Is the version on the web page "crippled" or limited in any way?
No, this file contains a complete, working version of our products. You are welcome to try it out and use it. However, if you want a manual or telephone support, we ask that you order a copy.
How widely used is this software?
We have several hundred users all around the world. It was written for the Wilton Y Wahoos and for all of the teams in Connecticut Swimming, where it is used by most teams. It has also been adopted officially by Adirondack Swimming. Entire summer leagues in Vermont and Virginia have also standardized on this software.
How long have you been in business?
Longer than any other swimming software provider. The first meet using our software was run by the Lowell (MA) Boy's Club swim team in 1981. It was used by the Bernal's Gators in 1982 for their National Qualifier meet as well. The program has been rewritten and improved 4 times since then, and became the first Windows software package for swimming in 1993. (At the moment it is still the only Windows swimming program.)
Just send a check to Lab Software Associates, 48 Old Driftway, Wilton, CT 06897. Since we try to maintain low prices, we do not currently have a relationship with a credit card agency. We do not accept checks drawn in foreign currencies (other than Canada). For orders outside the US, and Canada, please add $10 for shipping.
Since the price is so low, are the features limited?
We provide a state of the art package with more features than ANY commercial offering. Other vendors have copied some of the features we have offered for years.
Some of the most popular features include:
 | Support for all printers supported by Windows |
| Automatic calculation of corrections for "missed pad" times by USS rules. |
| Computation of total entry fees due by both Team and Meet programs |
| Automatic billing of swimmer's USS accounts for meet entry fees |
| Posting of meet results to the World Wide Web |
We provide these programs on a nonprofit basis as a donation to the sport of swimming.
Do you have a Macintosh version?
No, we have seen little demand for Macintosh software for swimming. The swimming community is pretty much PC based. We know of one Mac product and will post its address below when we receive it.
How do I get product support?
We are available 7 am to 11 pm 7 days a week for registered users. We also respond to Email at support@labsoftware.com. The manual lists 4 telephone numbers you may call for help.
What distinguishes you from other swimming software packages?
Our software was developed by an experienced Meet Referee in conjunction with several experienced USS meet managers, officials, and coaches. We concentrate on software ease of use and try to remain the leader in this area. We are always open to suggestions as to how to make our software even easier to use and more flexible.
How do I import meet entry files from H*T*k software?
These files must be exported using their ComLink software into a Standard Data Interchaneg (SDI) format. The files can be renamed, but most operators simply accept the default filename: cfileo1.cl2. Place the diskette containing this entry in your a: diskette drive, and from the Meet Entries/Enter Team Data screen, select the File menu item and select Import Lsa Entry or USS SDI file. This brings up a file menu where you can select a file on any drive or directory. Select the a drive and the file names cfile01.cl2. This will import the file and make a standard team entry file from it. You can then select that team from the Team Initials dropdown menu and examine, edit and print it out as usual.
Print a copy of the entry to make sure that the team submitted the correct entry fees.
You can also copy this file directly into your meet directory and convert it there. Be careful not to overwrite one file with one from another team, since many teams do not bother to rename the files to have unique names.
SwimMeet 5.6 allows you to add swimmers to events in which they have not yet been entered, within the Results module.
| Add the events for trials to the end of your meet file. Then exit and restart SwimMeet so it reads this new file. |
| For each time trial go to the Results screen and select that time trial event. |
| Using Select Swimmers | to add to event you can enter them on the screen. |
| Before you print out your final results, be sure that these added events are in a session called "Time Trials" and they willl be printed separately, and not mixed into the rulebook order printout. |
What does the error message "Invalid property value" mean?
This usually occurred when you tried to print without selecting a printer and setting up the header, subhead and main page fonts. It has been corrected in version 5.5 and should no longer appear. If you see it, please contact us with exact information as to what steps you performed, so we can correct any residual problems.
Can you print out seed cards on deck for a meet?
Yes, you can, by printing out seed card labels after you have accepted scratches and seeded the events. However, we strongly recommend using the "cardless" meet approach where you simply post the swimmers' lane assignments for each event and print timers sheets for each lane. This is much faster and both swimmers and coaches seem to appreciate its simplicity.
This is described in detail in the manual. In short, you should prepare a team entry for your team containing all possible swimmers, but no events. Then, you should obtain a list of the swimmers from the visiting team before the meet starts. Start the results module and the dual meet module. Your team's swimmer names should appear on the left column. You can type in the visiting team's swimmers from a list or as they appear. You can select whether the home team is to be in odd or even lanes and can simply click on swimmers to assign them in lanes in the Results module.
How can I score two divisions within a meet?
The scoring module allows you to select a file containing the names of teams in a single division. This is a text file created using the Notepad or Wordpad and stored in your meet directory. You can select one or more of these files by starting Scoring and clicking on File/Open. There you can select a text file (.txt extension) listing any teams in the division you want to score. This moves up the swimmers in that division to take all the scoring places.
This feature was developed for the Vermont Swim Association and is available from this download site. It was not shipped in the 5.5 release version.
What if a swimmer swims in a different lane?
You can just drag their name to the new lane with the mouse. If they swim in the wrong heat, you can select the empty lane in that heat and click on Change Swimmer to move them to the new lane.
Note: In USS rules, the swimmer is not penalized for this mistake, it is the Head Timer's responsibility to see that a swimmer is in the correct heat and lane.
My 11&Under swimmers didn't print on the scratch sheets in the 500 free.
In a recent age group meet, there were 11 year old events as well as 11 and under events. In the case when there were no actual 11 year olds on these 11&U events, this age group was omitted from the scratch sheets, although they were correctly entered in the meet. This has been corrected in the version 5.53 on this web site.
How do I distribute results on disk?
This disk then contains all the files necessary for the user of any software package to import the data into their team records.
How do I put my meet results on the World Wide Web?
Just click on the Web Page button. This creates a complete set of web pages for each event, an index and a frameset document. You can then upload these to your team's web site as described in the manual.
How do I correct for missed pads when electronic timing is used?
In the results module, select any lane marked with a < mark. This means that there is a difference of 0.3 seconds or more between the button and pad times. If, after consulting the watch times, you are sure that the pad time is incorrect, click on Correct Times. This will suggest the correction based on the average of the differences in the other lanes. This feature is unique to LSA SwimMeet.
This bug was reported 2-3 times in the last couple of years. We recently gained enough information to correct it and have sent a correction to every registered user. You can also download it from this site.
How do I make sure that the entry fee total includes only those swimmers who actually competed?
You have two alternatives: either include all swimmers with no events in each team's entry file as "relay only," or include none of them. You can select one of these options when you print out the entry sheet.
Can I make an entry disk that users of H*T*k software can read?
Yes, this is done automatically by the Team program when you click on the Entry disk button. Both Lsa format and USS SDI format files are produced. These files pass the USS SDI format test program (which we wrote for them) and should be importable by any other software. If they are not, ask your vendor for a corrected update.
How do I import data to team files from meet result disks?
Put the diskette in your a drive and select Files/Import Results. Then select either
| from USS SDIF Files (to import files from Other Software), or |
| from Meet files (to import LSA SwimMeet files) |
Select the filename from the panel that is displayed, and select the teams you wish to import to.
How do I enter relay-only swimmers?
How should I set up squad names for my team?
Each squad should represent a practice group rather than an age group. This is important since swimmers always age up at inconvenient times. Give each squad a name which is significant in the first four characters. Meet entry files are made up of the first four characters of the squad and the first four characters of the meet name, so this is of some importance. Avoid names like 96BLUE and 96BLACK, since they are the same in the first four characters. A squad is a continually changing entity, and naming it by year is not that useful. Name them BLUE and BLACK instead.
How do I bill USS fees against each swimmer's account?
If every swimmer is given a unique billing number which is stored in the team program files, you can bill the entries using the Billing program, by selecting the meet and selecting the squads to bill. Relay swims are automatically split between the swimmers eligible for the relay.
How do I assure that the billing numbers are always in synch between the Billing and Team programs?
Always enter a swimmer first in the Billing program. It will assign the billing number and will create an entry for you in the corresponding team file.
When you bill the swimmers you can select "bill swimmers with no events as relay
only" or not.