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.:)
Rule: If you aren't sure whether you are sandbagging, then you are not sandbagging.
I've been in local meets and accused of sandbagging even if I'm the number one seed...so while that rule may pass your personal sniff test it probably does not pass the collective judgement of the morality police who will be the judge and jury of the motivation and subsequent ethics behind an individual's decision to enter a certain time.
Clearly while some say out of one corner of their twisted mouth "it does not matter," it still matters quite a lot to the other equally twisted corner.
Sorry, Paul, seems like the pity party must go on.
Wasn't really looking for pity, but if you're offering, maybe you could say a prayer tonight for my wretched (sometimes real and sometimes perceived) sandbagging soul to bring it out of the darkness of sin and sandbagging and into your glorious light...:angel:
I've been a USMS member for almost 25 years. The first time I even heard the term 'sandbag' was here on these forums. To state that there is some faction of swimmers out there waiting to pounce on wretched sandbaggers is complete and utter BS.
Sorry, I do believe it was you who criticized a cancer survivor (Bobby Patten), who happened to have had a chunk of his shoulder taken out, for entering a slow time at nationals, dodging you in the process. I also remember a statement from you about probably the greatest distance swimmer in USMS (Jeff Erwin), always entering slow times. So, while the pounce may not be there, the (self) righteous indignation clearly is present...know thyself my brother.:)
Congratulations on your 25 years...do you get a pin or something?
Try again. Fortress asked for examples of when sandbagging could possibly affect me, and I gave those two. There was no judgment stated or implied, merely the observation that sandbagging can lead to less competition. I never said anything about 'dodging' in fact I specifically said otherwise so stop twisting my words. I kidded Bobby about it at the time, saying it would have been fun to race. I don't know Jeff well enough to kid him about this or anything else.
In the real world the people who care most about sandbagging as a general issue are meet directors. They want meets to run as efficiently as possible, and what's wrong with that? At nationals one is not allowed to enter NT, so an outrageous sandbag to swim with 80-year olds is just a way to try to circumvent the rules. You got caught and have whined ever since.
I don't know what you were expecting with this thread. I guess you are upset that not everyone agrees with you and so once a week you stir things up with snide remarks about the 'moral police'. Swim the 400 or don't, I doubt it is all that important to most readers of the forum.
Try again. Fortress asked for examples of when sandbagging could possibly affect me, and I gave those two. There was no judgment stated or implied, merely the observation that sandbagging can lead to less competition. I never said anything about 'dodging' in fact I specifically said otherwise so stop twisting my words. I kidded Bobby about it at the time, saying it would have been fun to race. I don't know Jeff well enough to kid him about this or anything else.
In summary, you bring up two pieces of information: Patten enters slow time and Erwin always enters slow but this is not raised to make a point and is just data...and you are completely neutral about it.
The fact that you hammered me for the last month may argue against this. Our views are clear; I'm just not convinced you are in touch with your inner feelings. Anthony Robbins helped Jack Black realize he loved Gyweneth Paltrow in Shallow Hall. Maybe he could help you too. www.tonyrobbins.com/.../
In summary, you bring up two pieces of information: Patten enters slow time and Erwin always enters slow but this is not raised to make a point and is just data...and you are completely neutral about it.
The fact that you hammered me for the last month may argue against this. Our views are clear; I'm just not convinced you are in touch with your inner feelings.
Pay attention. There was indeed a point to the data: sandbagging decreases competition. What I am neutral about is the whole ethics component. I can dislike the effect without saying that the people who caused it are bad people. I used the Patton/Erwin examples only because they were fresh in my mind after Mesa nationals.
Gosh it is nice that you know me better than I do. In generalizing my responses, perhaps you might want to consider the fact that my reactions to your posts in this thread go well beyond the mere fact of your original sandbag. Some examples off the top of my head:
-- a one-sided criticism of USMS volunteers for their decisions (which by itself often raises my ire) without being forthcoming about the details of exactly what happened, though I admire that you were up-front about your intentions in sandbagging;
-- the chip on your shoulder about the inconvenience of waiting for slower people at nationals;
-- the general "woe is me, I'm being judged" attitude.
When a police officer writes you a ticket for speeding, do you think he is being judgmental about your ethics? Speeding is, after all, almost always a selfish act that increases risk to others (even if only by a little bit, depending on the degree). Or do you just man up and accept the ticket without the wailing and gnashing of teeth?
(sorry to "ATLANTIC" for swimming so slow in Mesa... I sincerely hope I did not displace you from a final heat but I had no idea, at the WAY too early entry deadline date, that I would suck so badly in AZ)
It wasn't you. ;)
I looked up this swimmers previous nationals and saw the same stuff happening (pretty darn quick seed times and considerably different effort).
Sorry that you had a bad meet at Mesa.
Pay attention.
Can't believe we are still riding this train...do you ever let your wife get in the last word?
I long ago stopped caring about sandbagging or whether I get to swim the 400 at our summer league championships. What I have been most fascinated by is: the sheer number and verbiage of your posts (which exceeds all others) seems to belie your expressed dispassion for the topic.
You know I'm too childish to walk away....ball's in your court
BTW: we still on for thanksgiving dinner?:turkey:
