Publisher’s Note: The National Federation of State High School Associations is the only source of official high school interpretations. They do not set aside nor modify any rule. They are made and published by the NFHS in response to situations presented.
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff, Publisher, NFHS Publications © 2024

SITUATION 1: Three swimmers have identical times at the completion of prelims in the 200-yard individual medley, causing a three-way tie for eighth place in a championship meet where 16 places are scored. The referee must conduct a swim-off to resolve the tie, per Rule 5-4- 3. In order to save time, the swimmers and coaches agree with the referee that the swim-off will consist of a 50-yard butterfly race for the three swimmers. RULING: Illegal. NFHS rules define a swim-off as an extension of the qualifying process for a specific event; this would require that the swim-off stroke/ distance must be the same as the specific event being contested.

SITUATION 2: A swimmer’s suit has the manufacturer’s name printed on the upper portion and the manufacturer’s logo printed on the lower portion of the leg. This is considered to be two logos and thus a violation of Rule 3-3-3c. In order to avoid disqualification, the swimmer has used a marking pen of the same color as the suit to cover the logo on the leg. RULING: Permissible per the logic of NFHS Rule 3.3.3 SITUATION C, i.e., the logo is “invisible” because it is now the same color as the suit.

SITUATION 3: In a dual meet using six-place scoring, the host team fails to provide backstroke flags (or the flags do not meet rule specifications). RULING: In the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard backstroke events, the visiting team is awarded 13 points for each event and the event is not conducted; the three visiting swimmers listed for each event are charged with having contested an individual event. In the 200-yard medley relay event, the visiting team receives 12 points and the eight swimmers designated for the team’s two relay entries are each charged with a relay event against the allowable event total of four events. (3-2-1)

SITUATION 4: The starter mumbles or does not clearly enunciate the word “marks” as part of the starting command. RULING: Provided a fair start is achieved, clear enunciation of the starting command is not required. Indeed, starters who over-emphasize the harsh “KS” sound of the word “marks” may cause starting problems, as swimmers may react to that sound or to microphone static created thereby and commence movement prior to the starting signal.

SITUATION 5: The referee prohibits picture-taking, including phones, from the area behind the starting platforms. RULING: Permissible and indeed encouraged in order to avoid creation of uncomfortable situations for swimmers who might be concerned about what is going on behind them when in the starting position. Also, such photography may produce sounds that interfere with the starting signal and other distractions for swimmers preparing to compete. COMMENT: While the referee’s authority in this area is broad, to protect the well-being of athletes, officials should concurrently endeavor to provide appropriate conditions for photographers at meets. Areas along the sides of the competition course and at the turning end can be utilized by photographers, and officials should make every effort to accommodate their needs while balancing the swimmers’ needs as well. The host school administrative personnel are encouraged to be proactive in this matter.

SITUATION 6: At the request of several local club coaches, the host of a major high school invitational provides backstroke starting ledges for all lanes for the 200-yard medley relay and 100- yard backstroke events. RULING: Rule 2-7-2b prohibits use of such devices in NFHS-regulated competition, and currently state associations DO NOT have discretion to permit such use due to concerns about athlete safety. Until athlete safety studies currently underway have been concluded and data-driven rules decisions made, these devices may NOT be used in high school swimming competition.

SITUATION 7: The meet committee for the state championships has designated the meet referee to be the official responsible for acquiring full technical information concerning the proposed use of electronic relay takeoff judging equipment. RULING: Appropriate. The referee is responsible for overseeing the work of the several meet officials who are responsible for acquiring, utilizing and implementing the data derived from the Relay Judging Platforms (RJP) and for determining how that data will be applied to the meet results (confirming human judge decisions, sole source of determining takeoff violations, etc.). In order to properly utilize the RJP equipment, it is necessary to know the manufacturer’s starting point for the specific equipment being used (Colorado and Omega use different starting points). The referee must also ensure that deck officials are properly trained to ensure there is no interference with the operation of the RJP system (e.g., swimmers leaning on the starting platforms).

SITUATION 8: During the 500-yard freestyle, the referee notices that the swimmer in Lane 5 is wearing what appears to be a watch. The referee immediately indicates a DQ for that swimmer. RULING: Incorrect procedure. Wearing an electronic device, per se, is NOT a violation of NFHS rules (3-5). Before a swimmer is disqualified for wearing such a device, an inquiry must be conducted that demonstrates with reasonable clarity that the device in question is in fact being used to transmit information to the swimmer during the competition.

SITUATION 9: Following completion of the third round of diving in a dual meet, a diver informs the diving referee that she is taking a declared false start for the dive she has listed for the fourth round. RULING: Incorrect procedure. Use of the DFS in the diving event is only for the purpose of removing the diver from that specific competition without being further penalized for non-participation. It is NOT to be used to avoid performing a specific dive on the dive list. A diver using the DFS procedure is charged with the event against the total events permitted under Rule 3-2-1. (3-2-3)

SITUATION 10: In the consolation finals of the 100-yard freestyle, the backplate/ starting wedge detached from the platform at the start, thus clearly affecting the start of the swimmer in that lane. The referee determines that sufficient unfairness occurred and orders all competitors in that heat to re-swim the race at a later point in the competition. RULING: Correct procedure (4-2-2p). In the championship round, it would NOT be appropriate to have only the affected swimmer re-swim and then insert that swimmer’s time into the final array; at that point, head-to-head competition is essential. However, if this incident had occurred during qualifying rounds, some other type of re-swim could be appropriate. Of course, all swimmers must be given ample rest time (25 minutes minimum) on either side of a re-swim.