The DQ thread got me thinking about swimming rules I'd like to see repealed.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.
Comments on lap counters.
My daughter started her 200 Free career at the age of 9 by stopping at the 150 mark and ended her competition in the 9-10 age group at Junior Olympics by, you guessed it, stopping at the 150 mark. But since then she has never even contemplated stopping.
The first time any of my swimmers swim the 200 free, I fully expect them to stop at the 150 mark. It's a less than desirable result but it's part of the experience and most of them that stop the first time, rarely stop again.
As for the official, did they truly 'corner' you as represented? It's possible, I've met some very over-bearing officials but they have been very few and very far between. Most (99+%) are very nice folks doing a tough but necessary job (for FREE!!!! in 99.9% of cases) for the benefit of the kids and the sport. They are there to ensure two things for the swimmers, a safe and equitible competitive environment. And to do that, they must have a set of rules that are enforced for every swimmer.
True, the violation should have been noted and enforced when it occurred, I put that one on the deck ref/admin ref. But it is a rule, it is published and it is (should) be enforced. Should it be changed? I don't think so. All it takes is to count past three and you're finished (count the returns to the start end). What next, using a lap counter for 100s? Where does it stop? I was just at mini-meet where it was 25 free and a swimmer finished the 25 and turned and swam back. Should there have been a lap counter with the double orange there?
Lap counters are a convienance for the swimmers but that convienance has to be measured against the additional logistics of having up to 8 people at the turn end for every race that is allowed to use lap counters. Then having those people swap in and out, etc. Then the expense of having to have lap counters available at EVERY meet that has races where lap counters are allowed to be used. In the context of a single USA-S meet on a single weekend, that's not that expensive. Now increase that to 2-3 USA-S meets per weekend for a small geographical area. Then add in the YMCA meets on those same weekends. Add in high school meets, etc.....Most ideas sound great in the micro but become economically or logistically unsupportable in the macro. Electronic timing systems for summer league meets is another example of great in micro but horrible in macro. In my area that would require FORTY-THREE sets of pads, computer, software, cables etc just for our county's league. Not to mention spare parts, etc.
Also in my experience, lap counters should never be used for races shorter than 500 (400 LCM) because a vast majority of the younger kids swimming have no clue what they mean. The ones that would need a lap counter, typically don't understand it's porpose and the more experienced swimmers would no longer need the counter.
Should younger kids swim 200s? My opinion is that not until they are 8-9 years old (or have been swimming year round for at least 2 years). Once they get a little more cognizant of thier environment, then they 'get' the lap counter's purpose. Most of them still only know what the double-orange means.
Just my thoughts
Comments on lap counters.
My daughter started her 200 Free career at the age of 9 by stopping at the 150 mark and ended her competition in the 9-10 age group at Junior Olympics by, you guessed it, stopping at the 150 mark. But since then she has never even contemplated stopping.
The first time any of my swimmers swim the 200 free, I fully expect them to stop at the 150 mark. It's a less than desirable result but it's part of the experience and most of them that stop the first time, rarely stop again.
As for the official, did they truly 'corner' you as represented? It's possible, I've met some very over-bearing officials but they have been very few and very far between. Most (99+%) are very nice folks doing a tough but necessary job (for FREE!!!! in 99.9% of cases) for the benefit of the kids and the sport. They are there to ensure two things for the swimmers, a safe and equitible competitive environment. And to do that, they must have a set of rules that are enforced for every swimmer.
True, the violation should have been noted and enforced when it occurred, I put that one on the deck ref/admin ref. But it is a rule, it is published and it is (should) be enforced. Should it be changed? I don't think so. All it takes is to count past three and you're finished (count the returns to the start end). What next, using a lap counter for 100s? Where does it stop? I was just at mini-meet where it was 25 free and a swimmer finished the 25 and turned and swam back. Should there have been a lap counter with the double orange there?
Lap counters are a convienance for the swimmers but that convienance has to be measured against the additional logistics of having up to 8 people at the turn end for every race that is allowed to use lap counters. Then having those people swap in and out, etc. Then the expense of having to have lap counters available at EVERY meet that has races where lap counters are allowed to be used. In the context of a single USA-S meet on a single weekend, that's not that expensive. Now increase that to 2-3 USA-S meets per weekend for a small geographical area. Then add in the YMCA meets on those same weekends. Add in high school meets, etc.....Most ideas sound great in the micro but become economically or logistically unsupportable in the macro. Electronic timing systems for summer league meets is another example of great in micro but horrible in macro. In my area that would require FORTY-THREE sets of pads, computer, software, cables etc just for our county's league. Not to mention spare parts, etc.
Also in my experience, lap counters should never be used for races shorter than 500 (400 LCM) because a vast majority of the younger kids swimming have no clue what they mean. The ones that would need a lap counter, typically don't understand it's porpose and the more experienced swimmers would no longer need the counter.
Should younger kids swim 200s? My opinion is that not until they are 8-9 years old (or have been swimming year round for at least 2 years). Once they get a little more cognizant of thier environment, then they 'get' the lap counter's purpose. Most of them still only know what the double-orange means.
Just my thoughts
