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.:)
oh, if you want some analysis to back up my posts I analyzed your lane placement in the first few events that showed up in the masters data base. Assuming an 8 lane pool in the 50 free you were in an outside lane in 25% of your races. 50 back 15%, 100 back 33%, 50 fly 23%. For an average of averages of 24% in an outside lane compared to an expected value of 25%.
at the risk of the pot calling the kettle black: too much time on your hands bro.
For me, the question is a moral one. Sandbagging is is wrong. It is breaking the rules to gain an advantage.
Yes, it isn't the worst thing a swimmer could do, but it does violate the spirit of a shared community.
Sandbagging may diminish the individual but as far as affecting the community, I am still not buying it.
If somehow a person in the first heat expected to win and a sandbagger dashed his hopes, then life has not kicked this gentleman in the teeth enough (or perhaps he has taken too many blows to the head).
As far as clear water goes, the serious sandbagger attempts this only on longer events like the 500, 1000 or mile where this is not a factor.
Sandbagging may affect the timeline a few minutes but swimming slowly affects it much more. The 2 minutes people are delayed getting to the Rustler steakhouse do not even come close to paying me back for the seemingly endless eternity of sluggish miles I have endured in the past patiently waiting for my turn.
See y'all in Auburn...and please don't enter the 400...and no spitting.:)
We are not kids (well, maybe the 30 & Us are); we are masters. Best times are a rarity, not commonplace. Much better if everyone attempts to enter what they think they will swim given their training, amount of rest, injuries, suit preference, etc.
I assume you are saying, "do as I say and not as I do..." :rofl:
It's not that fun getting killed.
But apparently it is fun sandbagging and then crushing the heat. :afraid:
If people sandbag get a kick out of crushing a heat, that it rather odd. As for the other point, I have already admitted sandbagging in mixed gender meets where the fast women get the outside lanes and the fast men are in the center lanes. I don't think that is very sportsmanlike either.
In your mind you don't think it is unsportsmanlike to sandbag when it benefits you (mixed gender meet, avoid outside lanes, etc.). I also understand your concern about not wanting to swim next to a big giant who makes a lot of waves. Guess what - I don't either! Because Clay is 1.5x my size should it be ok for me to sandbag so I don't have to swim next to him at the Albatross? Maybe we should ask for height and weight on the entry form so we can seed heats by size.
The fact remains that you end up being placed next to somebody else who has a much slower time than you. In your mind this is fair because now you don't have to swim in an end lane or next to a "fast guy." So why is this not unfair to that swimmer who is next to you now who gets to see you blow their doors off?
If someone sandbags a time, is it really worth all this fuss?
When you consider the "fuss" involved in training and preparing for meets, I would say the answer is yes.
When you consider the "fuss" involved in training and preparing for meets, I would say the answer is yes.
I think if you are getting your speedo in a wad for nothing. You can't control how fast someone next to you swims, so why worry about the time they enter? There will always be someone that swims faster and slower in races, regardless of their seed times. Nothing can be done about that by you in another lane.
I think you are getting your speedo in a wad for nothing. You can't control how fast someone next to you swims, so why worry about the time they enter? There will always be someone that swims faster and slower in races, regardless of their seed times. Nothing can be done about that by you in another lane.
You are simply restating the obvious. But platitudes like "swim your own race" or "it's only Masters" do not alter the fact that sandbagging (ie intentionally entering a slow seed time) is unsportsmanlike. If sportsmanship does not matter to you, then feel free to ignore this thread.
I don't really follow your logic.
Re-read my posts. I have been very consistent. If sandbagging is unsportsmanlike, and some of us believe that it is, there is no need to demonstrate what you refer to as an "impact." Disrespecting the other swimmers is all that's necessary and sufficient.
Sandbaggers are like those drivers on the freeway who always pass everyone and merge at the last second when two lanes are going down to one.
I'm not going to get too worked up about it, I've already got enough stress in my life. But it is really lame.
