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What Do the Colors Mean on Swim Standards? (Ribbon vs. FINA Themes Explained)

FAQ
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  • Swim Standards uses two distinct color systems across its platform – each designed for a different purpose:

    • Ribbon Colors — for rankings and placements
    • Heatmap Colors — for FINA (World Aquatics) performance points

    These color systems serve different goals, but both make results easier to read and understand at a glance.


    🏅 1️⃣ Ribbon Colors — For Rankings & Placement

    This theme is inspired by swimming award ribbons and meet podium colors, used wherever Swim Standards displays rankings, places, or score positions (e.g., “Top 8”).

    Place Color Meaning
    1st Blue Traditional first-place ribbon
    2nd Red Second-place
    3rd White Third-place (used in many LSC award sets)
    4th Yellow Excellent performance
    5th Black High-level finalist
    6th Green Solid achievement
    7th Purple Finalist / emerging
    8th Brown Participation / completion
    9th+ Gray Outside award range

    🧩 These colors appear in Rankings, Leaderboards, and Meet Results “Top 8” views, matching what swimmers often see on award ribbons at meets.


    🔥 2️⃣ Heatmap Colors — For FINA Point Analysis

    When analyzing swim quality (FINA or World Aquatics Points), Swim Standards uses a heatmap-based scale that reflects performance level — from developing to record-breaking.

    FINA Points Range Color Meaning
    1000+ Black Record-level or world-record equivalent
    900–999 🔴 Red World-class performance
    800–899 🔵 Blue National elite / AAAA level
    600–799 🟡 Yellow Regional / advanced age-group
    400–599 🟢 Green Developing swimmer
    Below 400 🟤 Brown Entry-level / early progress

    🌡️ This palette behaves like a “heatmap” — darker colors represent stronger, higher-level performances.

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