At each swim meet there are four Stroke and Turns (S&T) Judges and a Referee on the deck of the pool. Their job is to ensure that each swimmer swims their stroke properly with no unfair advantage over another swimmer. The dominant principal is:
“Fairness to all competitors, giving the benefit of the doubt, in every instance, to the swimmer.”
If you see a Stroke and Turns Judge raising his/her hand indicating a disqualification, PLEASE DO NOT discuss it with him/her. It should be discussed with your team’s Coach and only a Coach can dispute the disqualification with the Referee. Remember that these Judges are parents too and they are there to make things fair for all swimmers. No one enjoys disqualifying a swimmer. Additionally, the judge is watching up to four swimmers and it is often difficult to tell for which swimmer the judge is raising his/her hand.
A disqualification card (DQ Card) should be considered a learning tool for a swimmer to learn to swim the stroke properly. It should be discussed in a positive manner with encouragement towards improvement. DQ cards are typically discussed at the practice following the meet. If a parent or a swimmer would like more information about the disqualification, please see the coach.
The most common reasons (but not the only reasons) for a “DQ” card are:
- Freestyle:
- Pulling with a forward movement on a lane line or wall
- Pushing off of the bottom of the pool giving the swimmer forward momentum
- Walking on the bottom of the pool
- Swimming completely underwater after the start (resubmerging)
- Backstroke:
- Turning over onto the stomach (past vertical towards the breast). This usually happens just before they touch the wall on the finish
- Incorrect turns
- Breaststroke:
- Feet and Hands not moving simultaneously
- Order of movement: should be pull then kick, only one of each
- Hands below the hips in the propulsion part of the stroke (not on the start)
- A non-simultaneous two hand touch (or one-hand touch) at the turn and finish. (Number one reason for a DQ in Breaststroke!)
- Butterfly:
- Hands not moving simultaneously and recovery is not over the water
- Legs not moving up and down simultaneously (i.e. flutter or scissor kick)
- A non-simultaneous two hand touch at the turn and finish. (Number one reason for DQ in Butterfly!)
- Individual Medley:
- In addition to the above – swimming the strokes out of order (the correct order is Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle)
- Relays:
- In addition to the above – starting before the prior swimmer touches the wall
- Swimming the Medley Relay out of order (the correct order is Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Freestyle)
For more information about disqualifications, see an off-duty Strokes & Turns judge, or a coach.