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.:)
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Former Member
That's a good attitude, and works much of the time.
However, I'm sure you can see my earlier point that in a mixed gender meet I might prefer not to be swimming in an outside lane next to you? Aren't you just a tad bigger than me? :) Can it be sportsmanlike if every mixed gender meet the fastest men get the center lanes and the fastest women get the outside lanes and the wake?
Bottom line for me is that I don't care that much about what times other people enter. Agree with Wookiee -- worry about yourself not others. And it doesn't seem like most of the outspoken anti-sandbaggers here are even effected by it very often.
Indeed bigger, probably double you. I doubt you'd notice much being next to me though. I don't waste energy creating a wake, it all goes towards forward speed instead :angel: Certainly OTHER large flailing wake prone people might mess you up though. This is a better argument for seperating genders by heats. I've always wondered why every other competition (usas, collegiate, high school) ALWAYS keeps genders seperate yet masters keeps heats mixed for most if not all competitions.... but that is moving towards another topic.
That's a good attitude, and works much of the time.
However, I'm sure you can see my earlier point that in a mixed gender meet I might prefer not to be swimming in an outside lane next to you? Aren't you just a tad bigger than me? :) Can it be sportsmanlike if every mixed gender meet the fastest men get the center lanes and the fastest women get the outside lanes and the wake?
Bottom line for me is that I don't care that much about what times other people enter. Agree with Wookiee -- worry about yourself not others. And it doesn't seem like most of the outspoken anti-sandbaggers here are even effected by it very often.
Indeed bigger, probably double you. I doubt you'd notice much being next to me though. I don't waste energy creating a wake, it all goes towards forward speed instead :angel: Certainly OTHER large flailing wake prone people might mess you up though. This is a better argument for seperating genders by heats. I've always wondered why every other competition (usas, collegiate, high school) ALWAYS keeps genders seperate yet masters keeps heats mixed for most if not all competitions.... but that is moving towards another topic.
