The first time I sat in the bleachers at a swim meet, another parent turned to me and said something like, "My kid dropped a 1:05 in the 100 fly SCY but her LCM time still needs work for Futures cuts."
I nodded like I understood. I did not understand.
Competitive swimming has its own vocabulary, and nobody hands you a dictionary when you sign up. You're just expected to absorb it through osmosis while sitting on a metal bleacher at 7 AM. That's not a great system, so here's the glossary I wish someone had given me on day one.
Pool and Course Types
SCY — Short Course Yards
A 25-yard pool. This is the most common pool length for age-group and high school swimming in the United States. When someone says "short course" without specifying, they almost always mean yards.
SCM — Short Course Meters
A 25-meter pool. Less common in the US for competitions, but you'll run into it occasionally. A meter is slightly longer than a yard, so SCM times will be a bit slower than SCY times for the same distance.
LCM — Long Course Meters
A 50-meter pool — Olympic size. Long course season typically runs in the summer. Times in LCM are significantly different from SCY because the pool is twice as long, which means fewer walls and fewer turns. Turns give swimmers a speed boost, so fewer turns means slower times. Don't compare your swimmer's LCM and SCY times directly — they're apples and oranges.
Stroke Abbreviations
Free — Freestyle
Also called front crawl. The fastest and most common stroke. In freestyle events, swimmers can technically swim any stroke they want, but everyone swims front crawl because it's the fastest.
Back — Backstroke
Swum on the back. The only stroke that starts in the water rather than on the blocks.
Breast — Breaststroke
The most technical stroke with the most rules. Often the slowest of the four strokes in competition.
Fly — Butterfly
The one that looks exhausting. Both arms come over the water simultaneously with a dolphin kick. It is, in fact, as tiring as it looks.
IM — Individual Medley
All four strokes swum in a specific order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle. The 200 IM means 50 yards of each stroke. The 400 IM means 100 yards of each. The IM is considered one of the most demanding events because it tests versatility across all strokes.
Meet and Event Terms
Heat
A single group of swimmers racing at the same time. If there are 40 swimmers in the 50 freestyle and the pool has 8 lanes, that's 5 heats. Swimmers are assigned to heats based on their seed times.
Lane
The numbered position in the pool. Pools typically have 6, 8, or 10 lanes. In seeded events, the fastest swimmers are placed in the center lanes.
Seed Time
The time a swimmer enters the meet with, based on a previous performance in that event. Seed times determine which heat and lane a swimmer is placed in. Faster seed times get the later heats and the center lanes.
NT — No Time
When a swimmer has never swum an event before in official competition, they don't have a seed time. They're entered as "NT." NT swimmers are typically placed in the earliest heats.
PR / PB — Personal Record / Personal Best
The fastest time a swimmer has ever recorded in a specific event. Dropping time (getting a new PR) is the main way swimmers measure progress. You'll hear parents talk about PRs constantly — it's the currency of swim meets.
Best Time
Same as PR/PB. Different teams and regions use different terms for the same thing.
Drop
When a swimmer goes faster than their previous best time. "She dropped two seconds in the 100 free" means she swam it two seconds faster than ever before. Drops are a big deal and worth celebrating.
DQ — Disqualification
The swim doesn't count. The swimmer violated a technical rule (wrong kick, one-hand touch when two were required, etc.). The time is not recorded. It happens to everyone.
Split
The time for a portion of a race. In a 200 freestyle, a swimmer has splits for each 50. If a swimmer goes out in a 28.5 for the first 50 and a 30.2 for the second 50, those are their splits. Coaches use splits to analyze pacing and race strategy.
Prelims — Preliminaries
The morning session of a prelims/finals meet, where swimmers qualify for the evening finals. Only the top finishers from prelims advance to finals.
Finals
The evening session where the fastest swimmers from prelims race for placement. Usually the top 8 swimmers make the championship final (A final).
Consolation Finals (Consols)
The B final. Usually the 9th through 16th fastest swimmers from prelims. Some meets also have a C final (17th through 24th).
Time Trial
A swim that's unofficial for placement purposes but still gets an official time. Swimmers use time trials to get a qualifying time for another meet or just to get a time on record for an event they weren't entered in.
Exhibition (EX)
A swim that doesn't count for scoring or placement. Some meets allow exhibition swims, which are marked "EX" in the results.
Seeding and Entry Terms
Pre-seeded
Heats and lanes are assigned before the meet starts, based on entry times. Most age-group meets are pre-seeded. You'll know your swimmer's heat and lane from the heat sheet before the meet begins.
Deck Seeded
Heats and lanes are assigned at the meet, usually right before the event. This is more common at championship meets where scratches can change the lineup.
Positive Check-in
For some events (usually distance events and at bigger meets), swimmers must physically check in at the meet to confirm they're swimming. If they don't check in by the deadline, they're scratched from the event. Parents of distance swimmers: pay attention to check-in times. Missing check-in means your swimmer doesn't race.
Scratch
Withdrawing from an event. A swimmer can scratch before the meet (during the scratch deadline) or sometimes during the meet. At prelims/finals meets, there are specific rules about when and how you can scratch from finals.
People at the Meet
Starter
The official who gives the start commands ("Take your mark...") and activates the start signal. The starter has the authority to call a false start.
Stroke and Turn Judge
Officials who walk the deck watching swimmers for technical violations. They're the ones who call DQs. Usually in white shirts.
Referee (Head Referee)
The official with the final say on all decisions, including whether to uphold or overturn a DQ. The top authority at the meet.
Marshal
The person responsible for keeping order on the deck and in the spectator areas. They make sure only authorized people are on deck and that the meet runs in an orderly fashion.
Clerk of Course
The person (or team) who organizes swimmers behind the blocks before their events. At bigger meets, swimmers report to staging and the clerk makes sure everyone lines up in the correct heat and lane.
Bullpen
The staging area where swimmers gather before their event is called. The clerk of course manages the bullpen.
Distance and Event Formats
25 — One length of a short course pool
50 — Two lengths (one down and back) in a short course pool. One length in a long course pool
100 — Four lengths in short course. Two lengths in long course
200 — Eight lengths in short course. The 200 of any stroke starts feeling like an endurance event
500 — Twenty lengths in SCY. The 500 free is the standard "distance" event for younger swimmers. It's long. Bring something to do
1000 / 1650 — The mile events. The 1650 is the SCY mile. If your swimmer is entered in the 1650, get comfortable — it takes a while
Relay
A team event where four swimmers each swim a portion. A 200 free relay means four swimmers each swim a 50. A 400 medley relay means four swimmers each swim 100, one in each stroke (back, breast, fly, free — in that order).
Other Terms You'll Hear
Taper
The period before a big meet where training volume decreases so the swimmer's body can rest and perform at peak level. Swimmers usually taper for championship meets at the end of the season.
Shave and Taper
For big championship meets, some swimmers shave their body hair for reduced drag. Combined with taper, this can lead to significant time drops. Usually reserved for older, more experienced swimmers.
Time Standards
Qualifying times set by governing bodies (like USA Swimming) for different levels of competition. There are B cuts, BB cuts, A cuts, AA cuts, and so on up to Olympic Trials cuts. Your swimmer's coach can explain which standards are relevant for your swimmer's age and ability level.
USS / USA Swimming
United States Swimming, the national governing body for competitive swimming. Most year-round club teams are USA Swimming affiliated.
LSC
Local Swimming Committee. USA Swimming is divided into regional LSCs that govern swimming in their area. Your team belongs to an LSC, and many meets are LSC-sanctioned.
Bookmark this page. You'll need it for at least the first season, probably two. And the next time another parent drops a sentence full of swim jargon, you'll actually know what they're talking about.