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.:)
From what I have seen, when someone enters the 500 intending to swim a fast 50, the entry time is not "legitimate", meaning that he or she can actually swim the 500 significantly faster. No rule against doing so. I just don't like the practice. But it doesn't keep me awake at night.
If I had to guess: from a timeline perspective, the meet director would prefer that you try to predict what you would actually DO with the split request event. If one defines sandbagging as "entering a time much different than you actually perform," then this wouldn't be sandbagging.
It would probably be courteous to tell others in your heat what you plan to do, and I know some who do just that. Richie Hughey did this in Atlanta when we were next to each other in the 100 back: informed others in the heat (at least, those near him) that he was actually going for a 50 split.
From what I have seen, when someone enters the 500 intending to swim a fast 50, the entry time is not "legitimate", meaning that he or she can actually swim the 500 significantly faster. No rule against doing so. I just don't like the practice. But it doesn't keep me awake at night.
If I had to guess: from a timeline perspective, the meet director would prefer that you try to predict what you would actually DO with the split request event. If one defines sandbagging as "entering a time much different than you actually perform," then this wouldn't be sandbagging.
It would probably be courteous to tell others in your heat what you plan to do, and I know some who do just that. Richie Hughey did this in Atlanta when we were next to each other in the 100 back: informed others in the heat (at least, those near him) that he was actually going for a 50 split.
