2007-08 Additional Rule Interpretations

September 6, 2007

SITUATION: Team A is hosting a large invitational meet. Host management has scheduled a coaches meeting one hour before warm-ups begin. All entries were due two days before the meet. At the coaches meeting the coach of Team B indicates a scratch for his swimmer in heat 2 lane 6 of the 200 IM. The coach of Team C declares a false start for her swimmer in heat 3 lane 8 of the 50 Free. In the 100 Freestyle the coach of Team B is informed his swimmer scratched in the earlier race is not eligible for the 100 Free or any other race due to the earlier scratch. The coach notices the swimmer of Team C who had a DFS earlier is being allowed to swim. The coach of Team B disagrees with the "scratch one-scratch all" that is being applied. RULING: Correct procedure. COMMENT: Rule 1-3-13 provides that if a swimmer is scratched from one event he/she is scratched from all events in the meet. However if a swimmer has a declared false start (Rule 1-3-14) the contestant is only removed from that event, is charged with that event and is eligible for other competition in the meet. In this situation, if further action is taken by meet management and the coach of Team B was using "scratch" in confusion with a "DFS" the result could be to just apply the DFS to his swimmer to allow participation. It is important for the coach to recognize the difference between removing a swimmer by a scratch vs. a declared false start.