Information about the Disability or Para Time Standards

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These time standards are the accumulation of over 3 years work and are intended to foster and promote the inclusion of athletes with a disability within USA Swimming LSC Championships. The motivational times are designed to provide a fair, equitable and structured approach by using a combination of three groupings of similar disabilities for athletes, along with qualifying/motivational times tailored to different levels of competition.

These motivational times will supplement existing initiates for inclusion within USA Swimming. The primary focus and intended use for the motivational times are:

1. Provide a simple and easy to implement grouping of athletes with a disability for competition that complies with the USA Swimming rules and regulations.

2. Provide a consistent national level benchmark for athletes with a disability to work towards. These motivational times are similar in their purpose to the existing C, B, A, time standards issued by USA Swimming today.

3. Provide fair and consistent qualifying times at a national level for championship meets ranging from LSC Championships through Zones and up to Sectional Level meets. Prior to these motivational times, there was inconsistency between LSC’s within USA Swimming for qualifying times at championship meets for athletes with a disability.

4. Foster and promote a fair and equitable framework for the inclusion of athletes with a disability within USA Swimming. The Motivational Times standards are posted on the Montana Swimming website and the USA Swimming web site on both the Disability page and the time standards page.

What are the P1, P2 & P3 groupings included in the motivation times? The three “P” groups place athletes with similar disabilities into the same time groupings. The three groups are a simple and easy to determine means of ensuring athletes with similar (not identical) disabilities have the same motivational times.

What athletes are included in P1, P2 & P3 groupings included in the motivation times? The three groups include athletes who have the following disabilities:

· P1 - non-ambulatory (wheelchair bound) – limited use of all four extremities

· P2 – dwarfism, multiple limb deficiencies, ambulatory with assistance, can be wheelchair bound with high functioning upper body

· P3 – single limb deficiencies, visual impairment, intellectual impairment, ambulatory without significant assistance

How do I know that the P1, P2 or P3 group that the athletes say they belong to is correct? If the athlete or the coach states they belong to a particular group, then that is the correct group for them. This is consistent with age group swimming where we accept birthdates without requiring a birth certificate. The aim of these motivational times is to foster inclusion, not to embarrass athletes and coaches on the pool deck.

Disability or Para Time Standards:

USA Swimming Motivational Time Standards Guide   PDF

LSC Disability/Para Time Standards   PDF

Sectional Disability/Para Time Standards   PDF

Zone Disability/Para Time Standards   PDF