A quick question for all of you:
Our state meet is taking place this weekend. The meet entries were cut off last Sunday at 6p.m. The psych sheet was available mid-Monday. About 24 hours later, one of our swimmers found a way to get herself into the meet, despite there being a very strict stipulation regarding no late entries.
She "conveniently" put herself in races where she would place first place without a doubt. In two of the races, she actually knocked her fellow teammates down from first place to second.
Keep in mind that this is not the first time this person has done this, and it should be noted that she repeatedly stated her goal to get "high point" at the meet. According to numerous conversations, she knew she had "missed" the deadline, but failed to seek entry until AFTER the psych sheet came out.
When our coach was notified of this, his reaction was basically, "It's just your time that counts, so I wouldn't worry about points." However, this obviously affects not only the swimmers on her team who were screwed, but other swimmers and other teams who may also be trying to get high point status.
Am I wrong in thinking that this is deceptive at best, and a very clever and manipulative use of a loophole that allows a swimmer to have a very unfair advantage? Is this what USMS has become - winning at any cost? Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing?
I like this thread. :) At our state championship meet last month our team won by a landslide. I thought that was cool. But the high point situation was just funny. Depending on the age group if you just enter & swim all the events you can you'll likely win high point. Depends on the scoring, of course, but volume seems to count for a lot.
I'm glad Masters has all the stuff like high point awards, national records and championships, and many levels of regional recognition. Some of us thrive on that stuff. Others don't. But whatever trips one's trigger I do hope that consistent rules of a meet are enforced and last-minute entry changes are not routine. The real fun of winning something is knowing you did it fair and square.
I like this thread. :) At our state championship meet last month our team won by a landslide. I thought that was cool. But the high point situation was just funny. Depending on the age group if you just enter & swim all the events you can you'll likely win high point. Depends on the scoring, of course, but volume seems to count for a lot.
I'm glad Masters has all the stuff like high point awards, national records and championships, and many levels of regional recognition. Some of us thrive on that stuff. Others don't. But whatever trips one's trigger I do hope that consistent rules of a meet are enforced and last-minute entry changes are not routine. The real fun of winning something is knowing you did it fair and square.
