2013 Pan American Masters Swimming Championships

I was confused about the directions in the email about Nationals. So we wait in the water after we finish for everyone in the heat to be done, then we exit on the side and then the next heat starts? Or does the next heat start and then we exit? The latter makes more sense for "fly over" but seems scarier to me.

Protocol ... 2 When the last swimmer is 5-10 yards from the wall the referee blows the short series of whistles (get ready) for the next heat 3 The Starter calls the heat 4 Just before the last swimmer touches, the referee blows a long whistle for the swimmers in the next heat to step up. I have big problems with balance. If I try to climb up on the block too quickly, I can easily lose my balance and fall in. So, instead of waiting for the long whistle, I start crawling onto the block when the referee blows the short whistles. This gives me enough time to get up and set, without falling in. Nobody has ever said anything to me about it, but I guess it is a violation of protocol. Can you get deeked for getting on the blocks too early?

With apologies to the 2013 Pan American Masters Swimming Championships for continuing this off topic posting… Online registration will close at midnight EDT on April 30, 2013.On Topic:D I have big problems with balance. If I try to climb up on the block too quickly, I can easily lose my balance and fall in. So, instead of waiting for the long whistle, I start crawling onto the block when the referee blows the short whistles. This gives me enough time to get up and set, without falling in. My advice is to explain your condition to the deck referee and ask if it is okay to step up early. If the ref says no, then at the long whistle, step up and take as much time as you need to safely get into a ready position. The referee shouldn’t turn the heat over to the starter until all swimmers are ready. I have known refs who will stand down a heat if they get up too early. And a few have threatened to DQ swimmers, but I haven’t seen them do it…yet.

The general protocol we use for dive over starts for individual events other than backstroke (or when a swimmer will start in the water) is: 1 As swimmers in a heat finish they stay in their lane next to the wall 2 When the last swimmer is 5-10 yards from the wall the referee blows the short series of whistles (get ready) for the next heat 3 The Starter calls the heat 4 Just before the last swimmer touches, the referee blows a long whistle for the swimmers in the next heat to step up. 5 At this point, the swimmers in the water should be against the wall in their assigned lane, quiet and motionless 6 Once the starter sends off the next heat, the swimmers in the water should exit the pool in a quick and orderly fashion in accordance with referee directions If the referee paces it well, you really don’t see a lot of people trying to climb out when the starter is saying take your mark. We do still see a lot of people who don’t know when to step up on the block. Also the only call in a 50 requiring dual confirmation is a false start. There may have been some miscommunication about Robin’s call. If it was a call with dual confirmation, then it was a false start. This confused me too. I remember dual confirmation from my starter/referee days when my kids were swimmers. I know for sure I didn't false start because I'm always the last one in the water. The girl who swam in the next heat did indeed false start and did not swim the race. I think the lane workers at that point were confused and may have put the DQ on the wrong heat. At this point I didn't want to argue and look like an old jerk so I just said "okay." I'd much rather get deeked in the 50 than the 1650 although it was a good time for me.

At this point I didn't want to argue and look like an old jerk...Sometimes the official will accidently put the wrong event, heat, lane or swimmer name on a DQ slip. And sometimes the Hy-Tek operator will check the DQ on the wrong swimmer. This is part of why the referee or designated official makes “every reasonable effort to seek out the swimmer or the swimmer’s coach and inform one or both as to the reason for the disqualification” If you are not notified of a DQ it is okay to: 1) Accept the DQ, knowing you swam the swim and got the time you got 2) Approach the meet or admin referee then respectfully let them know you were DQ’ed without notification and that you would like to see the DQ slip to understand why.

So at my next meet I should just stay in the water until the start of the next heat? I usually jump on the deck after my finishing touch to the pad.

So at my next meet I should just stay in the water until the start of the next heat? It depends what your next meet is...

So at my next meet I should just stay in the water until the start of the next heat?As a rule of thumb, if they are doing normal starts or dive-overs, then stay in your lane until all swimmers have finished your heat. If they are doing chase starts, then exit the water as soon as possible. Staying in your lane is a courtesy to the other swimmers in the heat and it helps the officials more easily see others as they finish.

Sometimes the official will accidently put the wrong event, heat, lane or swimmer name on a DQ slip. And sometimes the Hy-Tek operator will check the DQ on the wrong swimmer. This is part of why the referee or designated official makes “every reasonable effort to seek out the swimmer or the swimmer’s coach and inform one or both as to the reason for the disqualification” If you are not notified of a DQ it is okay to: 1) Accept the DQ, knowing you swam the swim and got the time you got 2) Approach the meet or admin referee then respectfully let them know you were DQ’ed without notification and that you would like to see the DQ slip to understand why. I think the officials were a little short-handed and somewhat rookie at our state meet. I didn't want to come on too strong and give master's swimming a bad reputation around here; it's hard enough to find officials to work master's as it is so that's why I just dropped it. I agree that I should have pushed it since they didn't notify me when I climbed out of the pool. If I would have been a coach of a child at that meet I would have fought and had the call overturned but for me and my lousy 50 I chose to "let it be."

Something to remember, at least in a USAS meet, you can be DQ'd for a false start because you are moving when you are supposed to be still. You could still enter the water last & yet be considered to have "started" towards the water because your arms (or something) were still moving, or did not stop completely moving, prior to the beep.