prelim/finals scratch
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Anonymous
| So at a meet with prelims and finals, if there is one final with 8 lanes, typically there will be 8 qualifiers and 2 alternates. My question is if you're #11, should you be peripherally aware that people might scratch, so you might end up swimming, or do they never go further than the qualifiers and alternates called (i.e, if 3 qualifiers scratched, there would be an empty lane)? Just wondering as one of ours is getting close to the top of their age bracket and is starting to get close to the top finishers. |
Anonymous
| I don't know for sure, but my DD was at various meets where she didn't qualify for an event, but then someone from the team scratched and she wasn't allowed to take that swimmer's place. |
Anonymous
Yes they go further down the list- Your coach will inform your swimmer if they scratch into a final. My swimmer has scratched into finals several times. It is very common on Sunday nights of a three/four day meet. |
Anonymous
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Most of the time, the qualifiers have a period of time to scratch and it gives an hour or two before finals you will know. There are penalties for not following scratch procedures. This goes all out the window on Sunday nights where no one cares about penalties because the meet is over and there are LOTS of scratches generally. My swimmer will get into numerous events on Sunday nights. One time she was several down and I did not even realize it until she told me. |
Anonymous
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Hahaha once at NCI our friend’s daughter came in 26th in the prelim but cane back to swim a B final
So yes, it can happen! |
Anonymous
| Ok, thanks for the information. Is it also the case that if you are scratched in (say you were 12th or whatever and there were 3 scratches) but you didn't know about it, are you still penalized for failure to scratch? Or is that only for the first round of qualifiers? |
Anonymous
| my above statement should be taken to read as scratched in to a "swimming" position, not an alternate position. |
Anonymous
Only first round qualifiers would be penalized. Most of the time you will know from the coach. But, it might be as soon as an hour before warm ups. Some meets will have A and B finals, we have been to prelim/final meets with A, B, and C finals. It is funny though, some kids do very well in the prelims/finals format and other kids do not. As kids get older they know which category they fall into and will make their decision to swim or not to swim based on it. If it is a point meet, then they need to swim and just try and hold their place and not so much their time. |
Anonymous
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Yes, it can happen. Here was NVSL’s divisionals from a few years ago in the 15-18, 50 free:
https://www.mynvsl.com/leaders?post=1&mt=4&age=5&sex=1&st=1&stroke=50-free&m=1&year=2019&count=50&division=&team= You can see the #29th swimmer from Divisionals scratched into all stars here: https://www.mynvsl.com/leaders?post=1&mt=5&age=5&sex=1&st=1&stroke=50-free&m=1&year=2019&count=50&division=&team= That means 11 people scratched for the 29th swimmer to get a chance to swim at all stars. |
Anonymous
| Oh sure for MCSL and NVSL there are tons of scratches for all stars. At least in MCSL there is also a 2 event limit for all stars so the top top kids auto/choose to scratch certain events so they swim what they want. Was more curious about year round swimming than summer. |
Anonymous
That doesn’t work in NVSL- because you only make all stars in two strokes if you’re on of the fastest 18 swimmers from divisionals AND each swimmer can only swim 2 events at divisionals. The reason the top swimmers scratched at that meet was bc there was a big USA Swimming meet right after divisionals. Those swimmers always knew they were not swimming at all stars. |
Anonymous
Yes, even if you finish last if in prelims, you must scratch if you're not willing to be in the final. At some meets if you no show the final (even if you scratched in), you'll be unable to swim for the rest of the meet. |
Anonymous
You know this question isn’t about summer swim, right? There are no prelims/finals meets in summer league. |
Anonymous
I don't think we are talking summer swim... That is very different than swimming the same event the same day. Also NVSL all stars is held at the same time as Futures. So the best swimmers in the area would be going to futures, not All Stars. That is why there are so many scratches. |
Anonymous
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Besides Champs, are there any other prelim/final format meets coming up? |