I, along with 58 others, swam the Southern LCM championship on 7/29-30/2017. We did so in the University of New Orleans Pool in New Orleans, LA just as we have for years with the exception of the Hurricane Katrina year and several subsequent years.
My problem is that, when I checked my times of the USMS website, the times were in red with an explanation that they could not be used as official for records because the pool's measurement was not certified as it had a moveable bulkhead. I emailed Southern and asked why the certification had not been sent in and they replied that it had been sent but it had an error and USMS would not let it be corrected. This bummed me out as I had 4 top 10 swims and 5 Southern record swims for my age group.
This seems to be an awful price to pay for the innocent, dues and event paying participant who has no control pool certification. All we know is that the bulkhead is at the far end of the pool, 50 meters, where it always has been for LCM meets in the past. There is nothing obvious that we can detect or correct to make the pool certifiable and there is no way to make sure the form is sent in correctly.
There must be some way USMS can rectify this situation without invalidating the times of the swimmers who invested time and money in the meet.
Dan,
You are correct about a pool without bulkheads - once they are measured (every lane) and confirmed each lane is legal, the pool is put on the list of pools that are legal. Now, the devil is in the details - how many pads are being used compared to when the measurement was done. And, if there are any future renovations that affect the pool dimensions, a new measurement is required.
Pools will bulkheads offer many challenges since all bulk heads are not created equal. There are pin-in-place ones, ones that hold in place by other means, ones that sit on the bottom, sturdy ones and narrow flimsy ones. I have seen narrow, flimsy ones become shorter in the middle lanes because the lane lines were really tightened. It can be as much as 2-3" shorter in the middle.
Tweaking can take place in any bulkhead pool. I have seen bulkheads tweaked and re-measured 2-3x to get it as short as possible and still legal.
Then there are issues when using pads at each end vs one end because some bulkhead pools are legal with one, but not two pads in place.
Measurements need to be done before, after each session, and at the end of the final session because bulkheads can move based on tightness of the lane lines, etc.. A pool might be legal at the beginning of the meet, but not at the end. If the measurements are not done completely, issues develop. And, once the meet is over and even a day passes, re-dos are not possible.
Then, you have steel tape vs laser and the skill of the operator. I have seen pool measurements where one lane is 3-4" longer than the one next to it. Or, the entire pool is 6" long. These were operator error. Obvious operator errors leave one wondering about any measuring accuracy at those meets.
Because bulk head pools have so many challenges, it is important that meet hosts understand the consequences of poorly conducted measurements. Many do understand. Unfortunately, there are many who do not. The swimmers are ones who suffer when measurements are not done properly.
So, the best advice to masters swimmers is know the rules and, when you race in a bulkhead pool, ask the Meet Host BEFORE & AFTER if the pool is/was legal.
Good Discussion.
Dan,
You are correct about a pool without bulkheads - once they are measured (every lane) and confirmed each lane is legal, the pool is put on the list of pools that are legal. Now, the devil is in the details - how many pads are being used compared to when the measurement was done. And, if there are any future renovations that affect the pool dimensions, a new measurement is required.
Pools will bulkheads offer many challenges since all bulk heads are not created equal. There are pin-in-place ones, ones that hold in place by other means, ones that sit on the bottom, sturdy ones and narrow flimsy ones. I have seen narrow, flimsy ones become shorter in the middle lanes because the lane lines were really tightened. It can be as much as 2-3" shorter in the middle.
Tweaking can take place in any bulkhead pool. I have seen bulkheads tweaked and re-measured 2-3x to get it as short as possible and still legal.
Then there are issues when using pads at each end vs one end because some bulkhead pools are legal with one, but not two pads in place.
Measurements need to be done before, after each session, and at the end of the final session because bulkheads can move based on tightness of the lane lines, etc.. A pool might be legal at the beginning of the meet, but not at the end. If the measurements are not done completely, issues develop. And, once the meet is over and even a day passes, re-dos are not possible.
Then, you have steel tape vs laser and the skill of the operator. I have seen pool measurements where one lane is 3-4" longer than the one next to it. Or, the entire pool is 6" long. These were operator error. Obvious operator errors leave one wondering about any measuring accuracy at those meets.
Because bulk head pools have so many challenges, it is important that meet hosts understand the consequences of poorly conducted measurements. Many do understand. Unfortunately, there are many who do not. The swimmers are ones who suffer when measurements are not done properly.
So, the best advice to masters swimmers is know the rules and, when you race in a bulkhead pool, ask the Meet Host BEFORE & AFTER if the pool is/was legal.
Good Discussion.
