The primary objective of a Time Drop Program in swim teams or swim clubs is to motivate and track swimmer improvement by rewarding and recognizing faster times achieved during swim meets. This helps swimmers monitor their progress and set realistic goals.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the objectives:
- Motivation and Goal Setting: Time drop programs provide a tangible, quantifiable goal for swimmers to strive for, fostering a sense of accomplishment and encouraging continuous improvement.
- Performance Tracking: By tracking baseline times and subsequent improvements, swimmers and coaches can monitor progress and identify areas for focus in training
- Recognition and Celebration: Time drop programs often involve public recognition of achievements, boosting swimmer confidence and morale.
- Enhancing Training Focus: The focus on time drops can encourage swimmers to pay closer attention to technique, stroke rate, and other factors that impact performance.
- Tracking and Measuring Progress: Monitoring how these skills progress will allow you to track your improvements and show you everything you need to know about your stroke and training.
Here is a bit of information about why ONT has brought back this program in 2024:
- The athlete should focus on self-improvement. A swimmer should swim better, get faster, and improve their times throughout the season or in a given period.
- To help swimmers focus on what is in their control, ONT utilizes a Time Drop Recognition program to help swimmers monitor their times and improvements throughout the season.
Below is helpful information about how time drops are calculated:
- Swimmers establish “baseline times” for the season the first time they legally swim an event. This may have been the Time Trial or Meet Pre-Run, or later in the season depending on the swimmer’s meet schedule.
- When a swimmer improves upon the “baseline times”, it is called a time drop. This new faster (season-best) time then becomes the time to beat for the next time drop.
- Each time a swimmer beats their season-best time in an event, it counts as a one-time drop, and a new season-best is established (and so on).
- Times on heat sheets may not be the current-season best times. Entry times are usually a personal best time that may have been achieved in a previous season.
- Meet results are not official until added to the ONT database and meet/event page. Our meet manager usually emails the results of the previous swim meet the next day. Please check your email constantly.
- Prizes are awarded for every two (2) time drops a swimmer earns. Swimmers receive a Time Drop Award keychain ring with one (1) star stuck or pinned to it for their first two (2) time drops. For every additional two (2) time drops, a swimmer will earn another star that he/she pins to their earned keychain ring.
- A swimmer who earns or achieves nine (9) time drops or more by the end of the current season will receive a trophy that will be awarded to the swimmer during the team's End-of-the-season banquet in July. And YES. Silver and Gold Championship meets are included in the program.
Time drop distribution is handled by parent volunteers. Swimmers should find their personal best purple sheets in the mailbox approximately a week or so after the completion of a swim meet. Additionally, any ribbons earned at swim meets are also distributed through the mailbox. The Time Drop and Awards Committee will keep it constantly updated. Just be patient with our committees. Sometimes, when we have away meets, they won’t be able to give all the ribbons your swimmers have earned. We either pick them up or they mail them to us. The mailbox is located near the Showcase Boad during morning practices.
