UIL Swimming & Diving Director’s Report University Interscholastic League PO Box 8028, Austin, TX 78713 | 512-471-5883 | www.uiltexas.org

An Update from Traci Neely, UIL Swimming & Diving State Meet Director

OCTOBER 2013

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WELCOME The UIL swimming and diving season is here! I hope all of you had a restful off-season and that your participants are ready to begin another high performance year in Texas for swimming and diving. This is the first of many communications throughout your season. Please feel free to contact me if you have further questions or need discussion, please contact the UIL office.

Reminders Each coach must complete the Rules Compliance Program every year. You can access the online UIL required course here: http://www.uiltexas.org/athletics/rules-compliance-program The link to the full swimming and diving manual is: http://www.uiltexas.org/swimming-diving/manual This is a reminder for the changes that are effective for this new season. No student representing a participant school shall participate in more than seven meets during the school year, excluding one district meet, the regional meet and the state meet. Each meet a school team enters counts as one meet for each participating individual. School week: A student or team representing a member school shall participate in no more than one scrimmage, contest, or meet per school week. School week is defined as beginning at 12:01 am on the first instructional day of a calendar week and ends at the close of instruction on the last instructional day of the calendar week, excluding holidays. Meets, which are limited to three or fewer schools, do not count as a meet for teams or participants, provided there is no loss of school time. Only eligible students are allowed to compete at UIL member school hosted meets, however if you have a participant that is not eligible due to a residency issue then a JV heat is permissible. Exhibition heats with unattached athletes are not allowed at any UIL swimming and diving competition.

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Event limitations at all meets: The swimming and diving rules found in the current National Federation Swimming and Diving Rules Book shall be enforced at all UIL meets. NFHS rulebooks may be purchased from the NFHS Website: www.nfhs.org. The National Federation of High Schools Swimming and Diving rule 3.2.1 indicate that a competitor shall be permitted to enter a maximum of 4 events: 2 individual and/or 2 relay events; or 4 events no more than 2 of which may be individual (3 relays and 1 individual is permissible). Prelims and finals are considered one meet. UIL Championship Meet Structure: District meets shall be held in districts with more than six individuals or relays entered. Only the teams and individuals qualifying through the district and regional meet are eligible to advance to the state meet. -A maximum of the top six individuals and relays shall qualify from district to regional. -There shall be no consolation finals in the district meet. -The first place winner in each of the eight regional swimming meets and the next eight swimmers with the best regional final times overall will advance to the state meet. -If there are ties in determining the qualifier to the next meet, the times of the competitors from the preliminary competition will be considered first with the competitor with the fastest preliminary time advancing. If a tie should still exist, NFHS rule 5.4.6 does apply for a swim-off to occur for a tie break unless the participants agree for the decision to be made by lot. State Meet news item: TISCA membership has voted and approved the use of starting blocks with the kickplate at state this year - available at UT Swim Center exclusively for Texas right now. Texas regional sites will probably start adding this technology in the next few years.

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DISTRICT MEETS - All district swimming meets must be held by February 1, 2014. REGIONAL MEETS - Regional swim meets will

be held on February 7-8, 2014. Current regional sites are listed at www.uiltexas.org/swimming-diving/regional-sites. The regional director will declare the time schedule. The UIL highly recommends that the regional sites utilize the same meet schedule, however it may not be possible due to different facility situations.

STATE MEET ~ February 21-22, 2014.

Site - The site of the State Swimming and Diving Meet will be the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin.

2014 UIL State High School Swimming & Diving

Meet Schedule

Thursday, February 20 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm SCHOOLS PICK UP TEAM

PACKETS AT UIL OFFICE

Friday, February 21 A specific pool warm-up schedule will be

provided.

8:00 am UIL School packets available 8:30-10:00 am 4A warm-up swim & dive practice 10:00 am 4A prelims swimming & diving 3:00-4:30 pm 5A warm-up swim & dive practice 4:30 pm 5A prelims swimming & diving

Saturday, February 22

8:00 - 9:30 am 4A warm-up swim & dive practice 9:30 am 4A swimming & diving FINALS 2:00- 3:30 pm 5A warm up swim & dive practice 3:30 pm 5A swimming & diving FINALS

Suggestive Official’s Guidelines Swim and Dive Officiating: One of the most important aspects of the regional meets is early selection and appointment of meet officials and meet personnel. The care and attention given to this important function will reflect in a smooth-running, successful meet. Swimming and Diving meet hosts may select and use non-UIL registered officials, however, it is suggested that each

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site acquire a meet referee who is UIL registered. The UIL also recommends that the Meet Referee receive a payment of $50 per session per meet where UIL member schools are present. It is strongly recommended that you contact and secure your needed officials as soon as possible and be used in the following capacities: 1) referee, 2) starter(s), 3) head stroke and turn judge(s) and 4) diving judges. Schools participating may be asked to supply some responsible adults to serve as assistant officials. These individuals should not be placed in positions of judgment involving students from their own school. Please go to our Sports Officials website: http://uil.arbitersports.com/FRONT/105040/Site Then click on sports, then swim/dive. If you have any questions you may contact the Director of Officials, Tony Timmons at ttimmons@uiltexas.org or on his cell: 432-249-0381.

Did you know? • Swimming was added as UIL sanctioned event

in 1970, the inaugural state swim meet was at Gregory Gym on the University of Texas at Austin campus.

• The pool at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center was modeled after the pool used in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The pool is considered on of the fastest pools in the world due to its depth, gutter system, high filtration rate and lane width.

• The 1998 State Swimming and Diving Meet was the first year a consolation round was implemented

• Prior to the 1999-2000 school year, Swimming & Diving only competed in conference 5A.

• Dallas Highland Park has won 11 Conference 4A swimming & diving state championships, more than any other school.

• Nearly 500 schools and more than 16,000 student-athletes participated in UIL swimming & diving last year.

• Four former UIL Swimming state participants competed in the 2012 Olympic games in London: Camille Adams (Houston Cypress Woods), Micah Lawrence (Pflugerville), Jimmy Feigen (San Antonio Churchill), and Dana Vollmer (Granbury).