Season Structure

The competitive portion of our summer season typically involves 8 Dual Meets (half home + half away) plus 2 age-specific Invitationals plus up to 2 days of Championships. A swimmer must compete in at least 3 meets in order to be eligible for Championships (your age-specific Invitational counts towards this minimum).

Dual Meets

Dual Meets are our regular season meets against one other SAAA team. Roughly half of our Dual Meets will be in our CTAP home pool with the other half at another teams pool in the Tucson area. These are fast paced meets for all age groups with individual events (4 strokes + IM) and relay events (medley and free).

Invitationals

Invitationals are a great way to bond with teammates, practice going off the taller blocks, experience touch-pads, and get some familiarity with the championship pool.

The 9-18 invitational is for ages 9 and up. The meet lets the older kids compete in a fun fast-paced meet against swimmers from other SAAA teams. The meet is typically run fastest to slowest but, awards are given out based on times earned within age groups. The meet often includes 25-yard sprints, which are fast and exciting for the swimmers and spectators (you will not see 25-yard events in these age groups at any other meet).

The Muppet meet is for the 6U and 8U groups. This is a fun meet just for the little ones and it's a great way for swimmers to gain Championship pool experience in a low-stress environment. Come help your kids become familiar with the rhythm and pace of an SAAA meet, how the tall blocks work, how warmups work, and experience the SAAA meet vibe. It is a great opportunity to build momentum and gain confidence ahead of championships.

Championships

The pinnacle of the season is a fun 2-day Championships event at the Oro Valley Aquatic Center where the CT Marlins compete for the league title! SAAA teams are typically aligned into three leagues (Rincon, Santa Rita, and Catalina). Each league gets its own Championship (day 1), which is then followed by a combined Super Final (day 2) for the fastest swimmers.

Each Marlin is important and we need as many swimmers as possible to attend Championships. To be eligible for Championships, an athlete must swim an individual event in least 3 meets (invitationals count). Coaches will be strategic with entries in order to help maximize points but you are all important to the event.

Information specific to this years Championship and Super Final days is typically posted in the online view of the schedule.