The DQ thread got me thinking about swimming rules I'd like to see repealed. Here's my list:
15M rule on freestyle -- You're allowed to do virtually anything you want in a freestyle race provided you touch the walls, don't push off the bottom and don't pull on the lane lines. Why is going beyond 15 meters doing SDK not "freestyle?"
15M rule on backstroke -- Again, the rule seems arbitrary as I could go 15M underwater SDK, pop up and then kick the rest of the way still doing SDK on my back and be perfectly legal. What's so magical about 15M?
Dolphin kick off the wall on a breaststroke pullout -- just have the guts to DQ Kitajima back when he should've been DQd and this whole :worms:wouldn't have been opened.
Rollover backstroke turns -- go back to the bucket turn (touch on your back, turn, push off on your back) and you save a whole bunch of DQ hassles for swimmers & judges. Yeah, times will be way slower, but we banned tech suits, so clearly the swimming purists should be lined up behind this one.
Standup backstroke starts -- what's so magical about starting with your toes / feet in the water when we get to start with our feet out of the water on all other races? Let's stop the discrimination against backstrokers!
For the record, with the exception of #5, I would derive no speed benefit from any of the above rule changes as a competitor (I can't hold my breath in a race for 15M and my doplhin kick on the *** pullout is weak at best). As an S&T judge, though, all of these would make my life easier and, I believe (#5 possibly excepted), be more consistent with the overall rules for the strokes.
Parents
Former Member
I like a good old fashioned disagreement. In the unlikely event I was at this meet and not officiating and saw some parent counting for their kid in a 200 I would have immediately raised a stink. It isn't about the kid it benefits as much as about the other kids who it may distract.
If I was officiating the meet I would also have DQ'd the swimmer, sorry, them be the rules. It doesn't matter if a rule is perceived as a technicality, it is a rule and should be enforced. Technically, every rule is a technicality.
Now, if the meet officials had offered counting for all kids I would have been fine with it. But, the times would not be counted for those that used a counter since it does violate a few rules.
I would be interested in pwolf's view on this.
I am amazed to disagree with Geek.
My problem is not even so much with the rule - which is idiotic - but with the way the MD approached me. What's the problem with saying something along the lines of "hey, sorry to let you know, but you can't use counters even for a 7 year old in a 200"?
I fail to see how this rule hinders anyone.
There are many arbitrary, idiotic rules, and not allowing lap counters for little kids is one of them. And just because a rule is a rule, doesn't mean it's not stupid.
YMMV.
I like a good old fashioned disagreement. In the unlikely event I was at this meet and not officiating and saw some parent counting for their kid in a 200 I would have immediately raised a stink. It isn't about the kid it benefits as much as about the other kids who it may distract.
If I was officiating the meet I would also have DQ'd the swimmer, sorry, them be the rules. It doesn't matter if a rule is perceived as a technicality, it is a rule and should be enforced. Technically, every rule is a technicality.
Now, if the meet officials had offered counting for all kids I would have been fine with it. But, the times would not be counted for those that used a counter since it does violate a few rules.
I would be interested in pwolf's view on this.
I am amazed to disagree with Geek.
My problem is not even so much with the rule - which is idiotic - but with the way the MD approached me. What's the problem with saying something along the lines of "hey, sorry to let you know, but you can't use counters even for a 7 year old in a 200"?
I fail to see how this rule hinders anyone.
There are many arbitrary, idiotic rules, and not allowing lap counters for little kids is one of them. And just because a rule is a rule, doesn't mean it's not stupid.
YMMV.
