Events

SWIM MEETS

Swimmers score points based on what overall place they get in the event, not the place they get in their heat. A "heat" is the group of swimmers that race at the same time. This may be six swimmers in a six lane pool or eight swimmers in an eight lane pool. Even though a swimmer won their heat, they may not have won the event. Swimmers in the same heat generally have similar times in that event. Swimmers with faster times swim in the center lanes of the pool. Points awarded at a meet vary from meet to meet. For example, one meet may award points for only the top six finishers. This could be 1st place = 7 points, 2nd place = 5 points, and 3rd place = 4 points, etc. Another meet may award points for the first 16 places, such as 20 for first, then 17-16-15-14-13-12-11-9-7-6-5-4-3-2 and 1 for sixteenth place. Scores are usually doubled for relays.