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?
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Former Member
Last night I realized there was an easy and seemingly legal way (under USMS rules) to use a (beeping) watch for pacing in the longer races with counters, and it might actually work better than wearing the watch, which is to put the watch on the wrist of your counter or attach it to the handle of the counter boards. That way the counter can start the watch at the start signal, which is tough to do for the swimmer. Of course, this only illustrates the arbitrary nature of not allowing the swimmer to use a device but allowing the counter to do so and signal the swimmer.
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Former Member
Last night I realized there was an easy and seemingly legal way (under USMS rules) to use a (beeping) watch for pacing in the longer races with counters, and it might actually work better than wearing the watch, which is to put the watch on the wrist of your counter or attach it to the handle of the counter boards. That way the counter can start the watch at the start signal, which is tough to do for the swimmer. Of course, this only illustrates the arbitrary nature of not allowing the swimmer to use a device but allowing the counter to do so and signal the swimmer.
