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False Start Rope- A rope that runs the width of the pool (about halfway across a
25 yard or
25 meter pool, or about 15 meters from the end of a
50 meter yard pool) that is used to stop swimmers who may not hear the signal indicating a false start. Also known as "recall rope."
Freestyle- A swimming event where any stroke or motion is permissible, except that in individual medley and medley relay events, one of the previously swum strokes may not be repeated. Also, the common name in the United States for the
front crawl stroke.
(see video demonstration)
Flags- A rope hanging over the width of the pool with triangular pennants hanging off of it used by backstrokers to determine the when to do their flipturns and finishes. Used in conjunction with
stroke counts. The official distance is 5 yards from both walls in a yards pool, and 5 meters in a meters pool, although these distances will vary at many neighborhood pools.
See Picture
Flat Start- A general term used to describe dives used to begin the 1st leg of a relay race or an individual race, in contrast to a
relay start, which is used by the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th swimmer in a relay.
Relay starts usually result in a faster time than flat starts, which is why races swum from flat starts and relay starts are often not comparable. The reaction time of a relay start is approximately .5-.7 seconds faster than a flat start, although there are other factors involved in the time difference between flat-start swims and relay-start swims.
