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.:)
Parents
Former Member
Y'know, I don't mind but it's getting old looking at the psyche sheets and thinking "Hmm I can place here." Then you see the results and you're 10th.
I've gone as far as reviewing my age group competitors post meet to see how the have swum in the last few meets. I just giggle when I see Jonny X swims the 50 BR in :31 6 of 7 times and entered at :33.5.
With the exception of certain meets where the Meet Manager is actively watching the entries. I may be economical with the truth of my times. Fed up with being lane 3 or 4 and a good body length behind at the wall.
As Geek said once or twice it's a new PB or a misjudged guess and I can handle that but I do look up results and have vowed to nix the SB strategists by SB'ing myself into a more correct heat.
I feel I train too hard to hard to be eating the kick wash of a sandbagger who wants lean water. It isn't fair.
That said, Leslie's and Allen's points about fastest in age group or sex should be considered when seeding so that they don't get end lanes against much younger folks or opposite sex seems reasonable.
Fastest woman should be in center lanes of final heat with fastest guy (or the penultimate heat etc) and work backwards alternating sexes--it must be doable by computer.
:2cents:
Y'know, I don't mind but it's getting old looking at the psyche sheets and thinking "Hmm I can place here." Then you see the results and you're 10th.
I've gone as far as reviewing my age group competitors post meet to see how the have swum in the last few meets. I just giggle when I see Jonny X swims the 50 BR in :31 6 of 7 times and entered at :33.5.
With the exception of certain meets where the Meet Manager is actively watching the entries. I may be economical with the truth of my times. Fed up with being lane 3 or 4 and a good body length behind at the wall.
As Geek said once or twice it's a new PB or a misjudged guess and I can handle that but I do look up results and have vowed to nix the SB strategists by SB'ing myself into a more correct heat.
I feel I train too hard to hard to be eating the kick wash of a sandbagger who wants lean water. It isn't fair.
That said, Leslie's and Allen's points about fastest in age group or sex should be considered when seeding so that they don't get end lanes against much younger folks or opposite sex seems reasonable.
Fastest woman should be in center lanes of final heat with fastest guy (or the penultimate heat etc) and work backwards alternating sexes--it must be doable by computer.
:2cents:
