GENERAL TEAM RULES Direct all questions or concerns to the coaching staff before or after practice. Sportsmanship and the appropriate behavior are expected at all times. Team and individual moral is an important part of our team. Parents, coaches and swimmers are expected to provide encouragement and praise to other swimmers. Supervision/Discipline: Parents are responsible for supervising swimmers before and after practice, which includes time spent in the locker rooms. Discipline problems will be dealt with swiftly, in which the coaching staff will take corrective action, including but not limited to: a parent conference, suspension from practice or meets, suspension from the team. Late Payments: If fee payments are not made as scheduled, swimmers will not be allowed to participate in any team functions, until they are up to date. Arrival/Departure: Swimmers must arrive on time for practice and meets. Late arrivals cause disruptions. Swimmers need to be picked up as soon as their practice is completed. Pool Deck: NO ONE is allowed on the pool deck at any time without a member of the coaching staff. Valuables should be left at home. Swimmers are expected to be neat and pick up after themselves always!

DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS Events 1.)  Swimming will be conducted according to the Order of Events(See Secton A). 2.)  The maximum number of events for an individual is: All Classes -- 3 individual events and 2 relays. Eligibility 1.)  A swimmer may compete in his age group only. 2.)  To be eligible for District Championships, competitors must have been present and/or swum in three dual meets during the current season, in addition to making the cut-off time for an event. Awards 1.)  Identical awards to be made to all finalists, including relay members. 2.)  Team award - Class meet winner and district meet winners. 3.)  Consolation ribbons for seventh through twelfth places. Scoring 1.)  Individual events: 8 lanes (20,17,16,15,14,13,12,11,9,7,6,5,4, 3,2,1 points) 2.)  Relay events: 8 lanes (36,34,32,30,28,26,24,22,18,14,12,10,8,6,4,2 points) Officiating 1.)  Electronic timing will be used with 8 backup manual timers included. Eight additional hand timers will also be used. Entries 1.)  Teams may enter as many swimmers that qualify in an event. Only four may score. 2.)  No competitors may be entered in more than the maximum number of events. 3.)  The closing date of entries for all Championships refers to the date entries must be received. All entries mailed after the deadline are VOID. 4.)  Entry fees in check form must accompany entry sheets unless circumstances are such that a late payment must be made (subject to the approval of the Meet Director). All fees must be paid in order for swimmers to compete. 5.)  No refunds will be made on events not swum. 6.)  A minimum charge of $10.00 per team will be made for Championship meet entries.

LEAGUE RULES A.)  GENERAL Eligibility 1.)  Open to any swimmer in the Eastern Mass. YMCA Cluster from a YMCA holding an eligibility certificate. 2.)  Competitors must be members of their YMCA for 30 days before competing for that YMCA in dual meets. A swimmer may not be entered in a YMCA meet during this period of time. For Districts, New England's and National eligibility, competitors must be members of their YMCA's for 90 days. 3.)  A swimmer can only compete for his/her YMCA in swimming competition between October 1st and May 31st of any given competitive year. High School, Junior High School and Prep School meets are exempt from this rule. I.E. - YMCA's with USA charters are covered for both YMCA and USA competition. If a YMCA is not a registered club and any of that YMCA's swimmers compete for and represent a separate USA club, those swimmers are in violation of this rule and are ineligible for any further YMCA competition. Previous dual meet and championship meet performances are disqualified and meet scores for the affected classes will be forfeited. 4.)  A swimmer wishing to transfer from one YMCA to another is eligible to represent the new YMCA upon written agreement of the Executive Director's of each Association, approving such a transfer. 5.)  Any swimmer who is a resident of a prep school is not eligible to compete in the Eastern Mass. YMCA League or cluster championship unless approved by the Swim League Committee. Only swimmers who have previously competed for a local YMCA may apply. Adult Supervision All teams shall be accompanied by an adult representative at all times. Meet Rules All meets shall be run in accordance with Interscholastic NCAA Rules as modified by the Eastern Mass. Cluster Rules Committee. B.)  DUAL MEETS Unethical Behavior If throughout the course of the dual meet season, a team believes that unethical and non-YMCA values behavior on the part of the opposing team has taken place, this must be reported immediately in writing to the League Coordinator. If such an incident is verified, the League Coordinator may take action against the offending team in one or more of the following manners: 1. Suspend Coach(es) 2. Forfeit dual meet or points therein 3. Take any other action deemed necessary Events 1.)  Order of events - Click here. 2.)  Class E, D, C, B and A events shall be alternated, starting with Class E. 3.)  In all classes the maximum number of events for an individual is: Class A, B, C, D, E: 3 events, one of which must be a relay (2 individual, 1 relay; 1 individual, 2 relays) 4.)  Each team may enter three individual swimmers in a 6/8 lane pool and two relays in any pool in any event. In an 8-lane pool the outside lanes may be used for unoffical swimmers. Only two of the swimmers from each team and one relay may score in the event. 5.)  Any swimmer swimming up a class must complete in that class for the entire meet. Meet Lineups  (Lane Assignments: Visitors-Odd lanes; Home-Even lanes) 1.)  Both coaches must have a lineup prepared before the meet time and must present such to the meet clerk one half hour before the meet is to begin. 2.)  Once the meet begins, no changes or additions may be made to the meet lineup sheets. 3.)  There will be one official meet sheet for each class of swimmers competing. Unofficial entries in any class (i.e. - additional heats, etc.) are to be recorded on a separate sheet, preferably a different color, and may not be listed on the official sheets. Scoring 1.)  Individual events 5, 3, 1, 0 points 2.)  Relay events 7, 0 points Meet Results 1.)  Final scores in each class should be reported by both teams and sent by postcard as directed by the coordinator. 2.)  Home team score sheet is official and must be signed by both coaches - carbon given to visitors. Officiating 1.)  Across the board finish judging will take precedence over timing - unless electronic timing is used. Lane or place judging is optional. 2.)  Home team should provide all stopwatches at each meet. The Host team should provide a starting device - strobe or starting gun. Meet Arrangements 1.)  It is the responsibility of the Host team to contact the Visiting Team and work out details at least four (4) days prior to the meet. 2.)  If a visiting team arrives at the Host YMCA later than 1/2 hour after the lisited pool time without calling in advance, the Visting team will forfeit the meet. 3.)  Backstroke flags are required for all dual meets. Host teams not complying will forfeit these events. Cancellations and Forfeitures 1.)  If due to inclement weather a swim meet is to be cancelled, it is the vistor's responibility to notify the Host team of the cancellation and the Host's responibility to reschedule the meet, giving the greatest latitude of choice to the Visiting team. 2.)  Notification of rescheduling should be made as soon as possible to the Visiting team. In the event a Host team remains open for a meet and the Visiting team cancels out, this is to be called a cancellation and not a forfeiture, providing the Visiting deems travel to be dangerous. A letter signed by the Executive Director should be forwarded by the Visiting coach stating the above circumstances and the Host team will then notify the swim league coordinator of the results. A forfeiture is to be recorded for not complying with the above on a team level. 3.)  If a team cancels out for any reason other than weather it is up to the team canceling to reschedule that meet. If for some reason a mutually acceptable date cannot be arrived at, then the team originally canceling will forfeit. 4.)  Failure to swim any of the scheduled meets prior to the last day before the District Championships will result in forfeiture by both teams for the classes concerned. Reporting should be by postcard, stating forfeiture or cancellation, and at a future date a notation should be sent giving the rescheduled meet results. 5.)  Notification time should be at least three hours prior to a meet for both the Host and Visiting team.