YMCA of the USA Competitive Swimming and Diving Fo: Rest/recovery time between races

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   In some recent discussions among officials, the subject came up about how fast a meet should actually run.  One official stated that the guideline is that we should make sure that swimmers have a minimum 20 minutes recovery time between races.  This amount of time is not often an issue in a typical single session age group meet--though it's possible in a smaller dual meet.  However, it has come up in some recent meets broken into separate age group sessions, and sometimes in finals sessions, if the meet is not periodically paused for awards presentations.  I checked the USA-S rule book and found nothing more than a requirement to ensure "adequate rest periods" during the meet, with no further guidance.

Is there a 20 minute rule?  Is it YMCA or USA-S? Might the rule be age-based?

Joe

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JPRoznai New Member Joined: Mar/09/2009 Location: United States Posts: 4	Topic: Rest/recovery time between races Posted: Oct/27/2011 at 8:13pm
	In some recent discussions among officials, the subject came up about how fast a meet should actually run. One official stated that the guideline is that we should make sure that swimmers have a minimum 20 minutes recovery time between races. This amount of time is not often an issue in a typical single session age group meet--though it's possible in a smaller dual meet. However, it has come up in some recent meets broken into separate age group sessions, and sometimes in finals sessions, if the meet is not periodically paused for awards presentations. I checked the USA-S rule book and found nothing more than a requirement to ensure "adequate rest periods" during the meet, with no further guidance. Is there a 20 minute rule? Is it YMCA or USA-S? Might the rule be age-based? Joe
	Joe Roznai

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joel black Moderator Group Joined: Jan/27/2012 Location: United States Posts: 8	Posted: Jan/28/2012 at 11:04pm
	Joe, You are correct that USA Swimming Rules only state that "adequate rest periods" must be provided. There is no rule that mandates 20 minutes, or even suggests that amount of time. It is typically left up to meet management (Meet Referee) as to how time between events is apportioned. It would be advised that the Meet Referee, Meet Director and Coaches all agree on an appropriate pace so that swimmers may perform at an optimum level.
	Joel Black
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