| Glossary of Terms |
| Terms
and definitions used in Masters Swimming. This page is still under construction. If there is a term that you would like to include, or have a question, please email us. |
| Circle
Swim Swimming with two or more swimmers in one lane, where all swimmers swim on one side of the lane in one direction, and the other side in the other direction. Usually, this means staying to the right side of a lane. |
| Descend Swimming each swim faster than the previous in a set of repetitive distances. For example, descending 3x100 means each 100 is faster than the previous. |
| Interval In repetitive distances, the time you are allowed for the swim and left over for the rest. For example, 100's on a 1:30 interval means that every 1:30 you start swimming another 100. |
| LCM Long Course Meters. LCM meets are held in pools 50 meters in length. The Long Course season in USMS runs from May to August each year, culminating with the Long Course National meet in August. |
| LMSC Local Masters Swim Committee. The local governing organization of US Masters Swimming. We are in the Southern Pacific, comprising of Southern California and parts of Nevada. SPMA has approximately 2700 members. |
| Nationals USMS National Swimming Meet held two times a year. The Short Course Nationals are held at the end of the short course season in May, and the Long Course Nationals are held at the end of the long course season in August. |
| Negative
Split Swimming the later lap or set distance of a swim faster than the previous. For example, negative splits on a 100-yard swim means the last 50 of the swim was faster than the first 50. |
| Open
Water Open Water swims are competitions held in an outdoor lake, river, or ocean for distances greater than most pool events. |
| Postal
Swim Competition in which one swims in a home venue, then sends in the results to be compared to other competing swimmers doing the same. |
| Short
Course A pool for competition either 25-meters or 25-yards in length. See SCY and SCM below. |
| SCM Short Course Meters. SCM meets are held in pools 25 meters in length. The Short Course season in USMS runs from September through May each year, with meets in 25-meter or 25-yard pools, and culminates with the Short Course National meet in May. |
| SCY Short Course Yards. SCY meets are held in pools 25 yards in length. The Short Course season in USMS runs from September through May each year, with meets in 25-meter or 25-yard pools, and culminates with the Short Course National meet in May. |
| Seed
Time Your best guess at what time you can swim a particular event. In a swimming competition, your seed time is used to match you with others of similar times and abilities. |
| Splits The time for one lap or set distance of a race consisting of more than one lap. The splits add up to the total time. For example, times for a 200-yard swim can be divided into four 50-yard splits. |
| Taper A recovery phase of training prior to a major competition. A taper usually involves a reduction in workout intensity over about a two week period leading up to the big competition |
| Top
Ten The fastest ten times recorded in competition. For example, the National Top Ten lists the fastest 10 times swum in the country during a year for each particular event and age group. |
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Zone
A governing organization for a region of the country comprised of LSMC's. We are in the Southwest Zone which consists of the following Local Masters Swim Committees: Arizona LMSC , New Mexico LMSC , San Diego - Imperial LMSC , Southern Pacific Masters Association LMSC. |
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