Below is the list of North Carolina Swimming athletes who achieved NCS All Star status during the period beginning on Sept 1, 2019 and ending on March 15, 2020 (athletes are listed by club code).

Since there was not a true long course season and limited opportunities for most swimmers to compete after the COVID outbreak, this year’s awards are based on short course achievements and rankings beginning on Sept 1, 2019 and ending on March 15, 2020.

2020 NCS All Star List

This year, the NCS All Star list includes swimmers who achieved All Star Status in at least one of three ways.

1. NCS Top Five short course times in at least two strokes (must be AAAA or better) as of 3/15/20
2. National Top Ten list by individual age group as of 3/15/20
3. Open Water All Star recognition

• Each NCS swimmer who achieved NC Top-5 “AAAA” times in two or more of the following categories: distance freestyle, sprint freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, or individual medley in Short Course Yards is a NCS All Star upon verification by the NCS All Star Committee. The recognition period began September 1, 2019 and ended March 15, 2020.
• Distance Freestyle and Sprint Freestyle are considered distinct ‘strokes’ along with Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Individual Medley. Distance Freestyle include freestyle events 400 and longer for 17-18, 15-16, and 13-14; 200 and longer for 11-12 and 10&Under. Sprint Freestyle include freestyle events 200 and shorter for 17-18, 15-16, and 13-14; 100 and shorter for 11-12 and 10&Under.
• Each NCS swimmer who individually achieved at least one USA National Age Group Recognition Top 10 Time in short course during the recognition period is an All Star.
• Swimmers are recognized as an NCS Open Water All-Star based on the Open Water All Star selection policy.

Below is the list of North Carolina Swimming athletes who finished with a Top Five time in one or more short course events during the period beginning on Sept 1, 2019 and ending on March 15, 2020 (athletes are listed by club code). Top Fives are listed by age group – 10U, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18.

Since there was not a true long course season and limited opportunities for most swimmers to compete after the COVID outbreak, this year’s awards are based on short course achievements and rankings beginning on Sept 1, 2019 and ending on March 15, 2020.

Top Five age group rankings should not be confused with the NCS Top Ten rankings, which are listed by individual age. Top Five achievement also has nothing to do with order of finish at NCS championship meets, but are based on age group rankings at the end of the qualifying period…which this year was March 15, 2020.

2020 NCS Top Five List

Piggybacking on the new USA Swimming/Speedo Swim Again Virtual Series, the NCS Go Time! program will serve as a selection process for the NCS 2021 IMX Camp. This year’s camp will be selected from short course times achieved between Sept 7, 2020 and Dec 13, 2020. IMX scores from either sanctioned or unsanctioned swims will be considered.

Here the link for detailed information on the selection process for the 2021 IMX Camp.

Click here for more information on the USA Swimming/Speedo Swim Again Virtual Series!

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following last month’s introduction of the newly-designed virtual competition format, USA Swimming today announced the Speedo Swim Again Virtual Series, a month-long national competition that will run from September 7 to October 11, 2020. Race results from across the country, from age-group swimmers to Olympians, will be submitted to USA Swimming and result in a weekly three-division top-8 club leaderboard. The Speedo Swim Again Virtual Series provides an even higher level of competition to the virtual format that has seen over 19,000 swimmers participate since July 1, 2020. The series gives USA Swimming clubs the opportunity to swim in the comfort and safety of their local pools while sharing the leaderboard with teams from coast to coast. “As more pools across the country continue to safely open, our team has focused on taking the next steps in creating a unique competitive and racing opportunity for our members,” USA Swimming Managing Director of Sport Development Joel Shinofield said. “We are incredibly appreciative of Speedo’s support in helping us to provide this opportunity and to supporting our efforts to get our athletes’ back to competition and achieving their goals.” “We are proud to partner and support this new innovative way of reaching our swim community,” said Speedo USA President, Jim Gerson. “As the leader in competitive swim, Speedo stands on our messaging that there is no stopping we, our united swim community, who always stand together as we swim on.” Teams who participate in the Speedo Swim Again Virtual Series will be divided into three divisions based on historical age-group rankings and team size. Each week will feature a new set of events, with division champions being named on Wednesday, October 14. Throughout the series, teams will also be eligible for cash and Speedo products supplied from SpeedoUSA. The club that finishes at the top of each division will receive an $800 cash prize, followed by a $500 and $300 cash prize distributed to the second and third-place clubs, respectively, in each division. Additionally, clubs are encouraged to use the #SpeedoSwimAgainSeries hashtag when posting about the series on social media for further prizing opportunities. The top-10 clubs with the most socially engaging posts per division will receive a $500 prize, while a $200 bonus will be given to the team with the most creative social media campaign or post that includes the #SpeedoSwimAgainSeries hashtag. The competition will feature both sanctioned and non-sanctioned meets, in either short-course yards, short-course meters or long-course meters events. Events will be ranked and scored based off a modified FINA Points formula to normalize times across courses. This competition format will also provide an opportunity for swimmers to log IMR and IMX scores, point systems that allows for comparison of the quality of performances across strokes, distances and events, as well as between age groups. Clubs can compare scores by utilizing USA Swimming’s Virtual Meet Simulator on usaswimming.org/times/virtual-offerings/virtual-meet-simulator. A full breakdown of the Speedo Swim Again Virtual Series scoring system, event schedule and resources is available by visiting usaswimming.org/speedoswimagain. Official Swim Again merchandise will be available at Elsmore Swim Shop. Keep up with all the latest USA Swimming news by following @usaswimming on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy

Reminder: USA Swimming member clubs and LSCs are required to implement the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP) in full.  Clubs can customize MAAPP by inserting their own names as well as deciding on whether or not to keep recommended portions. To view the customizable Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy, please click here. Tip: MAAPP must be reviewed and agreed upon by all athletes, parents, coaches and other non-athlete members every year. Since many of us are starting our seasons up again, this is the perfect time to review and approve this policy.

You’ll notice a new look when searching for meet information on the NCS website. The meet database software was updated to be compatible with recent web host upgrades. The new meet table has been in place for several weeks but we’ve continued to make refinements and enhancements.

The new meet table has the same information as the previous meet schedule but is more secure, much faster, and offers additional features,,, including a meet calendar.

Below is a video clip with information and tips on using the new meet search and calendar tools.

The tech suit restrictions, proposed by the Age Group Development Committee, will go into effect for 12-and-under swimmers beginning September 1, 2020. Below are complete lists of the suits that will be restricted for athletes 12 and under, and then a list of those tech suits that will be allowed for athletes 12 and under:

• Restricted 12-and-under tech suits
• Approved 12-and-under tech suits

For a detailed breakdown of approved and restricted tech suits by brand, click the links below:

• A3
• Adidas
• Blue Seventy
• Dolfin
• FINIS
• Funkita
• Kiefer
• Mizuno
• MP
• Speedo
• TYR

For additional questions, please consult the FAQ.

102.8 SWIMWEAR  

.1 Design 

F. No Technical Suit may be worn by any 12 & Under USA Swimming athlete member in competition at any Sanctioned, Approved or Observed meet. 

1) A Technical Suit is one that has the following components: 

a. Any suit with any bonded or taped seams regardless of its fabric or silhouette; or 

b. Any suit with woven fabric extending past the hips.
 

(Note: WOVEN FABRIC-A suit with woven fabric and sewn seams that does not extend below the hips is permitted.) 

(Note: KNIT FABRIC-A suit with knit fabric and sewn seams not extending below the knees is permitted.) 

This rule is in effect for all USA Swimming competitions in the United States, so any manufacturer or vendor selling a suit in the United States is subject to the above rule. No Technical Suits may be worn by any 12-Under USA Swimming athlete member in competition at any Sanctioned, Approved or Observed meet.

A Technical Suit is one that has the following components: 

• Any male or female suit with any bonded or taped seams is defined as a technical suit regardless of its fabric or silhouette.

Bonded Seam                           

Sewn Seam

• Any male or female suit with woven fabric and to the knee or mid-thigh is defined as a technical suit regardless of the type seams: bonded, taped or sewn. (Note: A woven suit with sewn seams and in a male brief or female regular cut not to the knees is not defined as a technical suit and is not restricted).

Woven Fabric                             

Textile Fabric

Compliant Suits

Any suit that does not have the FINA logo on it is approved for 12-Under use.

There are a handful of suits in the market that have the FINA logo that would be considered legal for age group competition because they do not meet the definition of what is deemed a technical suit. These suits and only these suits will bear an additional check mark logo developed by USA Swimming to indicate that the suit is complaint with the rule. This check mark will be placed to the left or right of the FINA logo on the suit. A picture of the check mark logo is next to this paragraph

Suit Manufacturer Feedback
Suit manufacturers have a vested interest in both this legislation and future growth of the sport. Virtually all the manufacturers agree that the high end/highest cost tech suits are not appropriate for use by younger swimmers. Manufacturers have provided significant input during the process of defining tech suits and have been given a reasonable lead-up time to adjust product lines and have agreed to adapt to the proposed restrictions. All major brands in the USA market were actively involved in this process and 14 manufacturers overall were consulted. 

Please join North Carolina Swimming is sending best wishes to the Martin family of the Marlins of Raleigh. One of their swimmers, Reagan Martin, had a terrible accident and is currently in the hospital recovering from surgery with hopes of moving to a rehabilitation center soon. MOR is accepting donations for the Martin family to help offset significant medical expenses.

If you would like to contribute, please send money to Cara Cameron at MOR by September 7:

• Venmo@Cara-Cameron-3 with “Martin” in the FOR category

Checks made payable to MOR mailed to MOR ATTN: Coach Cara, 4904 Waters Edge Dr. Suite 295, Raleigh, NC 27606

Collin Davis of Club Kick Start, and a member of the US National Deaf Swimming Team, broke his own US Deaf Record in the 500-yard freestyle at the TAC Challenge meet this past weekend. His time of 4:38.23 knocked nearly four seconds off the previous record, which he also held. Click here to view the entire SwimSwam article.