Last year at about this time, I had a forum entry about USMS not accepting the times because of a supposed clerical error in the pool certification application. It was pointed out to me that it was a pool measurement error and not a clerical error that caused this. It frustrated me because I had swum 5 LMSC freestyle records and 6 top ten Zone records. I had done this under duress as I had a stent placed in a blocked artery not long after the meet.
Well, since that time, I have swum in two competitions, SCY and LCM. On both of these meets, I asked the individuals if the pool measurement were certified. The SCY was in a stationary bulkhead pool that received certification before the meet and the LCM in a movable bulkhead pool.
Everything went ok in the SCY but when I looked up my times in the Zone and USMS sites, they did not appear. Just this week, I found out it was another pool measurement issue and my, once again LMSC records and top tens have been wiped out.
I know the reasoning behind the exclusion of the times but +/- 1cm would not make a difference in where I or anybody in the meet would finally appear in any top 10 or record.
This is a stiff penalty to pay for people to pay for driving good distances to swim in meets, pay good money and spend all day Saturday and Sunday for what comes to be a glorified practice. If USMS is going to be draconian with its rules, they should, in this day of instant messaging, have a set up whereby the pool measurements could be verified and certified on the morning of the meet if it is being held in a movable bulkhead pool.
Thanks for letting me rant.
Bob Sigerson
Hi Karlene,
Sadly, you and others have been burned by the lack of knowledge and due diligence. It has never happened to me - thankfully. BUT, if it did ever happen to me, from that point forward, I would insist on seeing the actual measurements - especially at a pool where the track record is NOT good. And, look at every lane that is measured (for a bulkhead pool, they need to measure, at a minimum, the outside lanes and the middle lanes) immediately before the meet begins and after each session. Even one lane that is too short can lead to throwing all of the times for Top ten and records.
This is what I suggest you do in the future - don't accept a tacit "we are certified" because that should not cut it. The Meet Referee is who you should approach and do it early - don't wait until they clear the pool and are calling for the first heat to step on the blocks.
Good Luck!
Hi Karlene,
Sadly, you and others have been burned by the lack of knowledge and due diligence. It has never happened to me - thankfully. BUT, if it did ever happen to me, from that point forward, I would insist on seeing the actual measurements - especially at a pool where the track record is NOT good. And, look at every lane that is measured (for a bulkhead pool, they need to measure, at a minimum, the outside lanes and the middle lanes) immediately before the meet begins and after each session. Even one lane that is too short can lead to throwing all of the times for Top ten and records.
This is what I suggest you do in the future - don't accept a tacit "we are certified" because that should not cut it. The Meet Referee is who you should approach and do it early - don't wait until they clear the pool and are calling for the first heat to step on the blocks.
Good Luck!
