers shall be assigned to each active lane by the Head Timer and
Referee. It is mandatory that three
Timers be assigned to each lane for Division and All‑Star Meets.
c.
Approximately one
week prior to the date of a dual meet, the meet manager of the host team shall
contact the meet manager of the visiting team(s) to work out the details for
supplying officials. Unless otherwise
agreed to, each team will furnish the following officials and equipment.
Host Team: Referee, Head Timer, Stroke and Turn Judge, Clerk of
Course, Hy-Tek Operator (The Hy-Tek Operator can perform the duties of the Head
Scorer), Head Scorer, Place Judge, Announcer, Runners, half the Timers and
watches, Roving Timer, and Team
Representative. (The Team Representative shall not be the Coach.)
Visiting Team: Starter, Head
Judge, Assistant Scorer, Assistant Clerk of Course, Stroke and Turn Judge, Place
Judge, half the Timers and watches, and Team Representative. (The Team
Representative shall not be the Coach.) In all meets the host team will provide
the starting device and the visiting team will provide a backup.
d.
Officials for the
Division and All‑Star Meets shall be assigned by the League.
e.
Each member team of
the League shall insure that persons in the following capacities are
qualified: Referee, Head Judge, Head
Timer, Lane Timers, Starter, Stroke and Turn Judges, Place Judges, Relay Take‑off
Judges, Scorers, and Roving Timers.
f.
At each meet, the
Referee, Head Judge, and Head Timer shall list on the appropriate league Form,
the roster of qualified officials prior to the start of the meet. The roster shall be signed by the Referee,
Head Judge, and Head Timer and turned over to the scorer who will submit it to
the Meet manager with copies of the Meet Results.
g.
Under no
circumstances are unqualified persons to be used as officials in any League
meet. The Referee may delegate to the
appropriate official the responsibility to instruct and qualify his or her
personnel.
h.
For the Division and
All‑Star Meet, the following officials represent minimum requirements:
i.
The on deck officials
(Referee, Starter and Stroke & Turn Judges) shall be required to wear appropriate
attire, as may be determined by the
League, while participating in a League meet.
Referee...................One Announcer...................One Starter...............One
Head
Timer.............One Head
Judge.................One Stroke
Judges....Two
Clerk
of Course.......One Scorers.........................Two Turn Judges.......Two
Clerks
of Course.....Two
10. Starting
a.
Starting blocks shall
not be used in PMSL competition.
b.
Starts shall be by an
electronic starting device (e.g., Colorado Starting System).
c.
Relay swimmers will
not use a running start from the edge of the starting platform. Any violation
of this rule will result in a mandatory disqualification.
d.
All starts at
meets and team practices shall be made in a minimum water depth of 48 inches (4
feet). (Note: For the purpose of racing starts, the water depth is the measured
depth of the pool one meter (1 m) from the starting end.)
1)
If a pool or a
facility has one end of the pool with water depth of at least 48 inches and the
other end of the pool is less than 48 inches, then all starts will take place
at the end of the pool with the depth of at least 48 inches. (Note:
In this situation, the two legs of the 8 & Under Relay that start at
the end of the pool that is less than 48 inches will start in the water.)
2)
If a pool has
both ends of the pool with water depth less than 48 inches, then all starts
will begin in the water. (Note: In this situation, the starter will instruct
all swimmers to enter the pool feet first.
Failure to follow the instructions of the starter will result in the
swimmer’s disqualification.)
3)
If a pool has
some lanes that meet the 48 inch water depth criteria for starts and other
lanes which are less than the 48 inch water depth requirement, the teams may
choose to use all lanes with starts beginning in the water for all lanes OR the
teams may chose to use only those lanes that meet the 48 inch water depth
criteria for starts (i.e., a six lane pool may now be used as a five lane
pool).
11. Disqualifications
a.
Disqualifications
shall be governed by the rules contained in the current USA SWIMMING Official
Swimming handbook and shall be strictly enforced at all meets by the Referee.
b.
In case of
disqualification, the referee or designate will notify the Team
Representative or designate, before the
start of the next event, as to the reason why the swimmer was disqualified.
12. Protests
a.
Protests involving
turns, strokes and other swimming technicalities.
1)
Any protest or
complaint of this type shall be lodged by the Team Representative with the
Referee within 30 minutes after the event has been recorded.
2)
For each meet, each
team shall designate a Team Representative to present and/or handle protests of
this type. No protest or complaint lodged
by another person will be considered valid nor will it be entertained.
3)
Decisions rendered by
Referees on protests of this type shall be binding upon all parties
involved. Appeals may be as stated
under Section 12. b. below.
b.
Protests involving
League rules in meets other than a Divisional or All‑Star Meet.
1)
When protest of this
type arise before, during or after a meet, the parties concerned shall make all
possible efforts to resolve their differences.
Failing this, the protest may be referred in writing by the league
Representative, with a $25 fee to the Division Chairman within three days from
the date of the meet. Upon receipt of
such protest and fee, the League president shall appoint a protest committee
made up of himself/herself (or the Vice President if the President’s team is
involved or for some other reason he is not available) and three or more League
members representing pools in Divisions other than that in which the protest
originated. The League President shall
serve as protest committee chairman.
The protest committee shall have authority to examine any and all meet
records or other evidence deemed pertinent to the matter under investigation
and to require that all parties to the protest submit written statements
outlining the facts in the case or appear before the committee.
2)
Decisions rendered by
the protest committee shall be final and binding upon all parties
involved. If the protest is upheld, the
$25 fee shall be refunded.
c.
Any disputes arising
out of a Divisional or All‑Star Meet shall be resolved by the League’s
Board if a protest is submitted in writing within three days to the Division
Chairman and League President. In this
case, the Board shall exercise all powers of a protest committee as outlined in
Section I, Para. 12.b(1) and (2). A $25
fee shall accompany the protest sent to the League President.
d.
No protest of any
nature shall be entertained later than three days after the day of the alleged
violation. However, protests relative
to the swimmer’s eligibility may be lodged at any time during the current
season.
e.
Each pool shall
preserve all meet records for meets that it hosts and shall produce these
records without delay upon the request of the chairman of a protest
committee. Meet records may be disposed
of no sooner than 14 days after the day of the last League event of the current
season.
13. Scoring
a.
Individual Events Relay Event
Dual Meets 5 ‑ 3 ‑
2 ‑ 1 7
‑ 5 ‑ 4 ‑ 3
Division meets 7 ‑ 5 ‑ 4 ‑ 3 ‑
2 ‑ 1 14 ‑
10 ‑ 8 ‑ 6 ‑ 4 ‑ 2
Ties: Points of that
place and the next lower place should be divided between the competitors teams,
but the swimmers get duplicate ribbons.
b.
In dual meets, teams
may score for only two places in individual events and relay events, but
ribbons will be awarded to swimmers according to place. A team must have at least two entries in an
event to receive points for two places.
If only one swimmer is entered, the team gets points of one place only,
and the other team, with two or more entries, still receives points from just
two places. The team with only one
entry receives the highest score available (i.e. first, second, or third)
c.
All scores announced
at the conclusion of swim meets are considered unofficial until 3 days after
the meet. During the interval both meet
managers or alternates will independently rescore the swim meet. If they disagree on the score, the
difference shall be resolved by the Division Chairman. The Division Chairman will certify the
official scores of meets.
14. Ties
a.
When ties occur in
dual meets, the team with the most first place winners shall prevail. Second,
third, and fourth places shall be used as necessary. A relay event counts as a single first or second place in breaking
a tie. If the teams are still tied
after this procedure is completed, the meet shall be declared a tie.
b.
A first‑place
tie at a Division meet shall be swum off at the conclusion of the meet or as
otherwise agreed upon by the respective coaches to determine which swimmer will
automatically qualify for the All‑Star meet. The time recorded during the regular event shall be used for All‑Star
seeding. Meet scores and duplicate
awards shall not be changed as a result of the swim‑off. All other ties shall be swum off at the end
of the meet in order to determine the order of eligibility for the All‑Star Meet.
15. Determination of Division Champions and Order of Finish
a.
The champion team in
each Division is determined by combining the won‑lost dual competition
record, and the standing in the Division Meet.
b.
Points will be given
8 ‑ 6 ‑ 4 ‑ 2 ‑ 1 ‑ 0 for first, second, etc. in
won‑lost dual competition. If two
or more teams finish the regular dual meet schedule with identical records, the
points for the places in question will be split evenly among the teams.
c.
Points for the order
of finish for the Divisional Meet will be 6 - 4 ‑ 3 ‑ 2 ‑ 1 ‑
0. If two or more teams finish the
Divisional Meet with identical meet points, the points for the places in
question will be split evenly among the teams.
d.
The champion team in
each Division is determined by combining the won-lost dual competition record,
and the standing in the Division Meet.
The points earned by each team in parts (b) and (c) are combined. The team with the most combined points is
declared the champion team for the Division.
e.
If there is a tie in
the combined number of points (part d), the winner of the dual meet between the
two teams will be declared Division Champion.
Order of finish will be determined similarly if there is a tie between
two other teams.
16. Awards
a.
Individual awards
will be given to at least competitors who place first, second, third, fourth,
fifth and sixth in all dual meets. For
dual meets, these awards shall be provided by the host team at the immediate conclusion
of the meet.
b.
Suitable duplicate
awards will be given for all ties in all Meets.
c.
A suitable award
shall be given annually to each Division Champion by the League.
d.
Awards shall be given
to swimmers who place first through eighth and ribbons will be given to
swimmers who place ninth through sixteenth in the League All‑Star Meet.
e.
The league shall
provide all awards for Division and All‑Star
Meets.
f.