Girls Swim & Dive

The majority of the meets the team participates in are the weekly dual meets (Thursdays). Some are held at the Mahtomedi home pools (John Glenn or Skyview) and some will be held at the competitor’s home pool. Most of the Metro East Conference pools are 8 lanes and a few are 6 lanes. For dual meets, each school can enter up to 3 competitors in the individual events and 3 relays in the relay events. If a team has more than 3 competitors in an event, they will be entered as JV and exhibition competitors. Competitors may enter a maximum of four events, no more than two of which can be individual events. The head coach determines who competes in each individual and relay event.

Order of Events for High School Dual Meets

Most meets will have multiple heats per event - Junior Varsity & Exhibition heats, followed by Varsity heats.

• 200 yd Medley Relay 

• 200 yd Freestyle 

• 200 yd Individual Medley

• 50 yd Freestyle 

• Diving (preceded and followed by a 10-minute warm-up period) 

• 100 yd Butterfly 

• 100 yd Freestyle 

• 500 yd Freestyle 

• 200 yd Freestyle Relay 

• 100 yd Backstroke 

• 100 yd Breaststroke 

• 400 yd Freestyle Relay

Scoring: Dual Meets

For relays, up to 2 relay teams per school can score (the top 3 places score). For individual events (swimming & diving), up to 3 participants per school can score (the top 5 places score).

The points from the varsity events are added up (a total of 186 pts. can be scored in a meet). Once a team has scored 94 points, they have enough points to win the meet. Coaches may choose not to score additional points when they reach the 94-point threshold, this is to avoid running up the score on the other team.

Other Types of Meets

Invitational: Multiple teams participate in invitational meets. They often have a similar order of events as a dual meet. Scoring varies based on the number of teams entered, and how many places score.

True Team Section and State Meet: These meets are run by the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association (MSHSCA) in October. These meets test a team’s depth. Teams may enter up to four individuals and four relays in each event. All competitors score points in each event. The winning team from each of the 8 sections automatically qualifies for the True Team State Meet and the next four best teams between the sections are invited to state. The True Team State Meet is held at the University of Minnesota the following week, where the 12 teams compete against each other.

Sections (MSHSL): Sections are organized by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) in early November. Each team may have up to four individual entries and one relay per event. The meet is usually conducted over 2-3 days, where there will be preliminaries and then the top 16 swimmers & Divers and top 8 relays in each event advance to the finals on the next day. Medals are awarded to the top eight swimmers, divers and relays. Individuals and relays can only qualify for the state meet during the championship finals. The top two placers in individual swimming & relay events automatically qualify for State, plus any individuals/relays who swim an automatic state qualifying time during the finals qualify. The top 4 divers in the Section Championship Final qualify for the State Meet.

State Meet (MSHSL): The State Meet is held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. This meet is a prelims/finals format over three days (Day 1 - Diving prelims, Day 2 - Swimming Prelims, Day 3 - Swimming and Diving Finals). During the state meet finals all 16 individuals and Relays can score points.

Diving 

Dual Meets – 6 Dives are Required. 

• One voluntary: The voluntary dive changes each week. 

• Five optional dives: Can be any dive except the one performed for the voluntary dive. 

• During the Section and State Meets and some Invitationals – 11 Dives are Required.

Scoring 

In dual meets, the top 5 divers score points. The judging is comprised of three judges, a coach from each team and an official. Each dive is assigned a degree of difficulty based on how difficult the dive is to perform. There is a formula to figure out each dive’s degree of difficulty; the more difficult the dive is, the larger multiplier will be applied to the judge’s scores. This gives the divers an incentive to perform the more difficult dives. A diver can be disqualified for failing two dives during the meet.

Dive Groups - There are five groups of dives. The first four are classified by the direction the diver rotates. 

1. 100’s Forward group: Diver faces the front of the board and rotates toward the water 

2. 200’s Backward group: Diver begins at the end of the board, with back to the water, and rotates away from the board 

3. 300’s Reverse group: Begins with the diver facing the front of the board but then rotates toward the board. 

4. 400’s Inward group: Diver stands on the end of the board with back to the water and rotates toward the board, entering the water facing the other end of the pool 

5. 5xxx’s Twisting group: Any dive that uses a twist. There are four types of twists: forward, backward, reverse, and inward (diving number starts with a 5 followed by the 3-digit dive number)

Body Positions - A dive may be performed using one of the following four acceptable positions: Pike, Tuck, Straight, Free

Five Basic Elements of a Dive - When judging a dive, these elements should be considered when awarding a score. 

• Starting Position: Depending on the dive, the diver should be standing straight with the head erect and the arms straight and steady in a position of the diver's choice. 

• The Approach: The diver shall move to the end of the springboard in a smooth motion showing good form. Using no less than three steps, the diver shall execute a forward hurdle from the last step. 

• The Take-Off: The take-off should show proper balance and control, and it should initiate the diver into a safe distance from the board. The diver must leave the springboard from both feet. 

• The Flight: The dive should be smooth and graceful and at no time should the dive move to the left or the right of the springboard. During the dive, the body shall be carried in a tuck, pike, straight, or free position. 

• The Entry: The entry into the water, whether it is a head-first or feet-first entry, shall be vertical or as close to vertical as possible. The diver’s body shall be straight, the legs together, and the toes pointed.

Diving Numbers

For example: 101C is a front dive tuck, 202C is a back 1 somersault tuck.

More swimming & diving information --> https://nfhs.org/sports/swimming-diving/resources