A Fan’s Guide: What To Watch For At Your First U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials

The last time the best athletes in the world competed for spots on their Olympic and Paralympic teams, there were no spectators.

No cheering fans, no hugs from family members. The paramount concern was for everyone’s safety and minimizing exposure to COVID-19.

Thankfully that’s not the case this year, and fans will be a welcome sight at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials taking place Thursday through Saturday at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the University of Minnesota campus.

If you’ve never been to a Para swimming meet before and have tickets for the team trials, you’re in for a treat. You may, however, have some questions if you’re unfamiliar with Paralympic swimming. We think we can help with at least some of them. 

First Of All, What Does Classification Mean? And What Are The Classifications?

Swimmers are classified according to the degree to which their disability impacts their function. World Para Swimming recognizes three different types of impairments: physical, intellectual and visual. Physical impairments include impaired muscle power, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis and impaired range of passive motion. Athletes with different disabilities compete against one another, because the classes are based on the impact the disability has on the individual’s swimming and not the disability itself. So, for instance, you might see athletes with amputations racing against athletes with some form of paraplegia.

There are three sport classes: S, for freestyle, butterfly and backstroke; SB, for breaststroke; and SM, for individual medley. Those letters will then be followed by numbers to indicate the sport class and degree of impairment. The lower the number, the greater the severity of the disability. 

Classes one through 10 are for physical impairments, with 10 being the lowest degree of impairment and 1 being the greatest. Classes 11 through 13 are for swimmers with visual impairments —11 being the greatest amount of vision loss and 13 being the least. Swimmers in the 14 class are those with intellectual impairments that typically impact pattern recognition, sequencing and memory, or cause the athlete to have a slower reaction time, which impacts performance. 

What Is A Multi-Class Race? 

In the preliminary races you’ll see swimmers of different classes competing all at the same time. What that means is that a swimmer who appears to finish fifth or sixth may actually win their heat for that particular classification. But the finals will be separated so that only swimmers of the same class will be competing against each other. Or, if multiple classes are racing at the same time, they’ll be separated by an empty lane so it will be easier to follow who’s winning. 

Are Those People Supposed To Be Hitting Swimmers On The Head With A Stick Like That?

That depends on who the swimmer is, but if it’s one with a visual impairment, then probably yes. Those people are called tappers, and they help swimmers with visual impairments know when they’re approaching the wall. Not every visually impaired swimmer uses a tapper, and another technique for knowing where they are in the water is counting strokes. But those in the S/SB 11 classification are required to have such a person standing by the end of the pool with a pole in order to communicate that it’s time to either flip or stop.

In similar fashion, you may see some swimmers have people called assists helping them onto the blocks, stabilizing them at starts and/or helping them to start in the water, depending on the disability.

Where Are Those Children Going With Those Legs? 

It’s the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials. You’re going to see lots of prosthetics, wheelchairs and other mobility aids scattered across the pool deck. Legs will come off legs will go on again. And when swimmers ditch those mobility aids to enter the pool, they’re going to need to have them back again not only when they exit but also where. That’s where volunteers often play a part. Helpers will gather up legs and other devices from the starting blocks and carry them over to where the swimmers exit the water so they can get on their way and ready for their next race. 

Watch For Falling Records! 

You just never know when an American or even a world record is going to topple when you gather the best athletes in the country. In fact, four years ago, 17-year-old Gia Pergolini set a world record in the 100-meter backstroke S13 in the very first session of prelims. The following day, Anastasia Pagonis not only set a 400 free S11 world record in prelims, but then she broke it again in finals. No matter what, get ready for some fast swims!

Remember Those Names

Not everyone will make the 33-person U.S. Paralympic Team this year, but some of the athletes who may not be quite ready for 2024 will be the athletes who take center stage in 2028 when the Games come to Los Angeles. There’s no doubt that some of those future stars will be in Minneapolis this weekend. 

Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.