SW 10.15 No pace-making shall be permitted, nor may any device be used or plan adopted which has that effect.
The topic of having someone give you feedback on your pacing during a race came up in the 1500 Test Set thread. My impression is that pace-making is very common and the rule against it largely unenforceable, but that the rule is there and quite clear. Swimmers may not use devices which help them pace their race and they may not adopt a plan that allows someone on deck or in another lane to help them pace their race.
In the other thread an interpretation was posted, my interpretation of the interpretation was that it dealt specifically with using devices, but that it didn't say pace-making was ok if it didn't involve a device (watch or radio).
Outside of using a device, has anyone ever been DQed for pace-making? If having someone else give you pacing feedback is ok, what is wrong with using a device? Should the whole rule be thrown out?
I am not in any way intending to criticize anyone who has had pacing help, I would love it if it turned out that this was legal, I mean who really wants to swim 60 lengths at what one thought was goal pace only to find out that one has swum a stinky time?
Parents
Former Member
Dave,
Something else here about devices. If you are wearing them such as a watch, they do create a small amt of drag; you can tell by the bubbles coming from the watch. We all know bubbles are bad and most of us would prefer not to have them either from our stroke or watches we may wear.
I always watch my hands. but I am not sure what the difference is between a person yelling at us and our times vs a harmless watch chiming away. Both are distractions for me.
donna
Dave,
Something else here about devices. If you are wearing them such as a watch, they do create a small amt of drag; you can tell by the bubbles coming from the watch. We all know bubbles are bad and most of us would prefer not to have them either from our stroke or watches we may wear.
I always watch my hands. but I am not sure what the difference is between a person yelling at us and our times vs a harmless watch chiming away. Both are distractions for me.
donna
