EARNING A VARSITY LETTER IN SWIMMING AND DIVING
Swimmers and divers may earn a varsity letter by fulfilling the requirements in two categories: A) Practice Attendance and B) Meet Points.
OPTION 1: Accumulate a minimum of 80% of the total practice points possible, and score at least 15 points in Swim meet competition.
OPTION 2: Accumulate a minimum of 85% of the total practice points possible, and score at least 10 points in Swim meet competition.
OPTION 3: Place individually in the Varsity league meet and accumulate at least 75% of the total practice points possible.
** At the coach’s discretion, a letter may be awarded to an individual who has not met the above criteria, if there is a special circumstance, which may have affected the individual.
PRACTICE POINTS
A certain number of points are awarded for attendance at each team practice. The points usually equal about 1 point for every ½ hour of practice. Swimmers will earn points according to the amount of time they are in the water at each practice.
Swimmers, who miss a practice, would therefore lose credit for the amount of points that the workout is worth. Swimmers who are late, leave early, or sit out of parts of a practice, will not receive the full number of points possible for that particular workout. Since afternoon workouts are generally longer, they will have a greater weight than morning workouts.
At the end of the season, a total number of points possible will be determined. This will be divided into each swimmer’s total points to determine their workout percentage.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL ABSENCES SHOULD BE CLEARED WITH THE COACH. FAILURE TO ATTEND PRACTICE FOR AN UNACCEPTABLE REASON, OR MISSING PRACTICE WITHOUT CONTACTING THE COACH, WILL BE CONSIDERED AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE. THE PENALTY FOR UNEXCUSED ABSENCES IS OUTLINED IN YOUR SEASON CONTRACT.
MEET POINTS
To earn credit in the meet point category, a swimmer must finish a race in a position where points are awarded to the team total. These positions are listed below:
DUAL MEETS
In an individual event, points are awarded for 1st through 5th place finishes: 1st-6 pts., 2nd-4 pts., 3rd-3 pts., 4th-2 pts., 5th-1 pt. In relay events, points are awarded to the first three places. Each relay team member receives ¼ of the point total for the relay: 1st-2pts., 2nd-1 pt., 3rd-1/2 point.
RELAY MEETS
Swimmers may earn points in a relay meet if they are a member of a team, which places in an event, and earns points for the team. Since there are usually 4 swimmers on most relay teams, each member receives ¼ of the team’s points in that particular event.
CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS
In Championship meets, such as the Oakland County Meet, League Meet, or State Meet, a different scoring system is used. Individual and relay events are awarded points for the top twelve places. The points are as follows: 1st-16, 2nd-13, 3rd-12, 4th-11, 5th-10, 6th-9, 7th-7, 8th-5, 9th-4, 10th-3, 11th-2, 12th-1. In relay events, the points are doubled, and each relay member would receive ¼ of the relay team’s points.
IMPROVEMENT POINTS
Swimmers may earn ½ of a point anytime they swim a race in competition and improve their time. To earn an improvement point, a swimmer must have established a time in that particular event during the season. These points also apply for exhibition swims.