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.:)
Perhaps they don't like being edged out of a top ten time by someone who knowingly doesn't follow the rules. Just because others cheat doesn't let you off the hook. I wonder how many top ten times you have where you knowingly entered a false time to gain an advantage over your fellow competitors. Perhaps a little s behind your name would make it better.
Pretty harsh. Maybe after on the few occasions I have won my age group for nationals and being knocked out of an all-american spot by somebody, I should call them a coward and unsportsmanlike for not facing me. I understand it is a different situation but I cannot imagine calling someone a cheater just because they are in another heat and beat me straight up (a wussy perhaps, but not a cheater).
As far as number of events goes, I guess I am not only a once a decade sandbagger, but a scumbag as well...9-11 events per meet for me...which is the actual threshold in my mind that makes it ok for a 44 year-old man to shave his body....that is why they call me the "garbage man."--quantity over quality:)
Perhaps they don't like being edged out of a top ten time by someone who knowingly doesn't follow the rules. Just because others cheat doesn't let you off the hook. I wonder how many top ten times you have where you knowingly entered a false time to gain an advantage over your fellow competitors. Perhaps a little s behind your name would make it better.
Pretty harsh. Maybe after on the few occasions I have won my age group for nationals and being knocked out of an all-american spot by somebody, I should call them a coward and unsportsmanlike for not facing me. I understand it is a different situation but I cannot imagine calling someone a cheater just because they are in another heat and beat me straight up (a wussy perhaps, but not a cheater).
As far as number of events goes, I guess I am not only a once a decade sandbagger, but a scumbag as well...9-11 events per meet for me...which is the actual threshold in my mind that makes it ok for a 44 year-old man to shave his body....that is why they call me the "garbage man."--quantity over quality:)
