I was honestly on the fence about whether I wanted to swim the breaststroke 3 pack or do freestyle at my next meet in a couple of weeks. So I ended up signing up for 5 events today and mailing it in, knowing that I will scratch at least one, maybe 2, events depending on how I feel at the meet.
Are scratchers evil like sandbaggers? I know I had a lot of fun at the last meet with a couple of very close races with people right next to me, but honestly the only times empty lanes have bothered me have been when I've been in 1 and the only other entrant was in 8 or 6. Feels like a weird time trial when that happens. But just an empty lane or 2, no biggie. Does it bug the race directors? Why do I feel vaguely guilty about it? Should I just kick an extra 200 as penance tomorrow (I hate kicking) and forget all about it? Or is it not even something to worry about?
What's the difference between a scratch and a no-show? I thought it was the same.
The penalty, at least in Masters, is the same--you don't get to swim the event. When you scratch, you actually inform the meet director or referee that you aren't going to swim and that you should be removed from the event.
It's nice to inform the referee or meet director if you're going to scratch an event. If they know you're not going to swim a particular event, they can better plan combining heats and such.
Patrick King
What's the difference between a scratch and a no-show? I thought it was the same.
The penalty, at least in Masters, is the same--you don't get to swim the event. When you scratch, you actually inform the meet director or referee that you aren't going to swim and that you should be removed from the event.
It's nice to inform the referee or meet director if you're going to scratch an event. If they know you're not going to swim a particular event, they can better plan combining heats and such.
Patrick King
