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 recently swam a 50 fly where I had provided my best time as a seed time. I decided to swim it at a moderate pace to save energy for an event after that one.
Out of what I thought was consideration, I told a friend of mine swimming in the next lane what I intended to do, and it was the first time that particular person had even shown a hint of annoyance. He wanted a race. I wanted a rest. I got my way. He still did his best time in a jammer.
I recently swam a 50 fly where I had provided my best time as a seed time. I decided to swim it at a moderate pace to save energy for an event after that one.
Out of what I thought was consideration, I told a friend of mine swimming in the next lane what I intended to do, and it was the first time that particular person had even shown a hint of annoyance. He wanted a race. I wanted a rest. I got my way. He still did his best time in a jammer.
