Meets - KW Swim Team
We encourage swimmers from all of our Skill Groups (except Pre-Competitive) to participate in meets held throughout the year.
If you're new to USA Swimming meets, please check out our New Families - Swim Meet 101 section below. Additionally, learn more about Meet Format, Meet Fees, Meet Rules, and Meet Progression to the Olympics below.
Swimmers must proactively sign up for each meet using the KW website. You will receive an email one week before a meet closure deadline. (You can update your meet response, up to the meet deadline, the same way you sign up for a meet.)
Review meets and events already scheduled for the team.
New Families - Swim Meet 101
VIDEO: How to Review Meet Information
VIDEO: How to Sign Up for Meets
PDF: Download "Tech Suits 101"
Meet Format
Our national governing body is USA Swimming, who sanctions all of the meets we attend. Our local swimming committee (LSC) is Allegheny Mountain Swimming (AMS). View a national map of all the Local Swimming Committees and Zones. We compete in swim meets throughout the Allegheny Mountain region, from the North Hills to Moon. We typically have two Home Meets during the Fall / Winter season. And, as swimmers progress and achieve certain time standards, they have opportunities to compete at the state, region, and national levels as well.
- Allegheny Mountain Swimming clubs host the following types of meets:
- Swimmer must have recorded an official time faster than the minimum time.
- Swimmer must have recorded an official time slower than the maximum time.
- Open meets, which are open to any swimmer.
- Learn more about USA Swimming time standards.
- Meets generally run on Saturdays and Sundays and include a morning and afternoon session on both days. Certain age-groups will swim in the morning and the remaining age groups swim in the afternoon.
- Warm-ups begin one hour before the start of the meet in two half-hour sessions. We send an email with exact warm-up times about one to two days before a meet.
- The four competitive strokes in meets are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Events at swim meets are held in all of the competitive strokes at varying distances depending on the age of the swimmer. In addition, there is an individual medley (IM) where one swimmer swims a combination of the strokes. Other swimming events include freestyle and medley relays. Coaches assign which events swimmers will swim at each swim meet entered.
- Swimmers compete with other swimmers in their own age group. A competitor’s age group depends on his or her age as of the first day of the meet. (For example, if a swimmer is age 10 the first day of the meet and age 11 the second day of the same meet, the swimmer completes in the 9 - 10 age group on both days.) The competition age groups are 8 and under, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14, Senior (15 and Older).
Meet Fees
If your swimmer signs up for a meet and participates in events, Meet Fees will be charged to the credit card you’ve listed within your KW website account.
Swimmers are charged for each Individual and Relay event in which they participate. Additionally, swimmers are charged a fixed swimmer surcharge.
To review the Meet Fees for a specific meet:
- Sign in to the KW website.
- Select "Scheduling" > "Meet & Event Calendars."
- Select the Name of the Meet.
- Under "Forms/Documents," select the the meet information document (typically a PDF or MS Word file).
- About half-way down on page 1, look for “Entry Fees” for Individual Events, Relay Events, and the Swimmer Surcharge.
We charge meet fees billed to accounts after the meet has ended (anywhere from one day to a few weeks). Whatever fees accumulate over the monthly billing period (from the first day to last day of month) are then charged to the credit card on file on the first of the month.
We will bill your account if your swimmer signs up and does not attend or if you change your commitment AFTER the event deadline.
Please keep a current, active credit card listed in the website at all times.
Learn how to add or change your credit card and view fees charged to your account.
Meet Rules for Starts, Strokes, Turns & Finishes
Starts
Any swimmer who starts before the starting signal is sounded will be disqualified. If the false start is a reaction to the starter’s “stand-up” command, then the swimmer will not be disqualified.
Strokes, Turns & Finishes
- Freestyle: Any stroke style may be used, any kicking style may be used, “any” part of the body may touch the wall.
- Backstroke: Any stroke style may be used, any kicking style may be used, “any” part of the body may touch the wall at a turn and finish. Swimmers must be on their back during the swim except for turns. The swimmer may turn over onto the breast while executing the turn if the turning motion is continuous. The swimmer must be on his or her back at the finish.
- Breaststroke and Butterfly: Swimmers must swim on the breast. Swimmers must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously. A swimmer may not freestyle kick in either breaststroke or butterfly. All arm and leg movements must be simultaneous.
How Meets Progress From Local to the Olympics
Learn how meets progress here.
