Florida High School Athletic Association Swimming Rules

The Florida High School Athletic Association serves as the rulemaking and administrative body for high school athletics in the state. The FHSAA features a board of directors that sets the rules and regulations for each sport. Many of the rules and regulations are specific to a particular sport, and the FHSAA publishes a manual each year that spells out the rules and guidelines that schools, coaches and athletes must follow. The rules for swimming are specific, and they are reviewed and amended before the start of each swim season.

  1. Season Rules

    • Each year, the Florida High School Athletic Association sets the schedule for the swim season, which takes place during the first part of the school year. The schedule sets the earliest time that coaches can hold practices and also sets the schedule that must be followed for district and regional meets. The 2010 manual sets the first practice date on Aug. 10. Schools that hold practices prior to the first practice date face sanctions by the FHSAA. The rules for the season allow multiple days for district and regional meets. District and regional members set a specific date prior to the start of the season, but the dates often differ from one district or region to another.

    Competition Rules

    • The National Federation of State High School Associations sets swimming and diving rules that the FHSAA follows, but FHSAA makes some modifications. The rules are enforced for all competitions, including the state series meets currently held at the Orlando YMCA. Rules include a limit on the number of events in which an individual swimmer is eligible to complete. No swimmer is allowed to compete in more than four events, including no more than two individual events. Teams also are limited. They are allowed no more than four entries in any individual event held in a pool with eight lanes. If the pool has six or seven lanes, the maximum is three; it's two for pools with five or fewer lanes.

      FHSAA rules also dictate which events are included in the state’s high school swim meets. There are 12 different events. The events must be run in a specific order spelled out by FHSAA rules. The first event is the 200-yard medley relay, and the last event is the 400-yard freestyle relay.

    Uniform Rule

    • In accordance with FHSAA’s rulebook manual, all swimmers must wear uniforms that cover all of the buttocks, and the suits must be made of material that is not transparent when wet. Violating the rule results in a swimmer being ineligible for competition until the offending attire is replaced with a conforming uniform. Competitors who violate the rule during or after a competition will be disqualified from their events.

    Sportsmanship Rules

    • Athletes, coaches, school administrators, students and spectators directly or indirectly connected to a specific school must follow certain FHSAA rules regarding sportsmanship. All of these individuals must avoid unsportsmanlike conduct. Such acts are determined by meet officials and can result in penalties against the offenders and their schools. Athletes who commit unsportsmanlike actions are ruled ineligible for the remainder of the meet and the next two competitions in any sport. A second violation by a student-athlete results in a six-week suspension from all school athletic competition. If more than three students from a particular school are charged with unsportsmanlike acts, the school is placed on administrative probation for at least one year and will receive a $100 fine per suspension.