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 think you are correct, Jim.
Isn't that the same wording
they have used since
it was adopted in 2001?
Still, it says nothing
about competition per se.
That is correct, and it was done on purpose. Although USMS was founded by and for competition swimmers, its growth is largely made up of recreational and non competitive swimmers. The mission statement consciously avoided reference to competition in order not to scare away prospective members whose primary goal was health and fitness. Our name alone already scares away many (Masters!) who are interested, but do not feel qualified only because of the title.
I think you are correct, Jim.
Isn't that the same wording
they have used since
it was adopted in 2001?
Still, it says nothing
about competition per se.
That is correct, and it was done on purpose. Although USMS was founded by and for competition swimmers, its growth is largely made up of recreational and non competitive swimmers. The mission statement consciously avoided reference to competition in order not to scare away prospective members whose primary goal was health and fitness. Our name alone already scares away many (Masters!) who are interested, but do not feel qualified only because of the title.
