Split Requests

a person could have WRs or #1 rankings or whatever in an event that they never actually swam that year. See, that's a sprinter's mentality. To me, if I swim a 1650 I maintain that I am swimming a 50 and a 100, and a 200, etc. By swimming the event called "50 freestyle" you guys are just neglecting an opportunity to swim multiple events all in one fell swoop!

I don't think it unfair,rather it is a chance to mitigate the unfairness that the meet schedule sometimes causes.I do think it is only fair to enter the time you think you will actually do and to tell the rest of the heat of your intentions.If a freestyler was to enter all the events to get a 50 record I think they would be a very tired swimmer by the end of the meet(unless they were a real jerk and stopped after every failed attempt and got out after 50,they'd be DQd,but since they didn't get there time,so what.) Ah, yes, that pesky order of events business that I am so reknowned for now ... In fact, I was just looking at the meet entry form for Auburn and thinking the 200 back might have me written all over it ... Is a time trial always loaded in one's favor, Pakman? Surely it must depend on the swimmer. I have heard complaints about lack of "optimal competitive racing conditons" or lack of "crowd energy ... And in a longer time trial or split request, you are surely racing only yourself. If Osterber and others are right, it's better to race others.

According to 105.3.7, yes, someone can conceivably get a split from all those races (and relays) to count towards a WR as long as they abide by the procedures set forth in that section of the rules. In reality, it wouldn't quite happen the way you describe it. The swimmer will get all their backup timers for all their races and fill out their times on that lane's timer card. But at the end of the meet, they get to come up to the meet director and say "hey, dude meet director, i got 50 splits in all my free events, but can you please submit the one from my ?" Unless the meet director is an ahole (or the swimmer is), it'll get submitted. FYI - USMS Rulebook area of the USMS site

According to 105.3.7, yes, someone can conceivably get a split from all those races (and relays) to count towards a WR as long as they abide by the procedures set forth in that section of the rules. Well, I think this rule sucks then, violates the spirit of fair play, and should be re-written to prohibit such conduct. Let's be pro-swimmer in the interpretation of rules, but this seems extreme and more toward the "playing" and cheating end of things. What will we have next? People swimming in 4-5 B70s even though the rule says "swimsuit"?

I am curious to know if USATF (track and field) allows this type of thing. Is somebody allowed to use a 400 or 800 split on the 1500? Yes. HOWEVER, in order for it to be accepted, it would have to have all the official timing protocalls in place at the intermediate marks. So, for example, you would need to have FAT (fully automatic timing) and not manual timing, etc. It would also be made quite clear to all competitors what was happening before the race. That said, it is rare to do this in the running events. There have been instances where people have used, say, a mile run to get a 1500 meter record, but fewer cases where it is done for other distances for record purposes. In racewalking it is VERY common to use a longer race to go for a fast time at a shorter distance, usually for purposes of qualifying for another competition, like the Olympic Trials. It is also common in racewalking to extend a race distance to allow someone to qualify for something. This is mostly due to a scarcity of races with the correct level of judging and/or competitors. However, racewalk timing is generally accepted as being like road racing timing, so you don't need the fancy automatic timing unless it's a world record attempt. Edited: I forgot to add that the running/walking race management can, at their discretion, decline to do this. -LBJ

Except that the event is 'freestyle' so it would not count for anything other than freestlye no matter what stroke you swam. Someone swimming a record 400 IM in a 400 Free event will not get official credit as the event was a Freestyle event. The only way to get a 50 Fly split recognized is for it to be swam during a Fly only event (or during the Fly leg of an IM). I thought 'freestyle' meant exactly that. In other words you are free to do any style you want. Front crawl is the fastest so everyone uses it, but they could equally choose to use any of the other three strokes should they want to. Am I wrong?:confused:

Enter a relay, but only show up with one swimmer going for an initial split. When no one dives in for legs 2-4, the relay is DQ'd, but the split time stands. This is a good USMS rule. Something almost similar happened to me. In Ottawa there's only one LCM meet per year, in February, and I always (last six years since I restarted swimming anyway) enter the 50 free. I swim unattached I (in 25m pools). Therefore the one annual LCM meet I do is the only time I can get "timed". From year to next year it's difficult to tell if I swim all out will be faster or if I swim long. Therefore it was manna from Heaven for me to discover the rule that allows relay teams in meets where the swimmers do not belong to the same club and their entry and time would be for "exhibition" purposes only and no records would count. So this year 2008, I suggested this event to the organizers. They thought it was a good idea and scheduled it. I swam my own 50free and then a few events later, it's time for the "exhibition" relay. I show up at the start and number three does not; numbers 2 and 4 are ready at the other end. The starter calls the race and, unbeknownst to me, the official at the other end suggested to swimmer 2 to do a 100 so that swimmer 4 would have a chance to swim. a) our relay was DQ'ed, naturally, and b) in trying to find number 3, I forgot to ask the timers to PLEASE, time MY split, jut for my info, PLEASE.

What's interesting is that USA Swimming and USMS rules differ on initial distances for relays. In USA Swimming, as long as the lead-off swimmer completes his/her leg legally without being disqualified, the time counts for an initial distance split. It's OK if the relay is DQed due to another swimmer infraction. In USMS, it is required that the entire relay complete the event without being disqualified. If USMS didn't have that rule, then I absolutely guarantee that there would be a bunch of fake relays entered at big meets like nationals. Enter a relay, but only show up with one swimmer going for an initial split. When no one dives in for legs 2-4, the relay is DQ'd, but the split time stands. This is a good USMS rule.

I say "Two Suits, Two Asteriks".

I have on occasion heard an official announce that someone is going for a split rather than the full swim, but not very often. I think alot of the split requests come from lead off's on relays or the first 50 of a 100 swim, or the first 100 of a 200 swim. It doesn't seem necessary to tell other relays you are going for a relay split time. Nor would I find it necessary to tell others in my heat that I had asked for my first 50 of a 100 to count unless i planned on not going for the 100 time as well. So don't assume that those who requested split requests you see in the meet results were sandbagging or disrupting the competition in any way.