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
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?
For this to be true it would seem every mixed gender event would have to have exactly six men seeded faster than the fastest woman (assuming 8 lanes). While I doubt this is possibly true, a solution could be to do a reverse sandbag and turn in a seed time that you know is lower than everyone else.
It seems the only individuals that are guaranteed the center lane are the fastest males in the whole event. I suppose I can see your point that the fastest women should be afforded the same opportunity. But you could extend it further - What if there is a 65 year old man seeded the same as the fastest woman and is actually the fastest person at the meet for his age group. Why should he be discriminated against and be put in an outside lane? How about a 90 year-old that is trying to break a national record and has to swim in heat one and get blown away by a bunch of sandbaggers that wanted clear water, more rest before the next event, or just wanted to leave early?
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?
For this to be true it would seem every mixed gender event would have to have exactly six men seeded faster than the fastest woman (assuming 8 lanes). While I doubt this is possibly true, a solution could be to do a reverse sandbag and turn in a seed time that you know is lower than everyone else.
It seems the only individuals that are guaranteed the center lane are the fastest males in the whole event. I suppose I can see your point that the fastest women should be afforded the same opportunity. But you could extend it further - What if there is a 65 year old man seeded the same as the fastest woman and is actually the fastest person at the meet for his age group. Why should he be discriminated against and be put in an outside lane? How about a 90 year-old that is trying to break a national record and has to swim in heat one and get blown away by a bunch of sandbaggers that wanted clear water, more rest before the next event, or just wanted to leave early?
