I was looking through entry forms for local USA Swimming meets and noticed this quote:
Notice: As per Middle Atlantic regulations, failure to enter a
swimmer's best time could result in suspension from competition for a
minimum of 3 months, but not more than one year. Further violation
by a coach, parent, or swimmer could result in that person being
forbidden to participate in or attend USA Swimming functions.
I don't know if this goes on if other LSCs. Some swimmers would have a problem if USMS got strict with the sandbaggers(or the new termed coined by Mr. Jimby Thornton this weekend, "Hiltabiddles").
What if your best time is faster than you are capable of swimming right now?
I don't know for certain since I just got back into USA Swimming but I am going to take an educated guess and go with best time in the 365 days. From reading some of these entry forms, they seem to put the fear of god into people.
What if your best time is faster than you are capable of swimming right now?
Then you either step it up or come in last in your heat.
In my experience I find entry times to be pretty self-fulfilling. When I enter a time which I think is too fast I tend to swim faster. If I slack off and enter a slower time I tend to swim slower.
When I was a kid swimming we never came up with our own times, or events for that matter. The coach did all of it, and he always seemed to enter my best time or faster. I think it would be great to have some sort of best time system for masters entries. I see way too many swimmers tacking on 10 seconds per-100 to their entry times for meet after meet. Of course as a meet director I'd love to see a no show penalty too, but that'll never happen.
It is a stated rule (207.10) in USA Swimming that entries for national championships must be your best performance during the the qualifying period. The USA Swimming times database (SWIMS) is typically used to enforce that policy.
In my experience, in most LSCs, the local championship meets are generally run using USA Swimming Championship rules, so usually this rule applies at any championship meet level.
At lower level meets around the LSCs, I can't imagine anyone is enforcing anything like that.
-Rick
