With the continued growth in USMS membership, I would submit that it's time to eliminate the regional teams at Nationals. Case in point: NCMS sent a "team" of 123 swimmers to Atlanta, enough to enter A, B, C, and D relays in many events (e.g. the mens 35+ 200 free relay in which our club team placed 13th behind eight regional teams). It's been argued that the formation of regional teams allows more swimmers to participate in relays, yet local clubs from North Carolina sent as many as thirty or more athletes and could have entered relays on their own as our club (with eight swimmers) did. Swim with the guys you actually train with.
But UNAT relays are currently prohibited:
Yes, I knew that. They are essentially exhibition relays at our meets: they do not win awards, cannot set records, and are not eligible for Top Ten. Relay leadoff legs cannot be used for split requests either. But I'll include them (marked as exhibition) in the meet results.
If they would do something similar at nationals then no new rules need be adopted.
Heck, we've done stranger things: two-person relays, couples relays, etc. And I still miss beer relays...
But UNAT relays are currently prohibited:
Yes, I knew that. They are essentially exhibition relays at our meets: they do not win awards, cannot set records, and are not eligible for Top Ten. Relay leadoff legs cannot be used for split requests either. But I'll include them (marked as exhibition) in the meet results.
If they would do something similar at nationals then no new rules need be adopted.
Heck, we've done stranger things: two-person relays, couples relays, etc. And I still miss beer relays...
