8&Under- 10&Under Champs
This is the first level of championship meets. All swimmers 8 & younger are eligible to compete and there are no qualifying times required for entry (8 and under only). Typically the only requirement is that the swimmer has a prior time in the event being entered.
NT (No Times) is typically not accepted. Events are typically shorter events and include 25-yard or 25-meter entries.
9-10- 10&Under Champs
Swimmers that are 9-10 need to have a qualifying time in selected events.
The next level of qualifying meets is Silver Champs. Swimmers 9 & over, who have times faster than the Bronze Champ qualifying times but slower than Age Group Champs (Junior Olympics) qualifying standards or Senior Champ qualifying standards.
The swimmer’s age is capped at 19 years old. Silver Champs qualifying times are posted by the meet host in the meet announcement.
This meet is considered the benchmark achievement for most young swimmers. This event is recognized by swimmers as the start of competing at a higher level. Swimmers must be ages 9-14 to be eligible and must meet the published qualifying standards.
Typically, once a swimmer is 15 or older, they will no longer be eligible to compete at this level. However, each area of the country can set different rules regarding meets.
If no Senior Champs meet is hosted for the given season, Age Group Champs may be open to the 15 & Over swimmers.
This meet is for swimmers 15 & older, who have times faster than the Senior Champ qualifying standards. A senior swimmer who does not meet these time standards would automatically go to Silver Champs.
This can get confusing depending on the LSC or Local Swimming Committee that governs your area. It’s always best to check with your coach if you have questions.
This is one of the higher-level qualifying meets and is generally for senior swimmers, however, any swimmer who meets the qualifying time can swim.
Events are not broken down by age group and are only separated by gender. The qualifying times for this meet will be posted prior to the signup date.
Multiple sectional meets are now popular in certain zones and are typically held more often the year before the Olympics to give late-comers additional opportunities to get times for Olympic Trials Qualification.
This is an All-Star meet in which each LSC competes against other LSCs in one of four established Zones. This meet is for swimmers 9 & up who have made a qualifying time OR in the past have been selected from a pool of applicants based on their More times achieved throughout the current season.
Age Group Zones are broken down by age and include swimmers up to and including 14 years old. Senior Zones include the 15 & over group of swimmers.
These are elite meets featuring the best swimmers in each LSC.
For a better understanding of zones and how this works… Each LSC belongs to a Zone. There are 4 Zones in USA Swimming: Eastern, Central, Southern, and Western. At Zones swim meets, swimmers get to represent their LSC and compete against teams from other LSCs that belong to the same zone. Each LSC team can be comprised of up to as many as 48 men and 48 women. The selection process for swimmers varies by LSC and is meant to encourage a higher level of competition for age group swimmers.
The Eastern Zone has both a short course and long course zone meet. Currently, there is a short course age group zone meet, long course age group zone meet, and a long course senior zone meet. When this was written, there was no short course senior zone meet.
Central York Aquatics
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