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 like how many of the USA-S meets require that the swimmers be entered at their best time, whether this be from a regular meet, or their time from their Jr. National meet last year, etc.
I've been entering myself with my best times as well in the USA-S meets, and coming close or beating them in the meet. Even in Masters meets I enter my best times. At Mesa, I reverse sandbagged, and entered times that were 1-2 seconds per 100 faster than my best times with anticipation of swimming those times. Then when I swam the times, the whole rest of my heat was a mile ahead of me. It would have been better just to enter my actual best time from the past year.
I think it is just best to enter your best time (of at least the past year) and swim where you get seeded.
No one will care (except maybe yourself) if you swim 4 seconds slower than your seed time...it's Masters swimming after all. Have fun!
I like how many of the USA-S meets require that the swimmers be entered at their best time, whether this be from a regular meet, or their time from their Jr. National meet last year, etc.
I've been entering myself with my best times as well in the USA-S meets, and coming close or beating them in the meet. Even in Masters meets I enter my best times. At Mesa, I reverse sandbagged, and entered times that were 1-2 seconds per 100 faster than my best times with anticipation of swimming those times. Then when I swam the times, the whole rest of my heat was a mile ahead of me. It would have been better just to enter my actual best time from the past year.
I think it is just best to enter your best time (of at least the past year) and swim where you get seeded.
No one will care (except maybe yourself) if you swim 4 seconds slower than your seed time...it's Masters swimming after all. Have fun!
