Colorado Time Systems Backstroke Start Device

The Backstroke Start Device made by Colorado Time Systems (CTS) is a backstroke start device: a mechanical foot wedge that gives a backstroke swimmer a fixed, non-slip foothold on the wall at the start of a race. A swimmer in the water pulls an angled wedge down the face of the wall or touchpad, locks it in place, braces both feet against it, and starts from it. Once the swimmer leaves the wall the wedge retracts automatically, up and clear of the water, so it does not obstruct turns or finishes and is ready for the next swimmer.¹² It carries no wiring and generates no timing signal.

CTS describes the device as compliant with the rules of World Aquatics, USA Swimming, and US Masters Swimming; company materials variously add NFHS (US high school) or NCAA (US college) to that list.²³ The actual regulatory status differs by body and is covered in the backstroke start devices overview, along with the history of the equipment and the foot-placement rule that governs its use.

Design and components¶

The device is a self-contained mechanical unit that clamps or bolts across the top of the wall above a lane. Its main parts are a locking lever, a manual adjustment knob, a wedge, and a strap plate.¹ The wedge is the foot rest: a bar 25.6 in (65 cm) wide and 3.1 in (8 cm) deep, set at a 10° angle and finished with a non-slip surface for foot placement.²

The wedge hangs from straps wound on a spring-loaded tube inside the case. CTS’s patent describes the mechanism as a rotatable winding tube driven by a torsion spring: pulling the wedge down unwinds the straps against the spring, a ratchet lock holds the wedge at the set depth, and releasing the lock lets the spring wind the straps back in and lift the wedge out of the water. The device senses the drop in load when the swimmer pushes off and retracts on its own, without power or an operator.⁴ The manual adjustment knob lets an operator wind the wedge back by hand if it does not retract fully during a race.¹ The patent, “Start assist device for swimmers with positioning and removal mechanism,” was filed on 31 July 2013 by inventors Christian Stockinger and Eric Solanyk, assigned to Everlast Climbing Industries (the CTS parent), and granted as US 10,245,524 on 2 April 2019; the corresponding Australian patent, 2013382748, was granted on 9 November 2016, and the family also includes European, Canadian, Chinese, and Brazilian patents.⁴³

Installation and mounting¶

The device can be attached to a starting platform with straps or bolted to the deck with anchors. Strapped mounting is the default and suits a single or dual post block with a setback of up to 36 in; the straps route behind the block’s anchor posts, beneath or behind the backstroke bars, and tension through a ratchet.¹ Deck mounting uses a plate fixed to the deck with two drop-in anchors, for which CTS gives a drilling and anchor-setting procedure, and custom mounts can be fabricated for unusual blocks.¹

A bracket matched to the pool’s gutter sets how the device sits at the wall. CTS’s documents give two bracket series and their part numbers differ between editions, which appears to reflect a change in the product line rather than one correct value. The 2016 user guide lists a long 9.25 in bracket (143060-L) for bull-nose, rimflow, and similar gutters and a short 5.75 in bracket (143060) for trough, haunch, and recessed gutters.¹ The current datasheet lists retrofit brackets in a 143081 series instead: a long 7.7 in bracket (143081-CL) for bull-nose and rimflow gutters and a short 5.7 in bracket (143081-C) for trough, haunch, and recessed gutters.² In both cases CTS notes that the long bracket shortens the pool’s measured length by 0.103 in, which matters where the touchpad already sets the official wall.¹²

Whatever the mounting, CTS requires that the device be centred between the block handles, that it not pose a risk to swimmers, and that it fully retract clear of the water and off the touchpad when not set.¹

Operation¶

The device is made to be set by the swimmer, in the water, without an official. The sequence is to pull and hold the locking lever, pull the wedge out to the chosen depth on the wall, hold it there with the feet while releasing the lever so it locks, take the ready position, and start on the signal; the wedge then retracts on its own and is ready for the next swimmer.¹ CTS advises that the first swimmer of a meet fully extend and submerge the wedge once to wet the straps so they retract evenly afterward.¹

Some rule sets limit how high the wedge may sit relative to the water. To support this, the straps and wedge carry red marking zones; where a governing body requires the top of the wedge to be within 4 cm above or below the water line, the swimmer positions it so the water line falls within the red areas.¹

Effect on timing¶

The device does not connect to the timing system, but its motion can disturb the touchpad. CTS notes in the manual that reaction times measured through the touchpad are not accurate when the backstroke start device is in use: as the wedge retracts it can bump the touchpad, which makes the timing system read the swimmer as still on the wall and lengthens the apparent start reaction time.¹ The recorded race time is taken from the swimmer’s finish touch and is unaffected; the caveat applies to the start-reaction figure.

Care and maintenance¶

CTS calls for periodic care to keep the mechanism working. The device should be rinsed in fresh, not pool, water and not sprayed with high-pressure water. Discoloured stainless-steel parts are cleaned and passivated with a mild abrasive pad and a stainless cleaner, and the case and wedge are washed with fresh water and a mild detergent. Before long storage the unit is removed, its wedge fully extended and locked so it can dry in the extended position, then dried and allowed to retract slowly before being stored in a clean, dry place.¹

Specifications¶

Wedge size	25.6 × 3.1 in (65 × 8 cm)
Wedge angle	10°
Retraction	Torsion-spring winding tube, automatic, unpowered
Locking	Ratchet lock with manual adjustment knob
Attachment	Strap (block setback up to 36 in) or deck anchors
Brackets	143081-CL / 143081-C (current); 143060-L / 143060 (earlier)
Pool-length effect	Long bracket shortens measured length by 0.103 in
Patents	US 10,245,524 (filed 2013, granted 2019); AU 2013382748 (2016)

See also¶

• Backstroke start devices: the category overview, history, and rules
• FINIS Backstroke Start Wedge: a manual device in the same class
• Omega OBL2 Pro Backstroke Ledge: a platform-mounted device in the same class
• Start systems: the electronic starter that signals the race
• Colorado Time Systems: the manufacturer
• Equipment: the equipment reference

References¶

Footnotes¶

1. Colorado Time Systems, Backstroke Start Device User Guide (F1024). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

2. Colorado Time Systems, Backstroke Start Device for Competition (product page and datasheet; wedge dimensions, brackets, and compliance claim). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Swimming World, Colorado Time Systems Awarded Patent For Backstroke Start Device (Australian patent 2013382748 granted 9 November 2016). ↩ ↩²

4. US Patent 10,245,524 B2, Start assist device for swimmers with positioning and removal mechanism (inventors Christian Stockinger and Eric Solanyk; assignee Everlast Climbing Industries; filed 31 July 2013, granted 2 April 2019). ↩ ↩²