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 really don't care what the rule is concerning sandbagging. I do think all swimmers should be treated equally as far as enforcement of the rule. In other words I think you were being used as an example.
If usms really wants everyone seeded by their best times they should somehow draw swimmers times from their data base. It seems unfair that well known "fast" swimmers are held to the rule while slower "unknown" swimmers can get away with sandbagging. just my :2cents:
I have a few times chosen to swim another stroke (fly), in a freestyle event, and in these cases, I don't want to be seeded with my fastest freestyle times. I have entered my fly times, and then am seeded with the freestylers of the comparable speed. It actually makes for good competition. I've done it twice so far in a 200 and a 500, and plan on doing it again as long as I have the opportunities to do so.
I really don't care what the rule is concerning sandbagging. I do think all swimmers should be treated equally as far as enforcement of the rule. In other words I think you were being used as an example.
If usms really wants everyone seeded by their best times they should somehow draw swimmers times from their data base. It seems unfair that well known "fast" swimmers are held to the rule while slower "unknown" swimmers can get away with sandbagging. just my :2cents:
I have a few times chosen to swim another stroke (fly), in a freestyle event, and in these cases, I don't want to be seeded with my fastest freestyle times. I have entered my fly times, and then am seeded with the freestylers of the comparable speed. It actually makes for good competition. I've done it twice so far in a 200 and a 500, and plan on doing it again as long as I have the opportunities to do so.
