A PENNSYLVANIA NON-PROFIT CORPORATION
An Independent Age-Group Swimming & Diving League in the Suburbs of Philadelphia
"The aim of our organization is to further the growth, development & progress of Swimming & Diving; to teach good sportsmanship and to aid teams in furthering aquatic interest in league participation within Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties of Pennsylvania."
General Information
The Suburban Aquatic League is an organization of Age Group swimming and diving clubs in Bucks, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania (Suburban Philadelphia). Currently, the SAL is composed of more than 20 teams and is organized into four geographical divisions. The league is comprised of a season of dual and championship meets, with dual meets generally beginning in early November, and the season ending with the championship meet in February. All participating clubs field boys' and girls' swimming and diving teams. The league is run by parent volunteers according to the SAL Constitution. The mission of the SAL program is to develop skills in the sports of competitive swimming and diving; teach good sportsmanship; and provide a means of healthy self-expression for those participating. Those interested in participating should contact the leaders of the clubs in their area (see the League Directory elsewhere on this web site) and visit the web sites of any participating clubs in their area (links to club web sites are provided on the Home Page of this site)
Description of SAL Meets
Crossover Meets |
For Divisions with an uneven number of teams, the first weekend of dual meets each season consists of crossover meets, crossover meaning that opponent teams are from different divisions of the SAL. Dual means that the meets involve teams from two clubs. Teams scheduled as crossover opponents had similar records during the previous season.
Note: Crossover and Regular Season Meets are sometimes "Double-dual" meets, meaning that the boys and girls meets are held in the same pool and at the same time. |
Regular Season Meets |
The bulk of the season consists of five dual meets. Each team swims and dives against all of the other teams in the same division of SAL. |
Flight Dual Meet Championships (Division and League Dual Meet Championships) |
The flight dual meet championships are divided into two meets: dual meet conference championships and league dual meet championships. First, the dual meet conference championship opponent is the team in the same place in the other division of the conference. The winner of that meet move on to compete against the winner of the other conference in the league dual meet championship. The runner up of the conference dual meet championship competes against the other runner up in the consolation league dual meet championship. Note: Athletes must have competed in at least 40% of dual meets as a swimmer and/or as a diver to be eligible for flight dual meet championships. |
League and Divisional Championships |
League Championships is the league individual championships where only swimmers/divers with the top 18 times/scores (plus 2 alternates) in the entire league in each event are eligible. Coaches notify swimmers/divers of their eligibility for Leagues Championships before a league seed meeting which occurs following the League Dual Meet Championships.
ALL swimmers/divers are eligible for Division Championships (but cannot swim in events for which they qualified in League Championships and there is a limit on the combined number of entries for both Championships). The Division Swimming Championships are divisional: each division holds a championship meet. Swimmers are seeded according to their best times for a particular event. The Division Diving Championships are usually held at one location with the results for each event determined by division. Both championships are individual competitions only (No team competition) Note: Athletes must have competed in at least 40% of dual meets, as a swimmer and/or as a diver, to be eligible for League Championships. |
Invitational Meets |
Throughout the season there are a number of invitational meets hosted by SAL teams. These are often held on Sundays and are open to any league member. There is a small fee per event and (as always) a limit on the number of events that can be entered. Swimmers may choose the events in which they swim. These meets are considered "extras" by most teams, which are entirely optional. Invitational meets are sanctioned by SAL, meaning that times from these meets are considered in the seeding for championships. However, participation at these meets does not count toward the 40% rule. Most invitational meets require that swimmers or divers sign-up to swim or dive in the meet 3 or 4 weeks prior to the meet. Team reps receive information about these meets from the host team. |