Frequently Asked Questions

Whether your family is new to year-round swimming or returning for another season, this FAQ is designed to answer common questions about registration, meets, volunteering, and team expectations. If you have a question that you cannot find the answer to, please contact: support@orindaaquatics.org

Registration & Accounts

  • Every swimmer participating in USA Swimming-sanctioned practices and meets must have a USA Swimming membership. During registration, you’ll create a USA Swimming account for your swimmer and receive a unique membership number. This number identifies your swimmer in the national database and tracks eligibility, times, and achievements.

  • FastSwims is the platform for swim meet entries and data organization for parents, swimmers, coaches, and meet hosts. After joining Orinda Aquatics, you’ll receive instructions to create your FastSwims account. Use the same email address consistently for all swim-related accounts when possible.

  • Log in to FastSwims and navigate to your swimmer’s profile. There is a section to enter the swimmer’s USA Swimming membership number. Once entered, FastSwims can automatically sync meet results and eligibility information.

  • USA Swimming allows families to manage multiple swimmers under one parent account. Log in to your USA Swimming account, go to the “My Family” section on the dashboard, and add additional swimmers using their membership numbers and birthdates.

  • That’s completely normal for new swimmers. When entering meets, your swimmer may be listed with “NT” (No Time) if the meet allows, please read the meet announcement, always. Coaches will guide you in selecting appropriate events, and once your swimmer competes, official times will be recorded in the USA Swimming database.

MEETS & COMPETITION

  • Meet levels are generally based on swimmer ability and qualifying times:

    • C/B/A Meets: A C/B/A meet is an age-group competitive swim meet. C/B/A meets give swimmers the opportunity to race, post official times, gain experience, and work toward qualifying for higher-level meets. 

    • Senior Meets are for swimmers, age 13 and up

      • Senior meets often have specific time standards that need to be met to be able to enter. 

    • Trials/Finals Meets: Swimmers race in preliminaries (“trials”) typically in the morning, and the fastest qualified swimmers return for afternoon/evening finals.

    • Championship Meets (Age-Group Champs (JO’s), Far Westerns, etc.): Regional meets with specific qualifying times. At higher levels, swimmers can compete in Sectionals, Futures, and National level meets.

    • What is a Bonus Event(s)?  Bonus event(s) is an extra event a swimmer is allowed to enter at an invitational meet for which they  DO NOT meet the qualifying time, provided they have achieved an official qualifying time in at least one other event. In some instances, bonus events will have qualifying time standards.

  • Motivational standards are time benchmarks set by USA Swimming to measure swimmer progress. Common levels include: B, BB, A, AA, AAA, and AAAA (top level). They help swimmers set goals and compare performance nationally within their age group. In addition to the USA Swimming Nationals Motivational Times, Pacific swimming will set standards for Age-Group Champs and Far Westerns.

  • You can find them on:

    • C/B/A Meets: Entry-level to intermediate meets designed to give swimmers racing experience.

    • Senior Meets: Advanced meets for swimmers ages 13 and Up who meet higher qualifying standards.

    • Block Party Meets: A fun, low-pressure, one-day swim meet perfect for athletes who want to try new events or race non-primary strokes. While these family-friendly meets aren't team-scored, all official times still count. The times are loaded into SWIMS (USA-Swimming Database), but they are not eligible for qualifying for Sectionals and above. The times achieved at meets conducted through Block Party shall not be eligible for National Age Group records. However, LSCs shall accept these times for championship entries by utilizing the existing time override feature if they are using the Online Meet Entry system. Learn more.

  • OA provides team tents for swimmers at most meets.  If the meet has both juniors and senior swimmers, there is typically a tent area for Junior Swimmers and a tent area for Senior Swimmers. A typical meet bag should include:

    • Team suit

    • Goggles (plus a backup pair)

    • Swim cap(s)

    • Towels

    • Warm clothing/team attire (hoodie, sweatpants, socks)

    • Team parka

    • Healthy snacks/meals and water

    • Sunscreen (for outdoor meets)

    • Chairs or blankets for deck seating

  • Swimmers should first check-in at the clerk of the course (check-in desk). Here they will decide which events to swim (or not, by not checking in). These decisions should be made with the coach.

    Swimmers should move to the designated team area. There is typically a group stretch or “dynamic warm-up”. An athlete will usually lead.  Swimmers will then get in the pool for the pre-meet warm-up.  There will also be a coach-led meeting at approximately 8:45, followed by a team cheer.

  • Swimmers are seeded into heats based on entry times. Most meets do not pre-seed lane assignments. Lane assignments are determined during the meet itself, typically 30-60 minutes prior to each event. Heat and lane assignments are posted at various locations around the pool.

  • “Fast suits” (technical racing suits) are generally reserved for “peak meets” which include:

    • Championship meets

    • Important qualifying attempts

    • High-level competitions

    For most regular meets, a standard team suit is appropriate. Coaches will typically advise when a tech suit may be allowed/required.

  • JO’s/AGC’s are championship meets organized by Pacific Swimming for age-group swimmers and held three times a year - winter, spring, summer (long course). Swimmers must achieve specific qualifying times during the season to enter. JO’s/AGC’s are considered a major milestone in age-group swimming. Qualifying times can be found here: Swim Time Standards | Pacific Swimming Association

  • Far Western Championships (FW’s) are one of the highest-level age-group meets in the Western United States. Qualifying times are faster than AGC standards and attract elite swimmers from multiple states. The qualifying times can be found at LC Far Westerns July 2026 | Pacific Swimming Association

  • The 500 yard free, 1000 yard free, and the 1650 yard free (or 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1500 meter long course) are distance events that can be included at many meets. Swimmers will need to secure a lap counter and a teammate to count for them. OA does have lap counters if the swimmer does not have one. At times, swimmers will also need to identify timers for the event, which typically includes a teammate, or parent. NOTE: newer or younger swimmers should talk to a coach before entering any “distance” event. 

  • All swimmers should attend the designed meets for the team, for the year. This schedule has been established, and prepared, for each group for strategic purposes, and it is not appropriate or in the interest of the team or the athlete to compete outside of the schedule.

  • Please read the article The Art of the Shave Down.

  • United States Swimming is divided up into four macro geographic zones - East, West, Central, South. USA Swimming is then divided up into 59 LSC’s (Local Swimming Committees) - Orinda Aquatics (OAPB code) is Pacific Swimming (PC code) in Zone 2. Within Pacific Swimming are five smaller zones - 1 south, 1 north (South Bay), 2 (East Bay), 3 (North Bay) and 4 (the Nevada area).

Logistics & Parent Involvement

  • Volunteer roles help the team run smoothly and build community. Common jobs include:

    • Hospitality and snack shack

    • Timing

    • Set-up and clean-up 

    • Marshalling

    • Social event coordination

    • Team apparel and spirit support

  • OA requires families to fulfill volunteer shifts during the season.

    • Social Jobs: Each family must fulfill one “social” job, which are typically out-of-the pool, team bonding activities. Social job opportunities are typically sent out in August of each year.

    • Meet Jobs:

      • These jobs are essential to hosting meets and supporting team operations. Specific requirements are outlined in the team handbook and registration materials.

      • Each family is required to fulfill 2 jobs at every OA-hosted meet. These meets are hosted at the Soda Center and are generally 2-day meets.

      • For “away” meets, OA is typically only asked to provide a number of timers and officials. Every family must work a timing shift at away meets.

      • Job signups for meets are typically sent out 2-4 weeks prior to the event.

  • Meet hosting is a major fundraiser and service effort for the team. Donations help:

    • Feed volunteers and officials

    • Keep costs manageable for families

    • Support team fundraising efforts, which are used for equipment, team social activities, etc.

  • Yes. Swimmers can successfully balance swimming with other sports, performing arts, and other school activities. Communication with coaches is key. Coaches can help communicate expectations when conflicts arise.

  • Yes, families are responsible for finding substitutes if they cannot fulfill a volunteer shift. A substitute list can be found on the OA Volunteer Coordinator’s emails.

  • Officials are considered Starters, Desk, and Stroke and Turn judges. Becoming a certified USA Swimming official offers several benefits:

    • Closer involvement in your swimmer’s sport

    • Better understanding of swim rules and meet operations

    • Ability to help the team meet officiating volunteer requirements

    • Great volunteer hours with a front-row view of competition

    • Satisfies your volunteer job requirements

    Training is provided through Pacific Swimming and USA Swimming.

  • During high school swim season (February - May), swimmers may train part-time and compete with their school teams. Many OA swimmers continue OA training, especially for strength, technique, or championship preparation, with one or two days a week training with their high school teams. Typically, there are very few non-high school meets during the High School swim season. The High School swim season is a series of weekly dual meets vs. another school. In late April/early May, a varsity league championship meet is held, followed by the North Coast Section Championships, culminating with the State Championship.

Meet Travel & Setup

  • Parents typically sit in designated spectator areas. Meets can involve long days, so bringing the following is highly recommended:

    • Foldable chairs

    • Blankets

    • Umbrellas or shade tents (where allowed)

    • Layers for changing weather

  • For Junior swimmers (14 and under), the Neptune Meet, which is held in mid-February in Santa Rosa, is the primary peak/travel meet for the Junior Group. The meet is held at Santa Rosa Junior College. This meet is a “Family Travel” meet, and typically most families stay in the Santa Rosa area. Hotel information is shared in the months leading up to the meet.

    Neptune is a 3-day Trial/Finals meet

    • Friday – Timed Finals (distance events)

    • Saturday – Trials/Finals (trials being held in the morning, and the finals held in the afternoon). Typically a team dinner follows finals on Saturday.

    • Sunday – Trails/Finals

  • For the Senior swimmers, two of the “peak” travel meets for the team are:

    • Tualatin Holiday Classic, Portland, OR, which is held the first week of December

    • Juanita Allington Invitational, in Clovis, CA, which is held in mid-February (often referred to as “Clovis”)

      • These two meets are designated as “team travel” meets. OA coordinates all transportation, lodging and meals for the swimmers. There is an additional cost per family. Swimmers will be assigned hotel rooms with teammates.

      • Families are welcome to attend the events on their own, but typically do not stay with their child.

      • Both of these meets are trials/finals meets.

      • For both travel meets, swimmers will miss some school. It is up to the parents to communicate with their swimmer’s school. Please see the Team Travel Meets page to learn more.

    The travel meet schedule may change at the coaches’ discretion with any changes communicated in advance.

other questions

  • Meet Mobile is an app used during most swim meets to view:

    • Psych sheets

    • Heat and lane assignments

    • Live results

    • Final results and team standings

    Meet mobile is used at all meets and there is a subscription fee.

    • Meet Mobile: Provides live meet information and results. This is the preferred App for most swim meets.

    • Time Drops Live: This app is typically only used at Block Party Meets.

  • For additional questions, please refer to the team contact list here.

  • You can review our complete guidelines by visiting our Team Handbook and Policy/Conduct page.