Rule 4, Section 1 AUTHORIZED OFFICIALS, Article 1: ...A meet committee and a meet director shall assume responsibility for all aspects of meet management. The meet committee shall make decisions on matters not specifically covered by the rules or on the misapplication of a rule during a meet. Judgement calls are not subject to review by this committee. The decision of the meet committee is final.
A few important things are covered here.
First, it says shall. Coaches are to be informed about this before the meet. The meet referee usually talks with several folks during warm-up, asks them if they'd be part of the committee, then announces the members of the meet committee in the coaches' meeting.
Second, the rule mentions the fact that judgement calls cannot be reviewed.
Finally, there's mention that the meet committee is charged with settling situations where a rule has been misapplied.
Could this have been a loophole in the "can't review a judgement call" part of the rule?
If the officials realized the machine was making incorrect calls (or none at all), could they have called the meet committee to review early disqualifications? I doubt that.
Could they discuss the possibility of discontinuing the use of the automatic judging system for the remainder of the meet?
Any officials want to weigh in on that?
Next are the relay takeoff rules:
Rule 8, Section 3 RELAY EVENTS, Article 5: ...The swimmer shall remain in contact with the starting platform/pool deck until the previous swimmer has finished.
Rule 8, Section 3, Relay Events, Article 6: Each swimmer of a relay team must contact the finish end at the conclusion of his or her leg of the relay.
Both sound pretty cut and dried, right?
Earlier in the rule book there is mention of timing for a finish. It says, "...touches the finish end or pad (when automatic timing /judging equipment is used)."
Why doesn't the relay finish rule state it that way? There's no mention of the pad, except for the anchor:
The final swimmer is required to contact the finish pad by any part of the body.
What if the (first, second, or third) swimmer hit the top of a pad and that pad didn't read the finish of that leg? Didn't the swimmer contact the finish end? Doesn't that count as a "finish"?
Now for the automatic relay judging rules:
Appendix B
SUGGESTED PROTOCOLS FOR AUTOMATIC RELAY JUDGING EQUIPMENT
3. If the electronic relay takeoff equipment detects an exchange differential (takeoff pad time minus finish pad time) of -0.09 through +0.09 second inclusive, from the maufacturers starting point, the decisions(s) of the relay takeoff judge(s) shall not be considered. The determination of the electronic relay takeoff equipment shall be official, with exchange differential of -0.09 through -0.01 seconds from the manufacturers starting point indicating a rules violation and values of 0.00 through +0.09 seconds indicating a legitimate relay exchange.
4. If the electronic relay takeoff equipment records an exchange differential outside the range -0.09 through +0.09 second from the maufacturers starting point, a disqualification shall occur if there is dual confirmation of a rules violation: by electronic relay takeoff equipment and either a takeoff judge or a side takeoff judge; by a takeoff judge and a side takeoff judge; or by two side takeoff judges.
What about the UIL?
~ POST SEASON REGULATIONS ~
~ STATE MEET ~
Meet Referee
The meet referee shall have final authority on all rulings. The National Federation Swimming and Diving Rule Book will prevail.
So, until the National Federation Rule Book is changed...
7 comments:
National Federation Rule Book 6-3-3
NFHS Rule 6-3-3
Automatic Relay Judging Equipment
Per National Federation Rule 6-3-3, the use of automatic relay judging equipment is permissible.
a. In non-championship meets, at least one relay takeoff judge must be assigned to observe the relay
exchanges.
b. In championship meets, dual confirmation is required. Two relay takeoff judges (starter and assistant
starter) must be assigned this responsibility for each lane.
c. If the electronic relay takeoff equipment is utilized, a negative exchange differential indicates a false
start. A disqualification shall occur if there is dual confirmation of the rules violation by:
(1) electronic relay takeoff equipment and the starter or assistant starter;
(2) the starter and assistant starter
d. An alleged rules infraction that is observed by either a takeoff judge or a side takeoff judge shall be
recorded immediately in writing. Each relay takeoff judge who observes an alleged rules violation
should wait until the last competitor is in the water and then shall raise a hand overhead with open
palm.
e. An alleged rules infraction that is recorded by the electronic relay takeoff equipment shall be made
public only after the race is completed and then only if there is a resulting disqualification. A coach
may have access to all electronic relay takeoff equipment
Does "suggested protocol" mean THE protocol?
So it would seem that Appendix B section 3 - if indeed that is the correct version and not 6-3-3, hinges on one very important statement "manufacturers starting point". What do the daktronics manuals state about their "starting point"? Because if, as it seems here, the pads failed during the race, then there is no "official manufacturers starting point" and therefore the suggested protocol is mute. Then we would go back to 6-3-3 and a dual confirmation would prevail.
The most important word may be "suggested" that doesn't mean mandatory.
Doesn't Texas want to be the fastest and best run high school meet in the country? If so, why would the UIL not want to use the suggested National Federation rule book, so that our swimmers can be compared fairly to others across the country.
Wouldn't we want our athletes to be ranked highly with automatic all-american times? Don't we want our athletes highly recruited? Most of these kids go on to swim in Division 1, if they want. Why would we want different rules than NCAA, Jrs, Nationals, etc.
Are we thinking of the swimmers?
Look at other fast high school meets? They don't use automatic relay judging equipment for Championship meets in California and don't think they do in Florida, the other fast swimming states.
It's really hard to understand.
Just checked Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, Illinois and Colorado -- no reaction times. We are apparently the only HS meet that uses the system. NCAAs use it but they have a different rule. Embarrassing.
apparently OK used the system and had several DQs
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