Opinions wanted on this one -
I have a meet this weekend and on day 2 the 500 FR is seeded by time and gender (men are separated from women.) I am actually used to swimming mixed seeding in distance events.
Provided the meet director would accommodate me (and s/he may not), would you ask to be seeded with the men to get the full racing experience?
As it stands, I'm seeded 1st of the women (2nd place is 48 seconds behind) and I would be seeded 5th with the men.
The only other thing to consider is that if I swim with the women, I will have 1 hour rest until my next event. If I swim with the men, I will have about 30 minutes until my next event. And I have 3 events left to swim after the 500 FR.
And, to confirm, am I correct in assuming that if I swam with the men, the time would not count for USMS purposes due to my changing the event/ program order? But am I correct in assuming that my other swims would count assuming all the rules are followed?
This meet is for pure racing fun. Times are irrelevant for me. Oh, and I'm used to swimming by myself which I find sort of boring; however, I have gone PB's swimming solo or having competition. And, I will get creamed by some of the top men (will be a fast heat), but that does not bother me greatly. It's more of a learning experience.
Thanks!
Parents
Former Member
Jim, you bring up some excellent scenarios that I would NOT have thought of. Glad I asked.
On #2 - I'm putting myself at a disadvantage rest-wise if I swim with the men. If I swim with the men, my rest will be cut in half and I will have only 30 minutes to my next event. If I swim with the women, I will have just over 1 hour of rest. So it's actually to my competitors' advantage if I were to swim with the men.
#1 point - I checked and I would not be splitting up any men in the same age group.
I wonder if there are other scenarios I have not thought of. . .
As a man, of sorts, my instinct is to tell you to stick with your own gender and humiliate them, not me. However, when you mentioned that the second place time was 48 seconds slower, it did seem kind of unfair that magnificence of your sort cannot be stoked by actual competition with someone(s) as fast and maybe a wee bit faster than you.
I say that if the Kentucky Derby lets fillies run with the stallions, and the occasional gelding, they there should be room for us all in the 500 seeding.
The only possible flies in the ointment I can espy are:
1) if you bump some guy down one heat who would otherwise be racing someone in his same age group that he was hoping to beat for the points. However, even in such an unlikely scenario, chances are the guy you bumped down would be in an end lane, and the guy he was racing would be in the opposite end lane, so they probably wouldn't see each other well anyhow
2) assume that the woman who is now seeded 48 seconds behind you inthe women's 500 is not much of a distance swimmer but is an excellent sprinter. assume, furthermore, that you are racing her in the next event, a sprint, for which you will have gotten an hour's rest and she only 30 minutes. If she is of a suitably ill-termpered nature, i can see her crying, "Foul!"
Such quibbles aside, I think the swimming world simply needs to do what I have long ago decided to do when it comes to CreamPuff. Acknowledge her magnificence, bow down, and worship.
Jim, you bring up some excellent scenarios that I would NOT have thought of. Glad I asked.
On #2 - I'm putting myself at a disadvantage rest-wise if I swim with the men. If I swim with the men, my rest will be cut in half and I will have only 30 minutes to my next event. If I swim with the women, I will have just over 1 hour of rest. So it's actually to my competitors' advantage if I were to swim with the men.
#1 point - I checked and I would not be splitting up any men in the same age group.
I wonder if there are other scenarios I have not thought of. . .
As a man, of sorts, my instinct is to tell you to stick with your own gender and humiliate them, not me. However, when you mentioned that the second place time was 48 seconds slower, it did seem kind of unfair that magnificence of your sort cannot be stoked by actual competition with someone(s) as fast and maybe a wee bit faster than you.
I say that if the Kentucky Derby lets fillies run with the stallions, and the occasional gelding, they there should be room for us all in the 500 seeding.
The only possible flies in the ointment I can espy are:
1) if you bump some guy down one heat who would otherwise be racing someone in his same age group that he was hoping to beat for the points. However, even in such an unlikely scenario, chances are the guy you bumped down would be in an end lane, and the guy he was racing would be in the opposite end lane, so they probably wouldn't see each other well anyhow
2) assume that the woman who is now seeded 48 seconds behind you inthe women's 500 is not much of a distance swimmer but is an excellent sprinter. assume, furthermore, that you are racing her in the next event, a sprint, for which you will have gotten an hour's rest and she only 30 minutes. If she is of a suitably ill-termpered nature, i can see her crying, "Foul!"
Such quibbles aside, I think the swimming world simply needs to do what I have long ago decided to do when it comes to CreamPuff. Acknowledge her magnificence, bow down, and worship.
