Preseason Swimming & Diving Memo

Happy First Day of Practice!

Best wishes to you and your team this year. This note covers a number of important reminders and updates to ensure you’re fully prepared for the season.

2025 Rules Meeting: The 2025 Swimming and Diving Rules Meeting has been posted since August 4 and can be accessed through your Bound account. All head coaches are required to view the meeting, and it is recommended that assistant coaches do so as well. Completion deadline: Friday, September 5.

2025 Rule Changes: NFHS rule changes for the 2025 season can be accessed here.

2025 Points of Emphasis: There are only a few items highlighted this year, but please take time to review them. You can view this year’s Points of Emphasis here.

New IGHSAU Website: The IGHSAU unveiled a new website in July with the goal of making navigation more streamlined—especially for coaches and activity directors. Public and coaches’ pages for swimming and diving are now combined, so all information is in one place. Please check the page regularly for updates during the season.

Regular Season State Qualifying Diving Meets – September 20 & October 18

Divers will now have two opportunities to qualify for the 2025 State Diving Meet during the regular season:
- Saturday, September 20 – Waukee
- Saturday, October 18 – Marshalltown YMCA/YWCA

The top five finishers at each meet will automatically qualify for state. If a diver places in the top five at both meets, the next-highest finisher(s) from the Marshalltown meet will qualify until 10 regular-season qualifiers are reached. Efforts will be made to have the same panels of officials and coaches judge both meets for consistency.

Coaches and officials selected for these judging panels must complete the NFHS Judging Springboard Diving online course.

If you need to add an additional diving date to your schedule to compete at both meets, email me at jasoneslinger@ighsau.org.

Note: Like swimming’s regular season qualifying process, divers who qualify during the regular season must compete in the regional meet and record a successful 11-dive performance to remain eligible for state.

NFHS Judging Diving Course Required For Officials: The NFHS has made judging consistency a point of emphasis. The IGHSAU advisory committee voted to make the Judging Springboard Diving course mandatory for:
- Officials judging diving at the regular-season qualifying meets, regionals, or state.
- Coaches wishing to be considered for judging at these meets.

Officials: Access the course via Dragonfly.
Coaches: Access the course by doing the following:
1. Go to www.nfhs.org and click NFHS Learning Center at the top.
2. Click on Courses for Officials.
3. On the left menu, select Sport Specific Courses—“Judging Springboard Diving” will appear first.
4. Register for an NFHS account if you don’t already have one, then begin the course.Backstroke Ledges: Backstroke ledges are now legal and will be used this season at both regionals and the state meet.

Scrimmages: Beginning this season, schools may participate in up to two scrimmages between the first legal practice date and the last day of the State Meet. Scrimmages must not cause loss of school time.

Iowa Adaptive Swimming Program: This program allows athletes requiring wheelchairs to compete in:
- 50 Freestyle
- 100 Freestyle
- 200 Freestyle
- 100 Breaststroke
- 100 Backstroke
The 2025 Adaptive Swimming entry form can be downloaded by clicking here.

Bound: Bound is now open for roster and schedule updates. Schools must have meet results updated every Tuesday during the regular season. Meet hosts: It is important that you import results into Bound for times to be verified for state qualification.  A Bound tutorial for importing results is available by clicking here.

2025 Regular Season State Qualifying Time Standards: Standards are the average of the 16th-place time from the last five state meets. Times must be achieved in an IGHSAU-sanctioned meet in a fully automatic-timed yard pool, and verified in Bound.

200 Free – 1:57.88
200 IM – 2:12.65
50 Free – :24.92
100 Fly – 1:00.19
100 Free – :54.55
500 Free – 5:21.03
100 Back – 1:00.19
100 Breast – 1:07.65

Diving Coaches: Diving coaches may work with all divers from the schools they serve at the same time. Diving coaches will not need to have separate diving practices for each school. This applies only to diving.

Season Limitations: An athlete may compete in 12 varsity meets, with no more than one meet per day. JV and varsity participation on the same day counts as one meet. Diving-only meets are permitted.

Concussion Protocol: All coaches must complete Concussion in Sports: What You Need to Know before the first practice. Contact your AD if you have not completed it.

NFHS Rule Book: 2025 is an off year for rule book distribution; no books will be mailed.

11-Dive Meets: 11-dive meet are permitted at duals with mutual consent of both schools. Hosts are responsible for notifying officials in advance.

Hosting Regionals: Schools interested in hosting regionals must complete the site availability form in Bound. Preference is given to facilities with eight-lane pools, though not guaranteed.

Rule 9-4-6 – Rotating Dive Schedule (2025 Season)

Weeks 1–2: Forward Group
Week 3: Back Group
Week 4: Inward Group
Week 5: Twisting Group
Week 6: Reverse Group
Then repeat the cycle.

Diving Facility Requirements: The Iowa Department of Health ruled that diving boards may be replaced on pools with a water depth of 10-12 feet.  However, replacing a complete diving stand will not be permitted unless the water depth is 12 feet.  This would violate Iowa Code (641 IAC Chapter 15). Iowa Administrative Code does not allow the following sites to replace the diving stand due to having less than 12 feet of water. Therefore, diving will not take place, and no points will be awarded at the following sites:
Atlantic, Centerville, Des Moines East, Des Moines Hoover, Des Moines North, Lewis Central, Newton, Indianola, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Perry, Spencer, Tipton, Vinton-Shellsburg, Williamsburg.

If your facility status has changed, contact the IGHSAU immediately.

Please reach out anytime with questions. Best wishes for a successful 2025 swimming and diving season!

Jason Eslinger
Associate Director/Swimming and Diving Administrator