Are Swim Overs a Good Idea?

This article was written by Paul Jenkins, Provincial Officials Director, in the B.C.S.O.A. Newsletter "Off The Blocks" in May 1997. It is reprinted here with the permission of the author.

How about swim-overs? Do you ever honestly believe they save time? Are swim-overs the best for our young swimmers? Those on the blocks are attempting to concentrate on the race before them and looking at a tired panting individual gasping for air two feet below cannot provide the best of environments. In the past couple of years I have tried out the following system with great success. When a race is finished and I have written down my sweep I wait maybe ten to fifteen seconds and then blow my whistle. If the swimmers in the water do not get out I expect my starter to ask the swimmers to "clear the pool please". I will brief him/her prior to the start of the session to do this automatically. By the time the swimmers mount the blocks and take up their positions, I have scanned the timers to see if they are ready and scanned the feet of the swimmers to ensure they are in the correct position. If those on the blocks are not in the correct position, again I expect my starter to call the adjustment. The swimmers who were in the water have long since gone and we are ready to go. For the most part the turnarounds go for about 25 seconds. This system allows fast turnovers and more importantly, allows those on the blocks a clear lane without any distractions.