Cottontail Cobias

DUAL MEETS (A Meets)

NVSL has over 10,000 swimmers on 102 teams and is the largest summer swim league in the nation. The teams are ranked based on how the teams performed the prior year and are assigned to one of the seventeen 6-team divisions, based on the ranking. The teams in each division compete against each other over the course of 5 weeks, from the end of June through July, in dual Saturday morning meets. These meets are scored and points are earned depending on the place our swimmers take. In each of the Saturday meets there are 40 individual events and 12 relays. There are 10 individual events each in freestyle, backstroke, breastroke and butterfly. The 10 events are divided into 5 age groups - 8 and under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-18, one each for boys and girls. In individual events 1st place is worth 5 points, 2nd - 3 points and 3rd - 1 point. The 10 relays are swum in the same age groups but there are also 2 mixed age freestyle relays for boys and girls which are swam at the end of the meet. Each winning relay gets 5 points and the losing relay does not earn points. There are no Individual Medley events at Saturday Meets.

Cottontail will compete in NVSL Division 8 for the 2025 season. There are 5 dual meets per season. These are held on Saturday mornings starting June 15th and are against other swim teams in the division. The meet schedule is determined by NVSL. Swimmers are selected for these meets by coaches based on swim times and availability, so not every swimmer will get the chance to swim in an A meet. These meets are competitive and scores are kept.  

Swimmers are EXPECTED to remain at the meet until the conclusion. Since A Meets are scored, it is very important to have everyone stay to cheer on the team. If there is a conflict in a swimmer's schedule which requires they leave the meet early, they must talk to the coaches and the Team Reps by Friday morning before the meet.

Monday Night Meets (B Meets)

The Cobias participate in the Springfield-Burke Developmental League. This League has the following rules for eligibility:(A) Swimmers shall not swim any event swum at the preceding NVSL-sanctioned dual meet, i.e. Saturday meets; (B) Swimmers shall swim no more than two events; (C) Swimmers shall not be entered in events in which the swimmer has no likelihood of swimming legally; and (D) Swimmers shall swim in their age groups at Developmental Meets.

These meets happen on four Monday nights through June and July. They are un-scored and FUN meets where main goals are allowing swimmers to get accustomed to competing against their peers and in front of an audience, trying new strokes they have been working on at practice, and improving their times (achieving personal bests). In this meet every swimmer can pick up to two events in which they can legally swim, which includes Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke Butterfly, and Individual Medley (IM). IM is where the swimmers swim all four swim strokes, so the swimmer must be able to legally swim all four strokes. It is the parents responsibility to select which two strokes their child wants to swim in Swimtopia. Coach approval is required for all first time swimmers of a particular swim stroke that the swimmer has not yet swam legally, in addition to first time IMs.

All swimmers in Monday meets earn ribbons for each event swam. These ribbons will be available the following day in the family file folder. Probably the most important outcome of developmental meets for younger swimmers, is team bonding and sportsmanship.

Mini Meet

The Mini Cobia meet is held at the end of the season for all Mini Cobias. This is a fun meet that is run by the swim team swimmers.

Meet Essentials

What do I bring to a Swim Meet?

• Wear a racing suit (team suit not mandatory, but encouraged)
• Team swim cap and 2 sets of goggles
• Two Towels (one to dry off with and one to sit on if a pool does not allow chairs)
• Lawn chair (if pool allows)
• Water bottle and/or light healthy snack (save snack-bar goodies until after your events)                                            

Please be sure to label all belongings!