ABBREVIATIONS
BK = Back Stroke
BR = Breast Stroke
FL = Butterfly
FR = Freestyle
IM = Individual Medley (swimmer swims strokes in this order: 1st=Fly, 2nd=Back, 3rd=Breast, 4th=Free)
FRR = Free Relay (All swimmers swim freestyle)
MR = Medley Relay (Each swimmer swims a different stroke: 1st=Back, 2nd=Breast, 3rd=Fly, 4th=Free)

ANCHOR
The swimmer who swims the last leg of a relay race.

ATTENDANCE
Attendance at practice is not mandatory. As a summer swim league, families often travel during the season and swimmer may miss a week to attend camp. Please let coaches know if you’ll be absent from practice for an extended time period. Swimmers are expected to let coaches know if they will not be able to attend a meet. Please give notice as soon as possible or at least 4 days in advance when possible.

AWARDS NIGHT
Each swimmer receives a season pin, plus pins are awarded for top point earners in each age group, top point earners for each stroke. In addition, the team shows their appreciation for coaches and volunteers who have gone above and beyond.

BLOCK
The starting blocks are located at one end of the pool and used at the start of a race.

BULLPEN
The bullpen is a designated location on or near the pool deck where all swimmers stay when they’re not participating in a race. Instead of sitting with parents or having free reign of the pool deck during a swim meet, swimmers should be in the bullpen when they are not participating in a race so that they can be easily found by coaches and volunteers – who help them line up for their events.

CONCESSIONS
Concessions are available at both home and away meets – providing drinks, main courses (like hamburgers, BBQ or baked potatoes). The home meet concession stands are run by Hanarry West parent volunteers and proceeds go toward the swim team. Coolers are welcome if you would like to bring your own snacks and drinks.

COUNTY MEET
Gwinnett County Championship Meet information can be found on the tab at the top of this page.

DRYLAND
Dryland is the exercises and various strength programs swimmers do out of the water.

DQ
Disqualification appears on results sheet as “DQ”. This is the term used when a swimmer has been disqualified from an event after swimming due to a rule violation. Violations might include swimming a stroke incorrectly, touching the bottom of the pool, not touching the wall with two hands in butterfly and breaststroke, etc. No points will be awarded and no time recorded for a “DQ”.

EVENT
Each race is called an event. There are 82 events in a standard swim meet. These events are determined by the age of swimmers, stroke, and the distance of the race. For each event, there may be multiple heats. All swimmers are limited by league rules to a total of five events for each meet – usually three individual events and two relay events. A maximum of three individual events is allowed per swimmer.

FIRST PLACE
The event winner is the swimmer with the fastest time in all the heats in an event.

FLAGS
The string of pennants or flags stretching across the pool help kids swimming backstroke know that they are approaching the wall. In practice swimmers might count strokes from the flags to the wall to help them execute finishes and turns.

FLIP TURN
The flip turn is one type of turn used in Freestyle and Backstroke. Just as the swimmer approaches the wall, they tuck their body into a somersault, quickly roll toward the wall and push off with their feet.

FUN FRIDAY
Fun Friday practices occur at 10 a.m. on the morning after a swim meet. All swimmers are invited to attend. Fun Friday practices often involve sweet treats and pool games. Ribbons from the previous night’s meet are often available for pickup during this time.

GLOW SWIM
The Glow Swim is a Hanarry West tradition usually held at the conclusion of the season’s last home meet. Swimmers bring glow bracelets, necklaces and other items and swim with these at the end of the meet.

GUPPY SWIM
The Guppy (or Bubble) Swim is an event held at the start of Fun Friday. Young swimmers who might not be ready to swim the length of the pool on their own in an official race can swim with the assistance of a coach -- and be cheered on by their teammates of all ages.

HEAT
A heat represents a single group of swimmers competing at the same time in an event – basically filling all the lanes of the pool. Should an event have a greater number of swimmers entered than can be accommodated in a single race, the swimmers are separated into more than one heat. Swimmers are grouped according to their seed times, with slower times in early heats and fastest times swimming the last heat.

HEAT SHEET
A heat sheet is the "schedule" for the swim meet. It identifies each event and specifies when and where each swimmer will race. It will be posted on SwimTopia prior to the meet. Some teams sell printed schedules at the meet. Use the heat sheet to write your swimmers’ event, heat, and lane on your child's arm.

INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
The individual medley is an event where a single athlete swims all four events in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.

INCLEMENT WEATHER
Swim meets are rarely cancelled prior to the start of the meet. Every attempt will be made to swim the meet as planned. Should threatening weather start during the meet, an announcement will be made to clear the deck for safety. In these instances, parents and swimmers are asked to wait in their cars until the weather has passed – a decision will be made by meet officials when or whether to continue the meet and HW leadership will email and text updates.

JUDGES
Distinguished by their white shirts and dark pants, stroke and turn Judges confirm swimmers meet all rules during their swims. The rules for swimming each stroke are set in the United States Swimming Rules. Our league follows the start, finish, stroke and turn rules with one exception – Gwinnett County Swim League allows one false start before disqualifying someone for a false start. These volunteer officials are trained on the rules prior to the season.

OFFICIALS
The home team has a designated Head Official who is ultimately in charge of the meet. A Starting Official directs the flow and sets the pace of the swim meet. At the beginning of each race, the Starting Official identifies the event name and heat, and starts the race with a horn and strobe flash.

PARKING
During meets, there is no parking at Hanarry West Swim Club. The entrance will be blocked off. You should park in the designated parking on Emily Drive, Marc Ct, and Dana Ter. Cars on the wrong side of the street may be ticketed or towed.Please be considerate of homeowners in the neighborhood and do not block their driveways or park on their yards.

MEET CHECK-IN
All swimmers and volunteers must sign in at the check-in table upon arrival. This assures the coaches and the volunteer coordinator that all swimmers and volunteers are at the meet.

RELAY
Relays are made up of 4 swimmers from each team. Each meet has a freestyle relay (each swimmers swims freestyle) and a medley relay (each swimmer swims an assigned stroke in this order: back, breast, butterfly, freestyle). Please be sure to check the heat sheet to see if your child is swimming in a relay (or two!). 

RIBBONS
Place ribbons are presented to the swimmers with the fastest ten times (first through tenth) for each event. All other swimmers will receive a participant ribbon. Ribbons are available for swimmers to pick up the day after the meet.

SEED TIME
A swimmer's seed time is their recorded personal-best time in that race. When a swimmer has no recorded time for an event, a coding of “NT” or “no time” is listed.

STAGING
Staging lines the swimmers up so they arrive at their designated lane for their scheduled event and heat. The staging area has seats (chairs or benches) near the starting blocks and allows the swimmers to line up for their designated lane ahead of their event. Coaches and parent staging volunteers arrange the swimmers and seat them to ensure a continuous flow of traffic for the races.

SWIMMER’S SCHEDULE
To help swimmers keep track of their individual races, many parents use a Sharpie marker to write the event/heat/lane numbers on their swimmers’ arms. Example: Event 32, Heat 3, Lane 4 would be written 32/3/4. Some swimmers also have their names (first and last) written on their shoulder or back. This helps coaches and volunteers identify swimmers and help them get to their event. Based on league rules, swimmers are limited to no more than 5 events at a meet – three individual events and two relays.