I recently posted a question about racing and received a lot of great answers so here is another question. I am about to participate in my first race (in a pool) and I am worried about being disqualified now. What are some of the common mistakes I need to be aware of? Turns maybe?
In freestyle, you just have to not move at all before the start, touch every wall, and don't pull on the lane lines.
And Nickel should refrain from attacking swimmers in other lanes as well as pushing off the bottom of the pool in a forward direction.
In freestyle, you just have to not move at all before the start, touch every wall, and don't pull on the lane lines.
And if you're kicking underwater, you still have to break the surface before the 15 meter mark.
Former Member
In freestyle, you just have to not move at all before the start, touch every wall, and don't pull on the lane lines.
In freestyle, you just have to not move at all before the start ...
This is key. When the ref says, "Take your mark", get into position quickly, and DON'T MOVE. I got DQ'd once in a freestyle race for flinching. Yes, it was 1000 free, and yes, they let me swim the whole race. Don't let it happen to you!
Also ... when you finish the race, stay in your own lane until all the other swimmers have finished. If you want to get out before everyone else is done, get out at the end of your own lane. Do not swim across anyone else's lane to get to a ladder or something.
And you're not allowed to swear especially during the turns.
Also...do not wear a watch or any jewelry. Wrist bracelets or dangling earrings will get you disqualified as well.
Really? How many masters swimmers out there swim and compete with their wedding ring on? I don't, but I know a lot who do. The reason I don't, is because I swam so much of my life without the ring, that it just feels weird on my hand when I do have it on in the water.
Former Member
Breaststroke and butterfly you need to touch the wall with both hands on the turn and the finish. Good luck in your races
I'm not sure I buy the "no jewelry" thing. I just searched the swimming rules section of the USMS rule book and jewelry does not come up. Unless you're wearing a Mr. T gold chain I can't imagine it would be a problem! :)
You can't touch your goggles. Say for instance you dive in in the 500 and your goggles fall off and are hanging on your neck- tough luck you cant fix them.
I believe in Masters messing with goggles is OK, as long as you don't otherwise break a stroke rule. So in freestyle you would be OK as long as you don't stand on the bottom or hang on a lane line while you are fixing them. But in fly or *** it would be very difficult to maintain stroke and fix goggles at the same time.
A team mate of mine fixed his goggles on both the start and 1st turn of his 1500 free at Omaha, without a DQ; I saw a swimmer get DQ'd out of the 200 fly at Greensboro for breaking stroke to fix his.
Body Piercing/Jewelry is OK I asked about it a long time ago. I was told not to worry about it. If in doubt ask the official at the meet before the meet starts.
I was recently DQ'd and I did nothing wrong. How did I get DQ'd? I was swimming a 1650, the persons who were counting my lap with a lap counter miscounted. I ended up swimming a 1600 instead of a 1650. No one noticed not the timer's/volunteers assigned to my lane, the officials, I even got a 2nd place ribbon. It was discovered two months after the fact by the Top Ten Recorder. No one ever informed me of what happened. I saw the DQ on my results page on the USMS website. I questioned USMS about it. It took another week to get the correct answer. Make sure you can rely on your lap counter if you are swimming a long distance, or at least be good at counting your own laps.
