I was wondering if I was the only Master's swimmer who didn't know that there was a five event limit on all meets? As an Arizona swimmer, I signed up for the MV LCM meet a couple of weeks ago because there was no event limit on the meet flyer. I like to swim a lot of things (more bang for my buck, so to speak). I entered ten events on-line (not knowing I was being a criminal). Nobody refuted my entry. Imagine my sadness when a week after my swims I was informed that I was retroactively DQ'ed for events 6-10! These were some of my best times ever. I am really down about this. I even asked our LMSC Director the year before (after attending a MV meet and swimming 10 events) why Arizona couldn't allow more events per day and I was told it is up to the Meet Director as to how may events are to be permitted.
What are your thoughts? Am I being a baby or do I have a right to feel ripped off?
As others have pointed out, it's a USMS rule for 5 events per day.
In USA Swimming, there is a similar rule... in a timed final meet, 5 events per day. In a prelims/finals meet, 3 events per day. In USA Swimming where time trials are a factor... the rule is that a time trial swim counts towards your limit of 3 or 5 swims in the day. (But does not, generally, count towards the limit for a meet over the week-end.)
It's simply a health and safety thing.
Regarding the DQs... the interpretation of things like that has been relatively unwavering in my experience with that. The USMS rule I believe says you can only compete in 5 per day. In USMS, most meets will limit you to 5 entries per day, and assume you may swim all of your events.
Especially in the USA Swimming context, it is common to over-enter events on any day, and then scratch down appropriately. I've never seen this allowed in a USMS context, because it just gets confusing for people. Also, USMS has a no-penalty no-show policy, whereas USA Swimming (generally) penalizes for a no-show.
In USA Swimming, for meets where there is a scratch deadline (usually the evening before), it is the responsibility of the Administrative Referee or Clerk of Course to make sure nobody is over-entered for the next day. If there's a limit of 5 events, and you're still in 6, then the AdminRef should automatically scratch you from the last event to be swum that day.
In the USMS context, if you swim 6 events in a day where there is a limit of 5, the retroactive DQ is rather clear. When you dove in for swims #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5, you were in compliance with the rules. As soon as you dove in for swim #6, you were over the limit. The first five events were closed for you.
It does happen from time to time that these administrative rules need to get applied retroactively. For example, if it were determined after-the-fact that your USMS registration card was fraudulent, you would obviously be DQed from all events retroactively.
-Rick
As others have pointed out, it's a USMS rule for 5 events per day.
In USA Swimming, there is a similar rule... in a timed final meet, 5 events per day. In a prelims/finals meet, 3 events per day. In USA Swimming where time trials are a factor... the rule is that a time trial swim counts towards your limit of 3 or 5 swims in the day. (But does not, generally, count towards the limit for a meet over the week-end.)
It's simply a health and safety thing.
Regarding the DQs... the interpretation of things like that has been relatively unwavering in my experience with that. The USMS rule I believe says you can only compete in 5 per day. In USMS, most meets will limit you to 5 entries per day, and assume you may swim all of your events.
Especially in the USA Swimming context, it is common to over-enter events on any day, and then scratch down appropriately. I've never seen this allowed in a USMS context, because it just gets confusing for people. Also, USMS has a no-penalty no-show policy, whereas USA Swimming (generally) penalizes for a no-show.
In USA Swimming, for meets where there is a scratch deadline (usually the evening before), it is the responsibility of the Administrative Referee or Clerk of Course to make sure nobody is over-entered for the next day. If there's a limit of 5 events, and you're still in 6, then the AdminRef should automatically scratch you from the last event to be swum that day.
In the USMS context, if you swim 6 events in a day where there is a limit of 5, the retroactive DQ is rather clear. When you dove in for swims #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5, you were in compliance with the rules. As soon as you dove in for swim #6, you were over the limit. The first five events were closed for you.
It does happen from time to time that these administrative rules need to get applied retroactively. For example, if it were determined after-the-fact that your USMS registration card was fraudulent, you would obviously be DQed from all events retroactively.
-Rick
