2007-08 NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Interpretations

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.
Robert F. Kanaby, Publisher, NFHS Publications © 2007

Corrections to Rule Book: Page 76, Suggested Protocols for Automatic Relay Judging Equipment, item e.delete "Each relay takeoff judge" and replace with "The side judge. . .".

Corrections to Case Book: Page 68, Situation 9.7.4 A RULING, change "unsatisfactory" to "deficient."

SITUATION 1: Team A is the host school and has a diving board that is less than 16 feet in length. Both coaches would like to mutually agree to use the board for competition. The meet referee does not allow the event to be conducted and points are distributed under Rule 9-1 Penalty 1. RULING: Correct procedure. COMMENT: The length of the board is an essential equipment requirement. Mutual consent may not be used to include the event in competition. (Rule 2 Note, 2-2-2j)

SITUATION 2: A swimmer and her/his coach have already been notified of a jewelry or illegal attire violation and the swimmer told he/she would not be allowed to compete in another event while wearing jewelry or illegal attire. The swimmer is observed by the referee continuing to wear jewelry or illegal attire: a) after being called to the blocks for a subsequent event, but before the starting signal is sounded; b) after the starting signal is sounded to begin a subsequent race. RULING: a) The referee should release all swimmers from their starting position and disqualify the swimmer committing the violation from the event and further competition. b) After the event is completed, the referee disqualifies the swimmer from the event and further competition. COMMENT: This swimmer is being disqualified for unsporting conduct for not following the directive of the referee. If an unsporting conduct penalty is observed before the starting signal has been given, the swimmer should be disqualified and not allowed to compete in the event. Each state association may have a policy in place to allow a competitor to have more than one warning to remove jewelry or make the uniform legal. (3-3-4, 3-5-1)

SITUATION 3: Team A is hosting a very large invitational meet. The competition is being conducted in a championship meet format. In pre-meet materials and at the coaches meeting, the use of dual confirmation was emphasized. The coach of Team B objects as this is not a culminating meet and not classified as a championship meet. RULING: Dual confirmation may be used at any meet. COMMENT: Rules 4-6-4 and 8-1-6 Penalty permit the use of dual confirmation and do not limit its use to only championship meets. Unless state association policy states otherwise, a championship meet format can be used in other than a culminating meet. If doing so, the host school should include this information in all pre-meet materials and at the coaches meeting, and should discuss specifically with meet officials. (4-6-4, 8-1-6Penalty)

SITUATION 4: In the breaststroke event, the swimmer has a natural style to let his/her hands slightly drift apart while in a streamline position following the start and turns. The swimmer then initiates the arm pull, followed by a single downward butterfly kick, then a breaststroke kick. The official allows this style. RULING: Correct procedure. COMMENT: During, or at the end of the arm pull-down of the first stroke after the start and after each turn, a single downward butterfly kick is allowed, but not required. A single downward butterfly kick must be followed by a breaststroke kick. During the pull-down, if a downward butterfly kick is taken, it must be followed by a breaststroke kick. It is not permissible to take only a downward butterfly kick without then taking a normal breaststroke kick. The downward butterfly kick is not permissible prior to the arm pull-down. (8-2-2c)

SITUATION 5: The second leg of the 400 freestyle relay was in contact with the starting platform but did not have his/her foot/feet at the front edge of the block at the moment of take-off. The officials allowed competition to continue. RULING: Correct procedure. COMMENT: The rule requires the second, third and fourth swimmers to be in contact with the starting platform until the previous swimmer has finished. However, they do not have to have their foot/feet at the front edge of the block as the first swimmer does. If they choose to move from the back of the block to the front of the block, they can do so, but they have to be on the block to start. If they are starting from the deck, they are required to have at least one foot at the edge of the deck. (8-3-5)

SITUATION 6: The diver steps up on the board to perform his/her fifth voluntary dive. At the time the dive is announced, it is detected that the true degree-of-difficulty (dd) total exceeds 9.0. The diver protests the dive to the diving referee and requests a change in position, which has a lower dd. If allowed to change, the diver will be in compliance with a true dd total of 9.0 or lower for the voluntary dives. The diving referee allows the change. An opposing coach wants this to be considered a delay of meet. RULING: The change is allowed with no further action. COMMENT: Rule 9-3-6 allows a diver to change positions of a dive by protesting to the diving referee prior to the dive. Although the ultimate responsibility for listing the correct dives and meeting the 9.0 or lower requirement for voluntary dives lies with the diver and coach, there was an error at the diving table as the dd was either overlooked at the beginning of competition or a dive was allowed to be changed that caused the true dd total to exceed 9.0. The change in position can be made provided the diver does not cause a lengthy delay. (9-3-6, 9-3-6 Penalties, 9-4-1)

SITUATION 7: On his/her diving sheet, a diver lists five voluntary dives with a degree-of-difficulty (dd) total of 9.0. While standing on the board to perform his/her second dive, the diver protests to the diving referee, requesting to change the position of the dive to a position that would cause true dd total to exceed 9.0 and later change the fifth dive to one of a lower dd that would bring the total dd back into compliance with Rule 9-4-1. The diving referee does not allow the requested change. RULING: Correct procedure. COMMENT: The diver may not change a dive to a position that would cause the true dd total to exceed 9.0 and, at the same time in advance of a subsequent dive, attempt to change the position of that dive. The intent of the rule is to prohibit any change that at the time of the change would cause the true dd total to exceed 9.0. (9-3-6 PEN 1 & 2, 9-4-1a)

SITUATION 8: The diving referee mistakenly allowed a diver to change the position of a dive to a position that caused the true degree-of-difficulty (dd) total to exceed 9.0. When this is detected, the diver is: a) able to change the position of a subsequent dive to a position that would bring the true total dd back into compliance with Rule 9-4-1; b) not able to change the position of a subsequent dive to a position with a lower dd as no dive position would have a lower dd. RULING: a) The diver is allowed to make the change in position so the total dd does not exceed 9.0. b) After the diver performs the fifth voluntary dive (which causes the true dd total to exceed 9.0), the diving referee will declare that dive, the last dive, a failed dive. (9-3-6 PEN 1 & 2, 9-4-1a)

SITUATION 9: Diving judges are using an electronic visual display system, which is visible to the crowd, to display their individual scores for each dive. The announcer is only announcing the total score for each dive performed. On one dive, a judge mistakenly enters the wrong score. The judge notifies the diving referee of the error. The diving referee directs the judge to make the change on the visual display, if possible, and directs the diving scorer to change the score and ensure that the total score for the dive is correct. The diving referee also instructs the announcer to announce the error and the correct total score. RULING: Correct procedure. COMMENT: Each diving judge is responsible for ensuring that his/her visual score is correct. If an error or equipment malfunction occurs, the diving referee is responsible for being sure the correction is made on the scoresheet and the error and corrected total score are announced. (9-6, 9-6-3b)