Time Line and Heat Sheets are Available!

The biggest problem, I think, is that in a true trials/finals meet, you need to have a championship final heat for the top 1-8 (or 1-10) qualifiers. Since masters is scored by age group, you would need to have a finals for each separate age group! Otherwise, there is no real fair way to establish points. If you do prelims/finals just by time (no age group), then consider the following scenario: * For the example, only the top 8 return at night for finals. No consols, bonus, etc. Just top 8. * In the 30-34 age group, there are swimmers A, B, and C. * Event is the 50 free. In prelims, the following times are performed: - Swimmer A: 30.00 (qualifies 7th overall) - Swimmer B: 30.01 (qualifies 8th overall) - Swimmer C: 30.02 (qualifies 9th overall, does not make finals) * Then at night in finals, only Swimmer A and Swimmer B swim, since Swimmer C did not qualify. In finals, the following times are performed: - Swimmer A: 30.50 - Swimmer B: 30.40 How do you score the event? Who won? Swimmer A had the fastest time overall, but it was from prelims. Swimmer B was faster in finals. Swimmer C was slowest in the morning, but was still faster than Swimmer A or B swam in finals. It would also mean that you'd, practically, never get any 70+ swimmers ever qualifying for finals. All in all, it creates a scenario where, as an expectation, there are different parameters for scoring points depending on your speed and age group. I.e., not a level playing field. -Rick Rick, In a prelim/finals meet this will sometimes happens...Whoever goes the fastest in the finals is your champion...Thats how it works at every prelim final meet...You have to swim fast in the morning to give yourself a shot to win it at night. So in order to score points for your team, it would be the order of finish of the finals swimmers. Maybe you can throw in consol points for the next 8 outside the finals heat? I def would support a prelim/final meet!

The biggest problem, I think, is that in a true trials/finals meet, you need to have a championship final heat for the top 1-8 (or 1-10) qualifiers. Since masters is scored by age group, you would need to have a finals for each separate age group! Otherwise, there is no real fair way to establish points. If you do prelims/finals just by time (no age group), then consider the following scenario: * For the example, only the top 8 return at night for finals. No consols, bonus, etc. Just top 8. * In the 30-34 age group, there are swimmers A, B, and C. * Event is the 50 free. In prelims, the following times are performed: - Swimmer A: 30.00 (qualifies 7th overall) - Swimmer B: 30.01 (qualifies 8th overall) - Swimmer C: 30.02 (qualifies 9th overall, does not make finals) * Then at night in finals, only Swimmer A and Swimmer B swim, since Swimmer C did not qualify. In finals, the following times are performed: - Swimmer A: 30.50 - Swimmer B: 30.40 How do you score the event? Who won? Swimmer A had the fastest time overall, but it was from prelims. Swimmer B was faster in finals. Swimmer C was slowest in the morning, but was still faster than Swimmer A or B swam in finals. It would also mean that you'd, practically, never get any 70+ swimmers ever qualifying for finals. All in all, it creates a scenario where, as an expectation, there are different parameters for scoring points depending on your speed and age group. I.e., not a level playing field. -Rick Rick, In a prelim/finals meet this will sometimes happens...Whoever goes the fastest in the finals is your champion...Thats how it works at every prelim final meet...You have to swim fast in the morning to give yourself a shot to win it at night. So in order to score points for your team, it would be the order of finish of the finals swimmers. Maybe you can throw in consol points for the next 8 outside the finals heat? I def would support a prelim/final meet!