Rules on Pacing

Don't coaches signal swimmers when pace is to fast or slow? Is that legal? Can't be. If that was, then they'd have to turn off the clocks during the swim too. I paced my 200 free the other day by looking at my splits while swimming the race :) It was certainly a device used to enhance pace in that instance. Does that make looking at it illegal?

here is a rule according to FINA SW 10.16 No pace-making shall be permitted, nor may any device be used or plan adopted which has that effect I have even been told that a coach, parent or swimmer using various hand motions to signal on pace or speed up is against this rule. and that is why in sweden only offiicials can hold the lap counter to prevent pace giving information. there is no specific rule in the fina masters rules, but I assume that most of the standard rules apply if there is no expection or specific change to the rule for masters like with suits between nov and jan 2009-2010

I always wanted a series of lights on the black line that would show me the target pace, in practice not meets. Or goggles with x-ray vision. Or a ray gun paralyzer. But I never got any of them. Why would you want goggles with x-ray vision? "There's a skeleton. Hey, there's another skeleton." "OK, apparently that was the wall."

So if an official thinks you looked at the scoreboard and saw your split during a race, you can be DQ'd. Right? I don't see any other way to read this (rather silly) rule. must have done by the “suits” (sport politicians) quoting this article www.swimnews.com/.../8427 An Open Letter from the Executive Director of the American Swimming Coaches Association Comment: A review by ACES (Association of Chief Executives for Sport) supplied to USA-Swimming reports that exactly ZERO are the number of people serving on the governing boards of directors for their international Federation, who are ATHLETES or COACHES. At the end of this short article, I’ll list all the federations who responded. No athletes. No coaches. What conclusions can we draw from this? 1. International Federations operate as paternalistic organizations where anyone except the “suits” (sport politicians) are not welcome. 2. Professional athletes in all sports, are “done to, and for” by amateurs who reside in the old thinking of the 19th century that only “gentlemen” run sport. 3. Professional coaches are not considered worthy to help govern the sports in which they spend their entire lives. Someone told me recently that clearly it was a “bad idea” to have athletes and coaches on governing bodies. This same person is a ranking sport politician not only in their own federation, but in the international federation. What flawed logic. ("it’s never been so, so clearly it should never be so.”) In reality, this is the strongest possible indictment of the CREDIBILITY of International Sports Federations to govern their sport. Making them, quite literally, IN-Credible. As proof of the absurdity of this conclusion, I point to USA Swimming and to Australian Swimming….the two most successful sports teams in the history of Olympic Sport, in terms of medals won, records set, etc. (we’ll dismiss the old drug cheating East German regime from consideration, shall we? ) Both organizations have both athletes and coaches imbedded permanently in the highest levels of decision making in their organization….quite successfully it would appear. While I cannot speak authoritatively on the history of Australian Swimming, it is correct that USA Swimming has had athletes and coaches on it’s Board of Directors since it’s inception in 1979. It works for the two most successful Olympic organizations on the planet, but wouldn’t work for International Federations? Please. And please, remember that we’re talking “Serving on the governing boards…” not the eyewash of “athletes commissions” that the IOC and some others that they put in place to blunt valid criticism, and then roundly ignore. Time for a Change. InCredible. The sports represented in the survey: Badminton, Biathlon, Bowling, Equestrian, Fencing, Field Hockey, Hockey, Lacrosse, Luge, Masters Swimming, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Synchro Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Water Ski, Wrestling

here is a rule according to FINA SW 10.16 No pace-making shall be permitted, nor may any device be used or plan adopted which has that effect So if an official thinks you looked at the scoreboard and saw your split during a race, you can be DQ'd. Right? I don't see any other way to read this (rather silly) rule.

At a recent meet I attended the scoreboard had both the times and laps completed of the 1650. The bonus was that it was super easy to see as you were swimming.

Why would you want goggles with x-ray vision? I would only use them to fight evil.

Our club had a pacing machine on the side of our swimmin gpool deck, It was set at 5 minutes pace for a 450 yd swims. We used it when were doing 450s on 5 minutes. It was on two pulleys and a rope with a flag on it that went up and down the pool. Two swimmers per lane.

I always wanted a series of lights on the black line that would show me the target pace, in practice not meets. Or goggles with x-ray vision. Or a ray gun paralyzer. But I never got any of them.

Not trying to be argumentative but it is a big deal to us slow pokes who get drowned in the wake of someone who really shouldn't be in our heat. I agree with you on this. I'm not a fan of entering a slow seed time just to get clear water or to maximize rest time in between events, but I do endorse making up realistic seed times. I always try to enter myself close to the time I think I'll swim, so lots of times this means making up a time. I also don't think anyone should be able to enter with "NT" (no time). Everyone should have some idea of how fast they'll swim a race, so just enter that guess.