Split requests seem to be all the fashion lately. I know they're perfectly legal, though I haven't read the rule itself. I'm wondering about them though ... It seems oddly unfair, for example, that a person never (or rarely) swimming open 50s could hold world or national records or #1 rankings in those events. (I'm just saying it's odd, while recognizing it could be perfectly legal.) But, aside from that and further, what if someone really played the system. What if, for example, someone was after a 50 free record. They entered a meet in the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 free and led off free relays and requested split requests in each event to try to set a record. Is this legitimate or legal? Would a meet director be bound to accept split requests for all these events? Is there a limit? Do meet directors have discretion to deny multiple split requests? I can see a situation where multiple attempts at a 50 might result in a better time ...
Former Member
Awesome:bliss:If I do the 2009 check off challenge, can I just swim the
1650
IM's
200's of stroke
and get my splits to count?
What about the clear water issue in all of this? Is it fair to the guy or gal who fought his or her way to the front of a pack of 8 churning, thrashing sprinters to a record 50 time while split guy or gal has nice un-churned, un-thrashed water to play with? Isn't sandbagging to get clear water frowned upon? Why then is it sanctioned, or at least ignored, with recognized splits?
Not an issue. Remember that swimmers trying to make cuts (particularly in USS and college) will do time trials after meets or even meets composed entirely of time trials. In college, on three separate occasions, I swam 200 fly time trials alone to make cuts. Another time I did a 1000 free time trial alone, and was so bored that I missed the cut I was trying to make.
Edit: Now that I think about it, I also did several other time trial swims just to see how fast I could go in some of my "off" events.
I make it a practice to always tell the starter and the swimmers in my heet if I'm going for a split time and it has always been annunced to the field prior to stepping onto the blocks.
Peg...don't I owe you a beer for your beating my time?
Paul, you are among the honorable. I like your example.
Paul, you are among the honorable. I like your example.
Paul is God in this very limited way. ;) However, I have never actually heard an announcement of a split request in a meet. Ever. And I see split requests appear in the event rankings from meets I've competed in. Nor have I actually heard anyone tell their neighbors that they are sandbagging or getting a split request. Although I believe that Muppet would do that, as he's a straight up cool dude.
Not an issue. Remember that swimmers trying to make cuts (particularly in USS and college) will do time trials after meets or even meets composed entirely of time trials. In college, on three separate occasions, I swam 200 fly time trials alone to make cuts. Another time I did a 1000 free time trial alone, and was so bored that I missed the cut I was trying to make.
Edit: Now that I think about it, I also did several other time trial swims just to see how fast I could go in some of my "off" events.
At least in my mind, there's a difference between looking for a cut and setting a world record. Wasn't there some controversy a while back about a 50 free record being set in a trial? Maybe Hall, Jr was involved, I can't recall right now? Something about an empty lane between 2 very fast guys?
However, I have never actually heard an announcement of a split request in a meet. Ever...
I think we can all go on about times when we heard someone announce it, or when we did it ourselves...
Fort, since most of the (Masters) meets you attend are multi-day meets that usually separate out distance events to a separate day (or session), as a wimpy sprinter :cane:, you're just never around to hear it.
If you are polite and notify everyone in the field what your goal is, I am not as annoyed.
There should be an annoucement on the PA before the event begins. This announcement should include what the swimmers is going for and the ramifications of failure and success. Failing to accomplish the goal should be a bevy of brews for those in the heat. Accomplishing stated goal should be a bevy of brews for those in the heat.
The swimmer should also finish the event close to his/her seed time.
However, I have never actually heard an announcement of a split request in a meet. Ever. And I see split requests appear in the event rankings from meets I've competed in. Nor have I actually heard anyone tell their neighbors that they are sandbagging or getting a split request.
This did happen at LCM nationals. KPN was in the fastest womens heat of the 1500 free. Her intention was to get a 400 or 800 split (can't remember which). She let the people in the lanes around her know what she was doing and it was announced by the starter prior to the swim.
