Just make sure you are an official Timing Judge per the rulebook because the Timing Judge official (or Admin Ref) is who authorizes official times.
The requirements for the "Timing Judge" are extremely loose. The rulebook basically only says "Under the direction of the referee....". So the Timing Judge is whoever the Referee says is the Timing Judge. (And by my read, the Referee is the only person on deck who needs to be certified by any certification authority. The starters and stroke & turn judges don't need any official certification, officially.)
You are obviously upset about this, but I think the point you are missing is the Top Ten Recorders are typically not in a position to certify a swim as an official time and the original Rule proposal tried to give the TTR the ability to do this.
It's clear that the proposed legislation was flawed. The re-wording of 103.13.1B (definition of Official Time) was flawed in the proposal. I had no interest in making TT recorders responsible for determining official time. They have, and should not have, absolutely no authority to do so. I just want the ability for a Meet Referee/Timing Judge/Meet Director (in appropriate coordination) to be able to make a split time into an official time after the meet is over. Frankly, for non-backstroke events, it's far easier for me to do so after the meet than during the meet. During the meet, I've got 1000 swimmers running around. After the meet, it's just me, and the paperwork. The paperwork doesn't yell and scream.
-Rick
So you want to make it even harder to find people willing to volunteer to be meet directors and officials? At some meets, finding those to do the jobs is hard enough. Adding more work on them just because you aren't happy with a ruling isn't the solution.
The way the rule is written now, it makes it harder on the meet staff to keep the interest of the swimmers first. The way the rule is written, if you're a swimmer, your window of opportunity CLOSES at the end of the meet, period. If you don't put something in writing before you leave the deck, you have ZERO recourse. The only way to keep the interest of the swimmers first is to make sure swimmers are able to keep their options open, and submit paperwork for anything they might possibly want to count in the future.
The way the rule is written, it causes meet staff extra work at the meet because it requires paperwork to take place then. It also causes meet staff extra work because we have to deal with unhappy swimmers afterward who want a time to count, but they have lost their opportunity.
Let's remember... USA Swimming doesn't have these problems with split times.
-Rick
The way the rule is written now, it makes it harder on the meet staff to keep the interest of the swimmers first. The way the rule is written, if you're a swimmer, your window of opportunity CLOSES at the end of the meet, period. If you don't put something in writing before you leave the deck, you have ZERO recourse. The only way to keep the interest of the swimmers first is to make sure swimmers are able to keep their options open, and submit paperwork for anything they might possibly want to count in the future.
The way the rule is written, it causes meet staff extra work at the meet because it requires paperwork to take place then. It also causes meet staff extra work because we have to deal with unhappy swimmers afterward who want a time to count, but they have lost their opportunity.
Let's remember... USA Swimming doesn't have these problems with split times.
-Rick
It makes sense to me that we have to ask for splits during the meet and not after - certainly not 30 days after. I don't see why this rule needs to be changed.
This is frustrating, and is such a disservice to swimmers.
Well, we'll have to agree to disagree on that score. I sort of feel that safeguarding accuracy of times is pretty important too.
The rule proposal that I was looking for was to _ALLOW_ for this to be possible, not _REQUIRE_ that it be possible.
Was there a reason you didn't bring this fact to my attention earlier? The rule proposals have been out for a while, and I could have asked for a motion to amend it to something like this. (I'm not sure if that would have passed.)
Your original request was the impetus behind the proposal that the committee submitted; nobody else was asking for it. The committee thought it pretty reasonable at the time, before we realized the requirements to ensure accuracy made it much less practical.
I would encourage all swimmers going to any meet to bury the Meet Director and Meet Referee with official requests for splits during the meet for every swim that they participate in.
Hmmm, real mature. Sorry the world doesn't turn exactly as you wish it.
The way the rule is written now, it makes it harder on the meet staff to keep the interest of the swimmers first. The way the rule is written, if you're a swimmer, your window of opportunity CLOSES at the end of the meet, period. If you don't put something in writing before you leave the deck, you have ZERO recourse. The only way to keep the interest of the swimmers first is to make sure swimmers are able to keep their options open, and submit paperwork for anything they might possibly want to count in the future.
The way the rule is written, it causes meet staff extra work at the meet because it requires paperwork to take place then. It also causes meet staff extra work because we have to deal with unhappy swimmers afterward who want a time to count, but they have lost their opportunity.
Let's remember... USA Swimming doesn't have these problems with split times.
-Rick
We aren't USA-S. They also don't have much problem with pool measurements...mostly because they don't really care if the pool is short unless a record is at stake.
I'll say it again: you were the only person asking for this. I don't see it as a hot-button issue with swimmers nation-wide.
As a swimmer, I really don't find it difficult to request a split before I leave the meet.
I believe you are incorrect that the referee needs to VERIFY the split at the meet, s/he just needs to receive the request to do so.
I sort of feel that safeguarding accuracy of times is pretty important too.
Accuracy of times is paramount. I don't believe I've been asking for anything that would jeopardize the accuracy of times.
Was there a reason you didn't bring this fact to my attention earlier? The rule proposals have been out for a while, and I could have asked for a motion to amend it to something like this. (I'm not sure if that would have passed.)
I'll take a direct hit on that one. I don't remember when the convention stuff comes out, but my recollection is it's August sometime. For my day job, I'm in IT in higher education... so we go into 200% work crazy mode for basically all of August and the first part of September. It wasn't until a few days ago I realized "Oh... convention must be coming up...". I've always been interested in attending the convention (both on the USA Swimming and USMS sides), but with my current line of work, I'll never be able to attend due to the calendar.
Hmmm, real mature. Sorry the world doesn't turn exactly as you wish it.
This is what I told people at our own meet, where I was the one dealing with the paperwork. I'd rather deal with more paperwork than with unhappy interactions with swimmers who forgot to submit splits.
-Rick
I'll say it again: you were the only person asking for this.
One thing worth mentioning... based on a number of email responses I got from TT tabulators from various LMSCs, it appears that this rule is routinely ignored by TT tabulators. I'm not a fan of disregarding rules in the rulebook. The rule says I'm not allowed to offer any flexibility as a Meet Director on this point. I believe that many don't care about this rule because they're simply ignoring it.
-Rick
Second thought, if happen to be a meet director and I attend the meet, then I will burden you with the extra paperwork
I would encourage you to. It's the only way to keep your options open.
-Rick
