Imagine you get to arrange four swimmers into a freestyle relay team. They are within ~10% difference when it comes to times.
Would you do the most popular arrangement?
1st leg - 2nd fastest swimmer
2nd leg - 3rd fastest swimmer
3rd leg - slowest swimmer
4th leg - fastest swimmer
...or a different one? Would you consider other factors besides speed such as personality, experience, etc.? Does it make a difference if it is 4x50 or 4x200?
So what order would you put them in?
If you have someone with a quick reaction time, you might consider putting them first. Or perhaps if you have someone that chronically jumps early on relay exchanges. As mentioned before, offer the first slot to anyone looking for a split. My team did that for me once and I greatly appreciated it.
The anchor leg is the only other one I'd worry about. Depending upon how important the race is, this leg can have some pressure associated with it. Some people thrive off it. Others hate it. This person doesn't need to be the fastest but you don't want someone who is going to turn into a basket case if they think they might lose it for the team.
If you have someone with a quick reaction time, you might consider putting them first. Or perhaps if you have someone that chronically jumps early on relay exchanges. As mentioned before, offer the first slot to anyone looking for a split. My team did that for me once and I greatly appreciated it.
The anchor leg is the only other one I'd worry about. Depending upon how important the race is, this leg can have some pressure associated with it. Some people thrive off it. Others hate it. This person doesn't need to be the fastest but you don't want someone who is going to turn into a basket case if they think they might lose it for the team.
