Does the below rule apply to postal swims?
102.15.9 Swimmers are not permitted to wear or use any device or substance to help their speed, pace or buoyancy during a race...
In competition, meets are supposed to have pace clocks for the warmup pools, although that requirement can be waived by the LMSC (USMS 107.16, 2008 rulebook):
107.16 PACE CLOCKS
There shall be at least two large, accurate timing devices or clocks for each warm-up course, preferably located on opposite sides of the course, clearly visible to all swimmers.
So certainly if the pace clock is a part of the facility, in a real meet, were it visible to the competitors, it would probably be fair game for it to be used by the competitors. In addition, since USA Swimming rules recommend that the pace clocks be on both sides of the course itself, and I don't think that it would be the intent of the USMS rules to say that a largely USA-S compliant facility is not a compliant USMS facility (compare USMS 107.16, 2008 rulebook, with USA-S 103.17, 2007 rulebook).
We can also conclude that having a pace clock on deck pursuant to 107.16 would be permissible, as Part 1 rules apply when "applicable" in postal swims (USMS 304.1).
Now whether you can wheel your own pace clock up next to your lane is another story. The facility rules don't say that a facility can't have extra pace clocks, nor do they say that a facility can't have pace clocks around the competition course. So my feeling is that would be permissible.
But given that this is a self-policed postal event, it's probably not the intent to be so ticky-tack about that kind of rule. If you wanted to get that fine-grained, then let's take a situation where you were in a postal swim of any type, and HAD to use the bathroom. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Technically speaking, if you get out of the pool, you're disqualified ("Standing on the bottom during a freestyle race shall not disqualify a swimmer, but the swimmer shall not leave the pool, walk or spring from the bottom. ...") . But I would think in practice, it would be silly to DQ yourself and reswim in that situation--you just keep the clock running while you're on the toilet.
Patrick King, who still is far too out of shape even to contemplate swimming the 1 hour postal
Does the below rule apply to postal swims?
102.15.9 Swimmers are not permitted to wear or use any device or substance to help their speed, pace or buoyancy during a race...
In competition, meets are supposed to have pace clocks for the warmup pools, although that requirement can be waived by the LMSC (USMS 107.16, 2008 rulebook):
107.16 PACE CLOCKS
There shall be at least two large, accurate timing devices or clocks for each warm-up course, preferably located on opposite sides of the course, clearly visible to all swimmers.
So certainly if the pace clock is a part of the facility, in a real meet, were it visible to the competitors, it would probably be fair game for it to be used by the competitors. In addition, since USA Swimming rules recommend that the pace clocks be on both sides of the course itself, and I don't think that it would be the intent of the USMS rules to say that a largely USA-S compliant facility is not a compliant USMS facility (compare USMS 107.16, 2008 rulebook, with USA-S 103.17, 2007 rulebook).
We can also conclude that having a pace clock on deck pursuant to 107.16 would be permissible, as Part 1 rules apply when "applicable" in postal swims (USMS 304.1).
Now whether you can wheel your own pace clock up next to your lane is another story. The facility rules don't say that a facility can't have extra pace clocks, nor do they say that a facility can't have pace clocks around the competition course. So my feeling is that would be permissible.
But given that this is a self-policed postal event, it's probably not the intent to be so ticky-tack about that kind of rule. If you wanted to get that fine-grained, then let's take a situation where you were in a postal swim of any type, and HAD to use the bathroom. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Technically speaking, if you get out of the pool, you're disqualified ("Standing on the bottom during a freestyle race shall not disqualify a swimmer, but the swimmer shall not leave the pool, walk or spring from the bottom. ...") . But I would think in practice, it would be silly to DQ yourself and reswim in that situation--you just keep the clock running while you're on the toilet.
Patrick King, who still is far too out of shape even to contemplate swimming the 1 hour postal
