In high school swimming, rules about meet event entries and competition limits are often misunderstood. This guide explains how Swimcloud manages entries limits for high school swim meets and clarifies how these rules impact meet administrators and coaches using our platform.
High School Swimming Rules Overview
High school swimmers can be entered into a maximum of 2 individual events and 3 relay events, but they can only compete in a total of 4 events during a meet. This means a swimmer’s participation could look like:
- 2 individual events and 2 relays
- 1 individual event and 3 relays
The distinction between entries and competition is critical:
- Entries refer to how swimmers are listed in events, including relay alternate entries.
- Competition refers to the events a swimmer actually participates in during the meet.
How Swimcloud Handles High School Meet Entries
Swimcloud enforces meet entry rules based on the following criteria:
- Number of individual event entries allowed
- Number of relay event entries allowed
- Total number of event entries allowed
- Will a coach be allowed to "Exceed entry limits" and the behavior (see below)
Swimcloud applies these rules to meet entries to ensure compliance with high school meet regulations.
Relay Entries and Alternates in Swimcloud
In Swimcloud, being listed as an alternate for a relay is treated the same as being listed as a relay member. This is because an alternate is considered a potential entry for that relay.
For example, if a meet's rules in Swimcloud allow swimmers to enter:
- 2 individual events
- 3 relay events
- A total of 4 events
A swimmer cannot be entered as a relay alternate for a 3rd relay if they are already entered in 2 individual events and 2 relays (as either a swimmer or alternate). Adding that 3rd alternate relay entry would exceed the 4-event limit specified in Swimcloud's entry rules.
Also, a swimmer can only be entered as a swimmer, or an alternate, in one relay per relay event. This means that a swimmer cannot be listed as a swimmer, or an alternate, on a team's "A" and "B" relay. These relay assignments must be made and verified in the meet manager program before the competition and following the actual meet rules.
Understanding Entries vs. Competition
It’s important to note that Swimcloud enforces rules based on entries, not competition. While a swimmer may not compete in all of their entered events, Swimcloud must consider every entry (including alternates) as part of the total. This ensures accuracy and compliance with meet regulations.
Key Takeaways for Meet Administrators & Coaches
- Meet administrators setting a meet's entry rules on Swimcloud must be aware of these entry limits. Should entries be set to allow 4 or 5 total entries, and will coaches be allowed to exceed these limits?
This setting will not allow a 3rd relay alternate entry and will show a warning message | This setting will allow for a 3rd relay alternate entry and no message will be shown |
- Relay alternates are treated as entries to ensure potential participation is accounted for.
- This system ensures compliance with high school meet rules governing entries, though it may feel stricter than rules about actual competition.
Conclusion
By understanding these important distinctions, meet administrators and coaches can make informed decisions about their swimmers’ event assignments and manage their meet entries using Swimcloud.
For further questions or assistance, contact support@swimcloud.com
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