I hope this finds all of you doing well. I have a few items that I wanted to bring to your attention regarding the 2023 swimming and diving season. Please take a few moments to read this information over.

2023 State Qualifying Time Standards: The following time standards have been approved for the 2023 swimming and diving season. The times are established by taking the average from the last five state meets of the last scoring place (16th place) from each individual event. 

2023 State Swimming Qualifying Standards

200 Free 1:57.70
200 IM 2:12.44
50 Freestyle :24.85
100 Butterfly :59.62
100 Freestyle :54.47
500 Freestyle 5:18.45
100 Backstroke :59.77
100 Breaststroke 1:08.19

Diving Coaches May Work With Their Divers: This is a reminder that schools with diving programs are allowed ten days of diving instruction until June 1, 2023. This is a program limitation and not a team or individual limitation. Regardless of the number of schools that utilize the diving instructional development at any one time, a day is utilized in the ten days. The ten days must be on file with school administration and must include skill instruction related solely to diving. No swimming drills are to be done during these sessions. The instruction must come from the school's designated diving coach. 

State Diving Change: Diving will be judged differently at the 2023 State Meet. The swimming and diving advisory committee recommended using a two-panel judging system at the state diving meet. The IGHSAU Board of Directors approved this change at its February meeting. 

In this format, there would be two panels of judges - two officials and five coaches on each seven-person panel, for a total of four officials and 10 coaches. The coaches selected to judge at the state diving meet will be based on recommendations submitted to the IGHSAU from each regional meet. Each regional site would submit the top four names of diving coaches for a total of 12 names. The IGHSAU, with the consultation of the four officials selected to judge diving, will select the ten coaches to judge the state meet—the format for judging regional diving will not change.

The panel system would designate two groups, each consisting of two officials and five coaches. One of the two officials in each panel would oversee each group. Each panel would judge two rounds of diving, then be off for two rounds. This change aims to improve the consistency of judging at the state meet. 

I hope you all enjoy a great spring.

Jason Eslinger, Swimming and Diving Administrator