After just swimming a rockin 35+ (even if we are all older than 42) 400 medley relay, I notice that all of the relays at the nationals are sprint. Why is that? Does anyone have any historical perspective? Is it all because of the time line?
Why not run, for example, the 200 free and 400 medley relay one year, and the 400 free and 200 medley relay the next?
And what about an 800 free relay?
The Championship committee will know for sure, but I think that the timeline dictates having only the sprint relays at Nationals. There are the noted exceptions when the meet director has proposed an alternative format...typically because it was either a five-day Nationals and/or there was extra pool space.
Consequently, the Zone/LMSC regional meets have been the domain in which those who want to swim the longer relays can have an opportunity to do so. The NWZ is no different. We offer and allow anyone to swim in any of the 10 relay events.
However, we typically have few takers for the 400s and 800s. (We schedule relays of the same type consecutively; e.g. 200 F/R then 400 F/R then 800 F/R)
The Championship committee will know for sure, but I think that the timeline dictates having only the sprint relays at Nationals. There are the noted exceptions when the meet director has proposed an alternative format...typically because it was either a five-day Nationals and/or there was extra pool space.
Consequently, the Zone/LMSC regional meets have been the domain in which those who want to swim the longer relays can have an opportunity to do so. The NWZ is no different. We offer and allow anyone to swim in any of the 10 relay events.
However, we typically have few takers for the 400s and 800s. (We schedule relays of the same type consecutively; e.g. 200 F/R then 400 F/R then 800 F/R)
