Championship Meets

USA Swimming, Oregon Swimming and other swimming organizations offer many championship level swim meets through out the year. Below are descriptions of some of the more common championship meets and links to further information about them.

League Championships

A league can exist within Oregon Swimming and can also be registered as such. For much of the 50s through 90s, the Columbia Basin Swim League(CBSL) existed to provide dual meet opportunities and a low level, low pressure championship meet at the end of the short course season. At the time of it's folding, CBSL had divided into 6 areas, each with their own championship meet, and each with it's own set of qualifying criteria.

As CBSL broke up, many other leagues sprung up to take up its goals. While Oregon Swimming sanctions most of the dual meets held within the leagues and all their championship meets, each league determines the qualifying standards. Ask your team's coach if your team participates in a league. Leagues may only call their end of the season meet a championship if they are registered. Non-registered leagues will generally call their championship meet an invitational or season ending meet.

Oregon Swimming Championships

Oregon Swimming conducts five association level championships. For more information and past results, read more here.

Zone Championships

USA Swimming is divided into 4 zones, each holding championship meets. The Western Zone, of which Oregon is a member, holds an annual championship meet in August. Unlike other championship meets, the Zone meet is an All-Star meet, meaning Oregon sends one team comprised of the fatest swimmers aged 11 to 18 from around the LSC. Teams are usually around 80 swimmers. More Information.

Sectional Championships

USA Swimming, of which Oregon is a member organization, used to conduct Regional championships throughout the nation. The Northwest was a part of Region XII, which included the Local Swimming Committess (LSC) of Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. In the late 1990s, USA Swimming decided to replace the Regional Championships with Sectionals. More Information.

National Championships

The USA Swimming National Championships have been in flux recently. However, ever since the inception of USA Swimming in the late 1970s, USA Swimming has held several National level championship meets. More Information.

Olympic Trials

Every four years, USA Swimming conducts it's Olympic Trials (also simply called Trials) to select the Olympic team. Oregon Swimming has sent many swimmers to Trials. More Information.

Non-USA Swimming Championships

Many Oregon Swimming members and teams are associated with other, non-USA Swimming organizations, most commonly YMCA, High School and United States Masters.

YMCA

Oregon Swimming includes several YMCA teams, who hold dual membership in both YMCA Swimming and USA Swimming. The YMCA teams may participate in a YMCA State Championship, a Regional Championship and a National Championship. These organizations have their own qualfying standards.

High School

Washington conducts it's girls high school season in the Fall season, while the Washington boys, and Oregon girls and boys swim in the Winter. High School dual meets are generally not recognized by USA Swimming and their times are not valid for qualifying for any USA Swimming/Oregon Swimming championships. The high school season culmunates with two championship level meets, Districts and State. Most, if not all, district meets do not have a qualifying criteria. State championships, however, generally allow the winner of each district meet and those who meet the qualifying standard attend the meet. Both Oregon and Washington have three State meets, one for each school size as determined by the WIAA or OSAA.

United States Masters

United States Masters started in 1971 as a means to promote health and exercise in adults. There are about 600 registered swimmers within Oregon Masters Swimming who participate in various levels, with a few swimmers also swimming in USA Swimming meets. Masters, open to swimmers 18 and older, holds several championship meets throughout the year, including a Short Course Meter Zone Championships, Short Course Yards Association championships, Short Course Yards Zones, Short Course Yards Nationals and a Long Course National Championships. Visit Oregon Masters Website for more information.