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
I define sandbagging as deliberately entering a time that is substantially slower than you are planning to swim
If you can come up with a means to determine "deliberately" without the participation of deliberator and quantify "substantially" I will accept your definition as well defined.
for the sole purpose of swimming in an earlier heat, grabbing more rest between events, and/or taking advantage of clear water.
You do seem to understand the concept of "well defined" because this half of the definition is quite tangible.
So you think Kurt should have been allowed to sandbag and it would have been sportsmanly? I find that surprising, but Kurt did have a sole purpose to catch a specific flight, which he will still do, and as a precaution entered a time that would put him in an earlier heat, but his purpose is well defined and unchanged and out side of your well defined restrictions on what qualifies as sandbagging.
I define sandbagging as deliberately entering a time that is substantially slower than you are planning to swim
If you can come up with a means to determine "deliberately" without the participation of deliberator and quantify "substantially" I will accept your definition as well defined.
for the sole purpose of swimming in an earlier heat, grabbing more rest between events, and/or taking advantage of clear water.
You do seem to understand the concept of "well defined" because this half of the definition is quite tangible.
So you think Kurt should have been allowed to sandbag and it would have been sportsmanly? I find that surprising, but Kurt did have a sole purpose to catch a specific flight, which he will still do, and as a precaution entered a time that would put him in an earlier heat, but his purpose is well defined and unchanged and out side of your well defined restrictions on what qualifies as sandbagging.
