The anti-sandbag law:
"if a swimmer enters an event with a time significantly slower or faster than that swimmer's recorded time in the past two years, the meet director may, after a discussion with the swimmer, change the seeded time to a realistic time" (104.5.5.A(10)).
Concerning my Auburn nationals entry, I confess, when faced with a 7 hour 2 stop flight and 3:45 nonstop at an earlier time, I did what any warm-blooded middle-aged American swimmer with low self-esteem would do--sandbag my entry so I could catch the earlier flight, thus diminishing the possible time spent sitting next to a 400 pound Alabama slammer with sleep apnea wearing nothing but overalls and body odor. Of course, I was caught in my bold fabrication and my time was "fixed."
USMS seems to have an identity problem. Are we hard core with rigid qualifying times? It would seem not as 2 of my not-so-speedy family members were allowed to swim four events last year in Puerto Rico. If we are not hard core, why does anybody care that I sandbag? More to the point, why can one person enter a crappy time and another cannot? Just wondering.:)
I'll put my two cents in, which probably won't be popular. If you are unable to put an accurate time, for whatever reason, put NT. Everyone knows the NT heat(s) are the wild west.
The meet is the meet, not a particular swimmer's meet. Despite always trying to swim my own race, it is highly annoying to have someone beside me blow it out simply because they put a sandbag time. If they just swim the race of their life, good for them.
I also think you should not be allowed to do a partial swim for a time if the actual event is that same day. But, that is a longstanding swimming norm so I don't get too worked up about it either way.
I'm also Lanes 1 and 8 phobic and would consider all manners of sandbagging if I knew for sure a sandbag time would keep me from those lanes.
I'll put my two cents in, which probably won't be popular. If you are unable to put an accurate time, for whatever reason, put NT. Everyone knows the NT heat(s) are the wild west.
The meet is the meet, not a particular swimmer's meet. Despite always trying to swim my own race, it is highly annoying to have someone beside me blow it out simply because they put a sandbag time. If they just swim the race of their life, good for them.
I also think you should not be allowed to do a partial swim for a time if the actual event is that same day. But, that is a longstanding swimming norm so I don't get too worked up about it either way.
I'm also Lanes 1 and 8 phobic and would consider all manners of sandbagging if I knew for sure a sandbag time would keep me from those lanes.
