Sandbaggers' Club

At any nationals/worlds meets where I'm shaved and tapered I always enter my best time, in-season meets I usually know what times I'm around and enter those. Good strategy, I think I'll do it that way. When I was younger I'd have a fit if I didn't get my fastest time at every meet, tapered or not, fast or slow pool.

I do think that sandbagging is selfish, and I haven't seen anyone over-exaggerating it here or comparing it to world poverty or any of the myriad of other world evils. Stillwater merely pointed out that it is selfish. It is. By intentionally sandbagging, a swimmer is trying to give themselves an advantage of some sort, disregarding the impact to others. See the definition above. Well, I don't fit that definition of selfish. In fact, I feel like most of my life (swimming or non-swimimng) is the exact opposite. And I also disagree about the impact on others. I think there is very little impact. I think "lying" completely overstates what is happening as well. People may not enter at their best times for many reasons: injury, illness, poor training, lack of experience in the event, etc. Why not tar and feather those using creatine instead? We sure got a whole lot of selfish, lying, evil masters swimmers under this definition. The "by golly" and "you win again" are words previously used by Geek, FYI, although Mr. Alias definitely sounds like another frequent poster as well. I have a very good memory for someone so old and broken down.

Don't swim back-to-back events if you lack super-human endurance. I think this whole business will settle itself with peer pressure, announcers making fun of blatant sandbaggers (as someone else mentioned), etc. One meet I went to a earlier this year was a pentathlon and I think the entry form said something about the meet director could DQ you for sandbagging to get more rest. I'll try to find that form. Interesting, it was a meet director that changed my entry time to an NT and suggested the change. And how exactly do you define sandbagging? How far off what time? If someone enters reasonably around a time they might expect to go at that time of year given their training, and it isn't their absolute best time, I think that's perfectly reasonable. I don't generally swim back-to-back events. Unfortunately, because some order of events are never changed, my best events often fall back to back. I also notice that since I am a fly/back-er, an unusual combo, my events often are very close. I guess I would be better off as a 5 pack freestyler. Then there would never be a rest issue as those events are all nicely spaced out. :thhbbb::thhbbb:

I guess I could be accused of sandbagging most of the time at Nationals. I only swim the 1650/1500 3 times a year and each year I seem to take a minute off my time. But the time I put in is usually a converted time from the last time I swam the event. I plan to repeat this again this year, my 1500 SCM was 21:51 and I entered 21:55 for Nat's but I hope to go under 21 minutes. But hoping does not mean I have done it or will do it. I am also hoping to drop 16 seconds in my 500. Just call me a BIG SANDBAGGER!:agree::thhbbb:

I guess I could be accused of sandbagging most of the time at Nationals. I only swim the 1650/1500 3 times a year and each year I seem to take a minute off my time. But the time I put in is usually a converted time from the last time I swam the event. I plan to repeat this again this year, my 1500 SCM was 21:51 and I entered 21:55 for Nat's but I hope to go under 21 minutes. But hoping does not mean I have done it or will do it. I am also hoping to drop 16 seconds in my 500. Just call me a BIG SANDBAGGER!:agree::thhbbb: BIG SANDBAGGER!! You're supposed to enter what you think you'll go apparently. "Knock yourself out" --- another Geekism. Have to admit I kinda like that one though. No need to worry, Mr. Alias. I never swam the NT'd event. So no one suffered any trauma or "odium." I think this is another ridiculous use of the word "odium" as well. Gee willikers, I can think of many other more suitable examples of odious behavior. Indeed, some would think hiding behind an alias to call someone old and odious and a liar might itself be a bit odious.

I guess I could be accused of sandbagging most of the time at Nationals. I only swim the 1650/1500 3 times a year and each year I seem to take a minute off my time. But the time I put in is usually a converted time from the last time I swam the event. I plan to repeat this again this year, my 1500 SCM was 21:51 and I entered 21:55 for Nat's but I hope to go under 21 minutes. But hoping does not mean I have done it or will do it. I am also hoping to drop 16 seconds in my 500. Just call me a BIG SANDBAGGER!:agree::thhbbb: Entering your previous time? That's not sandbagging. "Only" swimming the mile 3 times a year? Now THAT'S sandbagging!:laugh2: (Other than in open water races, I haven't done a 1500 OR a 1650 in over 20 years. Too painful!)

Don't swim back-to-back events if you lack super-human endurance. I think this whole business will settle itself with peer pressure, announcers making fun of blatant sandbaggers (as someone else mentioned), etc. One meet I went to a earlier this year was a pentathlon and I think the entry form said something about the meet director could DQ you for sandbagging to get more rest. I'll try to find that form.

The "by golly" and "you win again" are words previously used by Geek, FYI, although Mr. Alias definitely sounds like another frequent poster as well. I have a very good memory for someone so old and broken down. Who do you think it is?

All I ask is that you swim close to your seed times. If you feel the need to warm up/down after/before a race, and there is no warm-up pool, knock yourself out. Just seed and swim accordingly. It does affect other swimmers when you lie about your time and then smoke them in thier heat. If you do it to win or set a record that is indeed odious. Gee whilickers, I'm not the one calling a community of masters swimmers selfish, lying and evil.

Interesting, it was a meet director that changed my entry time to an NT. And how exactly do you define sandbagging? How far off what time? I'm not sure, it's probably a grey area up to the discretion of the meet director, along with things like unsportsmanlike conduct. This example was just specifically for the pentathlon, where everyone who wanted to shoot for the pentathlon placing was in the same events.