Rules

I. GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

A. Eligibility The Conference recognizes that we are composed of a large and varied membership and that our member clubs have a variety of different membership criteria. The Conference makes no attempt to dictate membership policies of its member clubs. However, in order to promote good sportsmanship and friendly competition among the member clubs of the Conference eligibility rules for athlete participation in Conference events have been established. Conference eligibility rules are the only criteria for participation in Conference events.

1. A competitor shall be a member of the club he or she represents, as defined by one of the following definitions:

� Children whose parent(s) or legal guardians are members of a private member club of the WCSC. Or

� Children whose parent(s) or legal guardians are members of a municipal facility in the WCSC. Or

� Children who hold individual membership in a municipal facility of the WCSC and are also legal residents of that municipality.

2. An employee may compete for a member club only if his/her parents or legal guardians are members of the member club and if his/her name
appeared on the member club's swim team roster for each of the preceding three years.

3. A competitor must represent only one club during the season.

4. A competitor must qualify as an amateur athlete.

5. The age of the competitor on July 1st shall be his or her competitive age for the entire season. The maximum age for a competitor is 17 years old.

6.       An incident that violates conference eligibility standards, may be reported by any Head Coach of a Conference Team, Swim Team Chairperson of a
        Conference Team or Conference Board member. The notice shall be made in written form and delivered to any member of the Board for the entire
        Board's consideration.

7. The penalty for violation of eligibility standards will be determined by the Board on a case by case basis with the maximum penalty being forfeiture of the
meet(s) in which the violation(s) occurred.

B. Rosters Prior to the opening of the dual meet season, each club will file with their respective Division Representative a roster of its team members including address and date of birth for each athlete. This roster shall be arranged in ascending age group order, and must be typed or printed legibly. The original roster will be signed by the Club's Swim Team Chairperson and Head Coach. Failure of a team to submit a roster shall result in a team forfeiting all meets contested while the deficiency existed. Any club by notice to the Division Representative, may add additional athletes to their roster at any time prior to the beginning of a meet in which that athlete will participate. The penalty for allowing a non-roster swimmer to compete will be forfeiture of all points that swimmer may have accumulated, including relays. The Coach will provide a copy of the team's roster to the Referee at the beginning of every meet. The rosters will be attached to the official results and submitted to the Division Representative. Failure to provide a completed and signed roster to the referee, within one hour of the scheduled start of the first event of the meet will result in forfeiture of the meet by the non-complying team(s). If both teams fail to provide a roster their records will both reflect a loss.

C. Protests All official protests on the application of the rules must be in writing signed by the member club pool or swim chairperson, and be accompanied by a non-refundable check payable to the Conference in the amount of twenty five dollars ($25). Any official protest must be in the hands of the Conference President within 48 hours of the end of the protested meet. The President shall acknowledge receipt of a properly filed protest to both club representatives involved in the protest within 48 hours of receipt. The protest should be made known to the meet official before the completion of the meet, and the score sheet so noted by the official. However, every effort should be made by the official to settle the protest during the competition. The referee shall not hesitate to stop the meet, take out the rulebook and review any pertinent section with any questioning head coach. The head coach is the only person authorized to interrupt a meet and lodge a protest. The Head Coach may consult with assistants and/or club members, but only the Head Coach may lodge the protest. The protest committee, at its earliest opportunity, shall meet and review the circumstances and rule on the protest. Only the meet officials, head coaches, and club pool or swim chairpersons, or their representatives can be called to address the committee.

II. DUAL MEETS

A. Order of Events The order of events for dual meets is listed on Attachment I.

B. Scoring The scoring of individual events in dual meets (with the exception of the 6 & Under Girls and Boys Freestyle and Backstroke which is non-scoring) shall be 5 points for first place, 3 points for second place and 1 point for third place (5-3-1). A team is not permitted to sweep all points in an event. Third place points shall be awarded to the highest finisher of the opposing team if all of the top 3 finishers are from the same club. If the opposing team did not enter a swimmer the third place points will not be awarded.. However if ribbons or medals are awarded for the event, the 3rd place ribbon or medal shall be awarded to true 3rd place finisher, though as stated previously not the team points. Relay events shall be scored 7 points for first place only.

C. Competitors- Swimming

1. Each swimmer is allowed 3 individual entries and 1 relay entry or 2 individual entries and 2 relay entries. An official entry card listing the name/names (first and last names) of individual and relay contestants must be submitted to the lane timer immediately prior to the event. Each team is responsible for supplying official entry cards for its team members. Failure to provide a competitors name(s) will result in disqualification. Diving counts as an individual entry.

2. Swimmers may swim up in age group.

3. Each team may enter as many individual event swimmers or relay teams as 1/2 of the number of lanes in the pool.

4. A swimmer shall be disqualified from an event after his/her second false start.

5. Extra, unofficial heats may be contested in all age groups in freestyle only, or in backstroke with the consent of the home team coach. Officials will be instructed to accommodate as many heats in these events as requested by the coaches. Exhibition divers or swimmers (extra heats) will be accommodated only with the consent of both coaches. Unofficial heats or divers shall not count as an official entry for that competitor provided the official has been notified and the entry card is clearly marked "exhibition" prior to the start of the event.

6. The only rule which may be changed by prior mutual consent of both coaches is the distance over which an event is contested. This decision must be made and reported to the referee prior to the start of the meet.

7. Backstroke Turns-Some part of the swimmer's person must touch the end of the racing course during each turn. After any part of the swimmer's head has past the backstroke flags, the swimmer's upper shoulder is allowed (but not required) to rotate past the vertical toward the prone position before the touch is completed provided such rotation is accompanied by an immediate initiation of the turning action. The initiation of the turning action shall be accomplished by a single arm or double arm pull, or in the absence of such pulls, by a downward, underwater movement of the head. After the initiation of the turning action, no additional arm pulls may be taken; however, kicking and gliding actions are permitted.

D. Competitors- Diving

1. The policy for the conduct of the diving portion of a dual meet in the Westchester County Swimming Conference shall be the same as in Section 1 of the New York State High School Athletic Association. That is: Diving shall be contested and points awarded in meets held at all clubs with diving facilities. It shall not be contested, and therefore no points awarded, in meets held at clubs that do not have diving facilities. Place points awarded in diving when a competing team has no entries is the same as a swimming event.

2. Diving entries must be in the hands of the meet official 1/4 hour prior to the start of the event.

3. Each team may enter 2 divers per event. A team may enter as many exhibition divers as they wish, up to a maximum of 12 divers (official and exhibition) in all diving events.

4. A diver may enter a maximum of two diving events.

5. 10 & under- Each diver shall do 3 dives from 3 different groups; 13 & under and 17 & under- Each diver shall do 5 dives from at least four different groups

6. Any diver upon receipt of a second fail dive in an event will be subject to immediate disqualification from that event. Clerical staff shall notify the diving referee immediately after the second fail dive ruling.

III. CHAMPIONSHIP MEET

A. The order of events shall be the same as for dual meets and is listed on attachment I. During age group trials, the Freestyle relays shall be contested first.

B. The scoring for the events in the Championship Meet shall be in accordance with Federation rules for the size (number of lanes) pool, which hosts the Championship Final. In the 6 & Under events there will be a Championship Final only (no consolation final), and they are non-scoring events.

C. The number of qualifiers for the Championship and Consolation Finals shall be governed by the number of lanes available in the pool to be used for Finals.

D. Contestants.

1. Each swimmer is allowed 3 individual entries and 1 relay entry or 2 individual entries and 2 relay entries.
Diving counts as an individual entry and a diver is permitted to dive in no more than two age groups.

2. A contestant must compete in at least 2 Conference dual meets to be eligible to compete in the Conference Championships.

3. For individual events, each club may submit up to 2 official entries and 1 alternate. For relays each club may enter 1 official entry per event. Listing as an alternate will not count with respect to rule III.C.1. above unless the competitor competes in either a qualifying or final event.

4. A relay entry shall consist of no more than 8 names.

5. Alternates shall be shown on the entry form and will take the same seeded position as the original competitor.

6. A competitor may be entered only once in an event.

E. Championship Meet Management

1. Entries must be submitted on a Hy-Tek Meet Manager disk together with a printed hard copy of the contents of the disk and must conform to the deadline dates as stated in the Conference instructions. Full name of contestant, best time if a swimming entry, and club affiliation must be included.

2. The order of dives and diving meet management shall be the same as for dual meets.

3. A daily scratch meeting shall be held before each trial. For finals it will be held approximately one hour before the day’s events.

4. The meet shall be conducted according to the rules and procedures outlined in the current National Federation Swimming and Diving Rules as modified herein.

5. The Conference Championship Committee will supervise the meet. This committee will supervise all seeding, administration of the trials, consolation and final events.

6. The chairman of the Championship Meet Committee will be the meet manager and will perform the duties required by the Federation rules.

7. The Board of the Conference will select the dates and sites for all heats and finals.

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