DOUGLAS
GLAESER
LA VERNE, CALIFORNIA 91750
909-596-2707
E-mail: dglaeser@csupomona.edu
DATE:
TO: CIF Section Commissioners
FROM:
This
memorandum is accompanied by three computer files that support the
discussion: A 66-slide Power Point
presentation of descriptions, diagrams and situations for the 2006 rules
(incorporating the NFHS transparency series for swimming/diving); a second Power
Point presentation for the two starting protocol options (using either verbal
or whistle preparatory commands); and a third Power Point presentation on the
no-recall false start protocol.
References
are made below to one of these three files.
References to numbered slides involve the 66-slide Power Point file. Each Section office is receiving a copy of
all three files. ALSO please also
consult the Points of Emphasis section found at pp. 70-71of the
2005-06 NFHS Swimming/Diving Rules Book.
The NFHS Swimming/Diving Rules Committee authorized experimentation, for
the 2005-06 school year, to test in the high school context a procedure that is
currently used by USA-Swimming. In this
procedure, false starts are not recalled but are declared, with the offending
swimmer(s) being disqualified at the completion of the race. The Committee will examine
the results of this experiment and determine whether to make this rules change.
If your Section wishes to be included as part of
this experiment, you MUST present an application to the NFHS office in
Note: The NCAA continues to
require that such false starts be recalled.
1. Meet
Warm-Up
Additional material has been added to the section on
meet warm-up, primarily to enhance the safety of this aspect of swimming/diving
competition. Unfortunately, meet warmup is a time when many serous injuries have occurred,
primarily due to the lack of proper regulation of athlete conduct by coaches
and administrators .
Please emphasize this information not only to your officials but also to
coaches and host school administrators, who should be actively involved in this
phase of a swimming/diving competition.
See Slides #4-7 and p. 5 of the NFHS Rules book.
2. Rule
Any matters where prior mutual consent is permitted by
the rules must be covered in writing and signed by all coaches involved, BEFORE
the start of competition.
3.
Rule
The sanction of
non-participation has been reduced for non-championship meets. The non-participating athlete is disqualified
from the event s/he misses, but no further penalty is imposed. NOTE: The penalty for
non-participation in a championship meet has NOT been modified. See same Rule, Penalty 3, and Slides #17-18
4. Rule
While
the relay entry card must list the names of the four competing athletes, there
is no penalty for incorrect listing of the name of the leadoff swimmer. For record-keeping purposes, especially in
championship meets, the leadoff swimmer’s name must be provided to meet
management no later than the conclusion of the heat in which the relay team is
competing. See Slide #19.
5. Rule
This is a
MAJOR change and needs to be carefully understood. The
penalties for jewelry and illegal attire have been eliminated. The only “sanction” is that athletes may NOT
compete in illegal attire or jewelry. If
either violation is detected, the referee shall instruct the athlete to correct
the problem. Since the
athlete may not compete with illegal attire or jewelry, that sanction may be
applied, in unusual circumstances, when it is not possible for the athlete to
correct the condition without unnecessarily delaying the start of an event. That standard should govern referees’
decisions – if the violation can be corrected without unnecessary delay, then
correction is expected;
if not, then the athlete will be “penalized” by not being
permitted to compete in the event in which s/he is entered. The penalty is disqualification from that
event only. See Slides #20-32 for more
extensive discussion of situations.
6. Rule
Weather-related problems may
raise concerns for athlete safety.
Additional guidelines for situations involving thunderstorms have been
provided. See p. 7 of the NFHS Swimming/Diving
Rules book as well as Slides #33-34.
7. Rule
4-3/Rules
In order to provide swimmers with a consistent
procedure for the start of each race, the rules now provide for standardized
starting protocols. One method utilizes
verbal instructions to prepare the swimmers for the start; the other uses
whistle signals to instruct the swimmers.
Your Section should determine which protocol you wish to follow in
your Section championships and then train/instruct your officials to use that
method throughout the season. A
Power Point presentation is included with this memo which provides instruction
for both methods. You can also find
information on pp. 71-72 of the NFHS Rules Book and Slides #35-38.
8. Rule
In pools with more than six
lanes where it is possible to accommodate more than six competitors, it is
possible to enter four scoring entries per team. Since this has, in the past, created problems
for smaller teams, the new rule provides that if the coaches cannot agree on
the scoring system to be used, six-place scoring will be used even though the
pool may accommodate more than six entries.
See Slide #45.
9. Rule
The rule now provides that the head must break the
surface of the water before the hands turn inward from the widest part of the
second arm stroke on the start and each turn.
This brings NFHS rules into conformity with all other rules codes in
judging violations for this particular phase of the breaststroke event. See Slide #47.
NOTE: The rule change
adopted by FINA at the World Championships (July 2005) – regarding the use of a
“dolphin” kick in the breaststroke, after the start/turn – has been adopted by
USA-Swimming and the NCAA only.
Because this change occurred in the middle of the NFHS rules cycle, it
has NOT been considered by the NFHS Rules Committee. Please remember that in high school
competition, downward movement of the legs/feet resulting from
flexing/extending the knees is still a violation (see Rule
10. New Dive
A new dive
has been added to the NFHS dive list - #5227D.
The dive is a back somersault with 3 ½ twists, carrying a degree of
difficulty of 3.1. See Slide #48.
11. Rule
Even though
the awards of the diving judges are electronically displayed, they must also be
verbally indicated by the announcer.
This assures that all spectators and participants have access to the
award for each dive. See Slide #49.
12. Rule
A diver shall be disqualified for failing two dives for
any reason. Please note that the
list of reasons for a failed dive (see Rule
1. “By
State Association adoption...”
A variety of issues in high school swimming and diving
are left to the discretion of the State Association for determination in
conformity with local demands and situations.
In
2. Exhibition
Competitors
Under
3. Water
Depth-Starting Block Height Rule
An additional change was made in 2005 to the
water depth requirement (Rule 2-7-2), extending the minimum depth requirement
from the starting end wall to a point 5 meters out (the area in which swimmers
performing racing starts will land). If
schools in your Section are planning to renovate existing pools or construct
new ones, they should carefully consider the possibility that additional depth
may be required in the future, either as the result of changes in swimming rules
OR of state or local health and safety requirements. Rule
4. Rules
A scratch means total withdrawal from the
meet. A swimmer/diver who is scratched
will not participate further in any aspect of that meet; one who scratches at
any point during the prelims of a championship meet cannot compete in any
events in the finals. A declared
false start allows a swimmer/diver to withdraw from a specific event with
no additional penalty imposed; however, the competitor is charged as if s/he
had actually competed in that event and the event becomes part of the event
limitations in Rule
5. Rule
Coaches and athletes must remember that prelims and
finals of a championship or invitational meet are a single meet. There have been numerous entry rule
violations in past years because coaches have assumed that prelims and finals
are separate meets. This is especially
problematic with relay entries.
6. Rule
The rule regarding competitive attire applies only to
suits and caps, not goggles. The
measurements of manufacturer’s trademark or American flag are to be made with
the suit or cap in the “normal” state, i.e., without being stretched. Only one logo is permitted on each
piece of competitive attire (maximum of 2.25 square inches; no more than 2.25
inches in any dimension). The flag
display is limited to a single 2”x3” American flag. A commemorative/memorial patch is limited to
4 square inches if approved by the CIF Section Commissioner. (The individual swimmer’s name/number and
school information, such as mascot, logo or name, is not limited as to size or
quantity.)
The “full body” suit is permitted by NFHS rules and
may be worn in CIF competition. Note
that, despite their full-body coverage, only one manufacturer’s logo of
2.25 square inches is permitted. See
Slide # 20
7. Unsportsmanlike
Conduct
Sportsmanlike conduct, including the prohibition on
“taunting,” is an important aspect of the preservation of a proper competitive
atmosphere. Athletes, coaches, officials
and administrators should be attentive to inappropriate situations and enforce
fully the rule provisions that are designed to maintain proper participant
conduct. See especially Rule
Rigorous enforcement of good sportsmanship is a major
expectation for all CIF officials and administrators.
8. Rule
It is the responsibility of the meet referee to
determine whether integration of back-up times is necessary in any situation
where the primary timing/judging system malfunctions. The procedure for adjustment and integration
of back-up times, outlined in Rule 6, may not always be necessary, and it is
the referee’s duty to determine this.
See Slides #56-61. NOTE:
Parents, desk personnel or coaches are NOT to make such determinations
independently; the
referee is responsible for determining WHEN backup times are used, and
overseeing HOW they are determined and used..
9. Rules
Slides #8-16 address a series of
situations where back-up times should be utilized if swimmers do not contact
the touch pad at the end of the race, or are unable to do so because the pad
has moved or does not fully cover the entirety of the end wall in their
lanes. The beginning point is the
expectation that the touchpad will cover the ENTIRE width of the lane in which
it is installed. If the swimmer touches
the pad, or where the pad should be, the requirements of the rules have
been met. Rule 8 statements about
completion of a race are to be interpreted by this provision.
10. Rules
The
proper procedure for entering the water for any start performed in the water
(usually the backstroke start) is precisely defined. If water depth is inadequate, it is possible
that all events may be started in the water.
See Slide #39.
Failure to follow this
procedure of stepping in or feet-first entry may result in a false start
(see 8-1-3d) and thus in the disqualification of the swimmer – referee
discretion is permitted here to cover unusual circumstances.
11. Rules
NOTE: The changes
made by FINA/NCAA in the backstroke start have not been adopted by NFHS
for 2005-06. The backstroke start and
its accompanying procedural expectations remain the same as last year. Please consult Slides #39-41, as well as the
Play Rulings on pp. 46-48 of the NFHS Rules Book for additional information.
The expectation is that the starter will make every
effort to avoid charging swimmers with false starts by taking steps to correct
any misplaced feet/toes. Once the
starting signal has been given, swimmers’ feet/toes may slide up the starting
wall and be above the water surface, provided the swimmer does not curl the
toes over the gutter or stand in the gutter before leaving the starting
end. Probably the only time this would
occur would be when the vertical surface of the end wall extends above the
water level (perhaps due to lower-than-normal water depth)..
SUMMARY – If the swimmer curls the toes over the
gutter or stands in the gutter -
Prior
to the starting command, swimmers are
released from the starting position and the situation is corrected;
After
the starting command but prior to the starting signal, swimmers are released from the starting position and
the situation is corrected;
After
the starting signal, the swimmer is
disqualified for a stroke violation and the heat is NOT recalled.
12. Underwater Swimming/15-Meter
Limitation
In backstroke, butterfly and
freestyle, the head of the swimmer must break the surface of the water within
15 meters of the start and each turn. (See Rule 8-2-1-e, 8-2-3-f and 8-2-4-d). If any part of the head has broken the
surface by that point, the swimmer is in compliance, even if a portion of the
head has already passed the 15-meter mark.
Once that requirement has been met, the swimmer may re-submerge and
continue swimming underwater, provided all other stroke requirements for
backstroke, butterfly and freestyle are met.
Re-submerging is not penalized.
See Slide #46.
13. Rule 9-1 Diving Competition
Diving is one of the events of the swimming/diving program in high school competition. Unfortunately, too many schools have, either consciously or by default, “eliminated” diving as part of their competitive aquatics program. However, under NFHS rules, there is really only one justification for this decision, and that is inadequate water depth (see p. 53). Otherwise, schools should be conducting diving as part of their competitive program. Penalties 2 & 3 (p. 53) state the consequences.
There are, of course, legitimate situations where diving cannot be conducted because of equipment failure. Those situations are also discussed on p. 53. The usual consequence of equipment failure is that the visiting teams are awarded points without having to dive, while the host team receives no points