High School Meet Progression: Sectionals, Districts, States

There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding the meet format and qualifying to the next level of high school swim meets.  It is hoped that this will help you understand how the system works.

We will use one of our former BKYS swimmers, Taylor McCabe to demonstrate how the progression works.  First, here are some background facts that you need to know to understand how to qualify to the next level:

OCC's - timed finals; has nothing to do with Sectional or District meets

Sectionals - timed finals; everyone swims (teams are limited to 4 entries per event); ONE person advances from each Sectional (3 spots - Marysville, Worthington, UA) to Districts - the remaining 27 spots are "at-large" qualifiers based solely on time (you could be third at your Sectional and not advance to Districts).  Seeded with your season best time.  If you advance to Districts, you will be seeded with your time swum at Sectionals.

Districts - 30 swimmers per event; timed finals; seeded with time swum at Sectionals; the 3 automatics from sectionals (1 from each of the above mentioned sites) are combined with the 27 at-large qualifiers based on times from Sectionals.  The 30 swimmers at Districts are swimming to qualify for States - TWO automatic qualifiers advance from each of 4 districts leaving 16 "at-large" spots for states based solely on time.

States - 24 swimmers per event; prelims (Friday) / finals (Saturday) for the top 16; seeded with times swum at Districts

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Now, let’s look at Taylor’s progression in the 100 Breaststroke:

Season Best (entry time for Sectionals):  1:11.62

Time at Sectionals:  1:10.00 (seeded 8th / 6th place finish).  Only the first and second place swimmers automatically advanced to Districts (1:07.14 / 1:07.97) so Taylor was competing for one of the 27 “at-large” spots.  Here are the other times from the Sectional meets:

Place	Worthington	Upper Arlington	Col. Academy	Athens	Overall Ranking / Seeding	Place at Districts	Time swum at Districts (TIMED FINALS)
1	1:07.14-A	1:09.37-A	No D1 Teams	1:22.03	1:07.14-A	3	1:05.25
2	1:07.97-A	1:09.42-A			1:07.97-A	2	1:05.18-A
3	1:09.02	1:09.57			1:09.02	4	1:06.02 – QAL
4	1:09.41	1:09.62			1:09.37-A	1	1:04.98-A
5	1:09.67	1:10.73			1:09.41-A	7	1:07.07
6	1:10.00*	1:11.23			1:09.42	8	1:07.27
7	1:11.65	1:11.55			1:09.57	10	1:08.89
8	1:14.23	1:12.26			1:09.62	9	1:07.62
9	1:14.54	1:12.59			1:09.67	11	1:09.55
10	1:14.72	1:12.73			1:10.00*	6	1:06.94 – QAL
11	1:14.81	1:13.04			1:10.73	5	1:06.41 – QAL
12	1:15.64	1:13.21			1:10.94
13	1:16.47	1:13.31			1:10.98
14	1:16.67	1:14.50			1:11.23
15	1:17.59	1:16.29			1:11.55
16	1:17.83	1:18.16			1:11.65
17					1:12.26
18					1:12.59
19					1:12.73
20					1:13.04
21					1:13.11
22					1:13.14
23					1:13.21
24					1:13.31
25					1:14.23
26					1:14.50
27					1:14.54
28					1:14.72
29					1:14.81
30					1:15.64

A= Automatic Qualifier (last year was top 2 – the addition of Marysville decreases that to 1 for each Sectional meet); QAL – Qualified At Large for States

Time at Districts: 1:06.94 (seeded 10th / 6th place finish). Only the first and second place swimmers automatically advanced to States (1:04.98 / 1:05.18) so Taylor was competing for one of the 16 “at-large” spots. Here are the other times from the District meets:

Now let’s look at qualifying to States:

Place	Central / Southeast (3)	Southwest (4)	Northwest (1)	Northeast (5)	Overall Ranking / Seeding @ States
1	1:04.98 - A	1:04.58 - A	1:04.39 - A	1:03.84- A	1:03.84 - A
2	1:05.18 - A	1:04.60 - A	1:05.36 – QAL	1:06.51 - A	1:04.32 - A
3	1:05.25 – A	1:04.91 – A	1:06.32 – QAL	1:07.37 - A	1:04.58 - A
4	1:06.02 – QAL	1:05.16 – A	1:07.40 – QAL	1:07.59 - A	1:04.60 - A
5	1:06.41 – QAL	1:05.43 – QAL	1:11.11	1:07.91 - A	1:04.91 - A
6	1:06.94 – QAL	1:05.48 – QAL			1:04.98 - A
7	1:07.07 – QAL	1:06.84 – QAL			1:05.16 - A
8	1:07.27 – QAL	1:07.64			1:05.18 - A
9	1:07.62				1:05.25 - A
10	1:08.21				1:05.43
11					1:05.48
12					1:05.86
13					1:06.02
14					1:06.32
15					1:06.41
16					1:06.51 - A
17					1:06.84
18					1:06.94*
19					1:07.07
20					1:07.27
21					1:07.37 - A
22					1:07.40
23					1:07.59 - A
24					1:07.91 - A

Times in Italics indicate who would have qualified on a straight time basis

Exam Week Schedule

 

Some of you have asked if you could switch your high school practice day or your day off this week due to exams.  The answer is “Yes.”  Please adjust your schedule to allow you to study for your exams.  Academics is more important to the coaches than your attendance at every practice.  You will do better on your exams, be more focused at school and at the pool, and accomplish more in the long run by adjusting your schedule to accommodate your exam schedule.

Remember that you are always welcome to attend practice and bring homework / study materials for before or after practice (and swim for a shorter time period).

Superpower Energy Bars for School Days and Work Days

From Chow.com

Here are some great snack bars that you can make to have after school, after practice, and at meets.  These are a great way to get something that staves off your hunger, provides some fuel, and raises your blood sugar to allow you to feel revived enough to keep going.

 

Once you get to the recipe page, click on the picture of the bar that you think sounds good and it will take you to the recipe and instructions.

Recipes here

TOP NUTRITION RESOLUTIONS FOR SWIMMERS

12/21/2011

from USA Swimming

By Chris Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, CSSD

Half of Americans make New Year’s resolutions and the key to success is making your resolutions real and measureable. Swimmers are good at setting training and performance goals, so why not make some nutrition goals that support your training and competition? When I work with athletes I use the SMART goal approach; that is, set a goal that is Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Limited. Here are some nutrition New Year’s resolutions that can help boost your energy for training and keep you strong all season long. So, for 2012, resolve to improve what you put in your body.

1. Pack snacks. Swim practices are long and grueling. Stay fueled by packing snacks before you leave the house each morning to help fight fatigue and replenish your energy reserves. Choose snacks that are portable, tasty and nutrient-rich. Good choices include peanut butter on crackers, 100% fruit juice or vegetable juices, trail mix, nuts, whole grain bagels with almond butter, raisin oatmeal cookies, fig bars, and dried or fresh fruit. Try freezing a bottle of sports drinks and using it as an ice pack to keep low-fat string cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt cold for a mid-day snack. Wash it down with the thawed sports drink.
2. Don’t train hungry. Early morning pool workouts make it hard to eat breakfast but training on an empty stomach makes high intensity workouts more difficult. Your liver stores of glycogen (carbohydrate) can be depleted after an overnight fast and muscle can be broken down for needed fuel. Try eating a hard-boiled egg or a cup of instant oatmeal (stir in a tablespoon of peanut butter) in the morning before you dive into the water.
3. Recover your losses. After a hard workout for more than 90 minutes or when competing in multiple events at a swim meet you need to replace lost glycogen. And, most athletes don’t drink enough fluids during exercise so at the end of activity they are often hypohydrated if not outright dehydrated. As soon as training or your first event is over eat and/or drink a carbohydrate-rich snack to start replacing glycogen. Your muscles are very receptive to replenishing lost fuel right after exercise, so don’t wait until the end of the day to eat. A carbohydrate-rich beverage can replace both glycogen and fluids.
4. Break out of a food rut. Make this the year to try new food once a week…most of us eat the same foods day in and day out, but you might be surprised that you like tangerines if you’ve never tried one. Try different fruits, vegetables, grains and lean proteins….try quinoa or couscous instead of rice, broccoli instead of corn, or lean pork loin instead of chicken breast. If you don’t like it, that’s OK, at least you tried.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

Chris Rosenbloom is the sports dietitian for Georgia State University Athletic Department and is the editor of the American Dietetic Association’s Sports Nutrition Manual, 5th edition, scheduled for publication in 2012.

Interview with David Nolan

Here's a great interview with David Nolan from Pennsylvania.  David set FOUR national high school records before heading off to Stanford this fall.

The interview is a little long, but it's a great interview.  Also, if you look off to the side, you can find links to his swims at the PA State High School Championships.  He has some interesting things to say about practice that some of you might relate to.

CLICK HERE

Packed Neck for Swimmers Part II

From Swimming Science

We’ll begin this second installment with neck assessments. Lot to cover this week, so let’s get right into it!

Assessment

There are many available assessment tools, but any that you use should address mobility (length), stability (strength) and timing.

Mobility – Chin tuck to chest with mouth closed. If the swimmer can’t touch the chin to chest, there is a mobility restriction.

Stability – Chin tuck. Can you pack the neck when asked to do so? You can also perform this exercise while supine on the ground or a table.

Timing – Situp test. Does the neck become unpacked during the situp? You can use a unweighted version of Dr. Mullen’s Eccentric Bosu Situp pictured below to assess muscle timing of the neck. The same move without a Bosu will also provide valuable information about neck firing patterns.

Backstroke–deep finish

 

Check out Aaron Peirsol’s deep finish (below his hip) as his opposite hand reaches for a deep catch.  Look closely at his right shoulder…it’s not “scrunched" against his neck.  We’ve been talking about a deeper finish in practice.  Maybe seeing a world record holder will help.

Things to remember:

• finish below your hip
• you will need to finish a little wider
• you will have to have fast hand speed in the air to allow for a deep catch at the top
• if you are turning your head from side-to-side every time you stroke, you won’t be able to do this (ok – maybe you’ll be able to do it, but I don’t want to have to watch it so STOP it!)

Look closely at his bald spot.  I mean look closely at his FOOT.  Notice at the “bottom” of his kick, his ankle is relaxed as his toes start to point.  The top of his foot is ready to “push” the water toward the end of the pool and then up.  If you concentrate on kicking the water to the end of the pool and through your toes toward the surface, this will help eliminate “bicycle” kicking and “knee pumping.”