What is the difference between long course and short course USA season?
The Long Course season starts in the Spring (after Short Course Yards –SCY) and continues until the beginning of August. Long Course is ‘meters’ and is referred to as “LCM” in the time standards. The LCM season also has a championship season (like SCY), and those meets are posted on the Illinois Swimming website. Long course meets are swum in a 50 meter pool, which is approximately 55 yards. Therefore, there are NO 25 yard events, and the shortest events are all 50 meters. Unfortunately, our community does not have a 50meter pool, so those meets are travel. Facilities who have a 50m pool, typically divide their pool into 2…25-yard pools during the short course season. RKSA competes in both Rec League and Long Course meets in the summer, which can be confusing. However, rec league meets are not certified Illinois Swimming/USA meets. Training for long course is the most challenging and requires the highest level of commitment, but is also considered the highest level of swimming.
