Scratchers v. Sandbaggers

The penalty for this should be getting kicked out for the rest of the meet. I remember finishing in the dreaded "first alternate" position many times in age group swimming and would have loved having the opportunity to swim at night due to a scratch. I think the really fast swimmers often forget that just making finals is an achievement for others. In USA Swimming, that is the rule. If you no-show for finals, then you are out for the rest of the meet. The only exception is if you become sick/injured, or some other situation that is "beyond your control" at the discretion of the referee. -Rick

I rarely hear people say, "I can't wait to race against x person in my heat" or "I came to this meet to race against x." Also, just because it may not happen in general does not mean it never happens. Can you guarantee to me that there is not a single person in an entire 800-person meet, who might specifically be looking to race against you, specifically? -Rick

In USA Swimming, that is the rule. If you no-show for finals, then you are out for the rest of the meet. I recall Phelps fell asleep during prelims at one of his tuneup meets last year and missed an event. The rule was that if you no-show a prelim swim you are scratched from your next event. However, Phelps was back on the blocks for his next swim. Apparently the rules don't apply when you're Michael Phelps :)

I have a friend who's working on his personal goal of a sub 2 minute 200 free. Last year he was seeded next to a guy with a 1:59. (It turned out to be a sanbagger in disguise.) Unwittingly he assumed they should be traveling at the same speed so he hitched his wagon to this fellow's pace, not being fully aware of what was about to happen. The guy went out in around 52 seconds at the 100. My friend was lured into thinking that he should be pacing along side him and quickened his tempo to nearly his fastest 100 time! The mistake became very obvious as he limped home with no less than 2 pianos on his back. The guy with the 1:59 seed went a 1:45. My friend did a 2:02 which would have been faster if not for the crash and burn experience. The moral of the story: Swim your own race regardless of what's going on in the neighboring lane. :agree: You should swim your own race because humans are never consistent - don't rely on somebody for a time. Swimming against another competitor in your heat, however, can add to the adrenalin rush that pushes you through the pain. My best times have come from close races. No, I didn't depend on that person for my time; the closesness of the race just added to the adrenalin that pushed me to the time. If your friend had been swimming next to somebody that ended up going a 1:58.9, my bet is that your friend would have gotten his 1:59.

I like getting a good time, but I really like to race. I'm sure I wouldn't have been close to these times without these guys next to me. And before I get too much crap for sandbagging, my seed times were my prs -- although I have been working on *** and was pretty sure I could go under. (Oh yeah, and I bought a B70). I always try to seed right at or very close to what I think I'm going to do. I was behind in each of these races at the last turn. The last 25 was so much fun, with loads of yelling and screaming going on. From talking to the other guys afterward, I know we each appreciated having a person to race, and it pushed each one of us to a faster time. 100 ***: 3 XXXX, Chris M M41 OREG 1:22.06 1:18.88 36.44 1:18.88(42.44) 4 Sumerfield, Bill H M48 OREG 1:21.89 1:18.26 37.11 1:18.26(41.15) 5 XXXXXXX, Mike J M55 OREG 1:22.00 1:18.74 37.69 1:18.74(41.05) 200 ***: 3 Sumerfield, Bill H M48 OREG 3:09.03 2:59.24 41.28 1:27.92(46.64) 2:14.99(47.07) 2:59.24(44.25) 4 XXXXXXXX, Robert W M54 HMS 3:03.40 2:59.44 39.99 1:25.54(45.55) 2:13.36(47.82) 2:59.44(46.08)

I have a friend who's working on his personal goal of a sub 2 minute 200 free. Last year he was seeded next to a guy with a 1:59. (It turned out to be a sanbagger in disguise.) Unwittingly he assumed they should be traveling at the same speed so he hitched his wagon to this fellow's pace, not being fully aware of what was about to happen. The guy went out in around 52 seconds at the 100. My friend was lured into thinking that he should be pacing along side him and quickened his tempo to nearly his fastest 100 time! The mistake became very obvious as he limped home with no less than 2 pianos on his back. The guy with the 1:59 seed went a 1:45. My friend did a 2:02 which would have been faster if not for the crash and burn experience. The moral of the story: Swim your own race regardless of what's going on in the neighboring lane. :agree:

- don't rely on somebody for a time. Swimming against another competitor in your heat, however, can add to the adrenalin rush that pushes you through the pain. If your friend had been swimming next to somebody that ended up going a 1:58.9, my bet is that your friend would have gotten his 1:59. Very true. Having a competitor with your own abilities creates a synergy. And often times a neck and neck race situation drives each person to dig in a little deeper. Unfortunately seeing someone way ahead can be misleading if you had planned on pacing alongside of them. In masters I think nearly everyone I know checks the heat sheets and does a preliminary sizing up of their competition. Again, this isn't always the best strategy.

A guy near my age who goes sub 29 in 50 *** regularly enters Zones with times like 35. I'm convinced he does it for clear water. He can't possibly get a thrill, as a top 10 swimmer, from beating guys who aren't top 50. Honestly I think tactics like this are childish, selfish, and against the spirit of competition. To me it isn't strategic race planning. Sorry Ande. To me rest management means not entering events that are too close together. It isn't lying about my times to alter which heats I'll swim in. If the event order isn't good for you - too bad. The event order wasn't built for you (or me). I guess I just don't admire this approach to Masters racing. I admire people who get on the blocks, seeded with an appropriate time, and deal with whoever else is in the field and the water in front of them. I also think - all things considered - that I don't like the splitting of longer races to get intermediate times. Jeez - it's a 200 free - not a 50 free and 150 recovery.