Question to throw to the group out of curiosity -- What do people think about reasonable seed times for swim meets? Now, I know that people almost always enter masters meets with times that are best guesses, but what about entry times that are definitely not best guesses?
Hypothetical scenario: 400 IM and 50 free are back-to-back events at an end-of-season championship meet. Swimmer enters both events, with a time of 15:00.00 for the 400 IM, and 23.50 for the 50 free. For other events in the meet, the same swimmer is entered at 2:06 for the 200 IM, 2:10 for the 200 fly, etc. So _clearly_ this person is faster than 15:00 in the 400 IM. When asked, the swimmer says, honestly, that the seed time is bogus so that he has a longer rest before swimming the 50 free right afterwards. (The meet info for this hypothetical situation does _not_ allow for 'NT' entries.)
What do people think about this? I can't find any USMS rule that prohibits this, but it feels rather unfair to the other people in Heat 1 who actually do belong in Heat 1, and will have some fast person in an outside lane lap them a couple times. My personal feeling is that if the order of events doesn't work for you, then don't swim one of the events.
Thoughts?
-Rick
At Santa Clara last year was the firs time I've ever gone for a "time/record" in an event from my "split". I entered the 1000 and went for a 100 free time, I had to notify the meet director who told the starter, who announced what I was doing to the heat.
In spite of all that I felt pretty uncomfotable about going out in 47 seconds for the first 100 of a 1000 free and made sure I personally told all the swimmers around me what I was doing, hopefully it made their races a little more enjoyable.
I'd hate to see us "legislate" this sort of thing, ideally we all approach meets with a sense of respect for those around us. However I do beleive that ultimately swimming is a very individual sport and that we as atheletes need to learn to adapt/react to each race regardless of what someone else is doing in the lane next to ours.
At Santa Clara last year was the firs time I've ever gone for a "time/record" in an event from my "split". I entered the 1000 and went for a 100 free time, I had to notify the meet director who told the starter, who announced what I was doing to the heat.
In spite of all that I felt pretty uncomfotable about going out in 47 seconds for the first 100 of a 1000 free and made sure I personally told all the swimmers around me what I was doing, hopefully it made their races a little more enjoyable.
I'd hate to see us "legislate" this sort of thing, ideally we all approach meets with a sense of respect for those around us. However I do beleive that ultimately swimming is a very individual sport and that we as atheletes need to learn to adapt/react to each race regardless of what someone else is doing in the lane next to ours.
