I swam at both the LC Nationals in Minneapolis and Worlds in Budapest this past summer and am wondering if others had the same reaction to the different backstroke start pads at the two meets.
At Nationals you had to hold a lever with one hand, pull the pad down with your other hand put one foot on the pad to hold it in place while you reached up to grab the block and put your second foot up. If your first foot slipped during the process after you let go of the lever the pad was likely to pop back up. The timers often helped with holding the lever but while watching many starts I noted many mishaps and much time taken for all swimmers to bet in place. It was also challenging to get the pad in the right location. All this happens in the rush of trying to get set for the start.
In Budapest it was much simpler. The pad hung from straps anchored to the starting block above. There was no need to position or adjust it. The pad was in the same location for everyone. The pad had a slight angle and was a bit wider in the in the vertical dimension. Once the swimmers started the timers pulled the pad out of the water. Swimmers just jumped in, grabbed the block and put their feet on the pad. Very simple. Less stress. Everyone has the same experience.
I vote in favor of the backstroke start pads from Worlds in Budapest. Abandon the ones from Nationals in Minneapolis.
