Grotesque cheating during distance swim

[Quattrocento]

We were at a distance swim today. I don't know if you've suffered these, but what basically happens is that there is a man at one end of the pool, ticking off the number of lengths they do.

The rules are, you have to touch the sides at both ends of the pool and feet are not allowed to touch the bottom. The children trudge up and down the lengths until they get tired, whereupon they get certificates depending on how far they have got.

However no marker was at the other end of the pool and two girls were flagrantly cheating by stopping three or so metres short, walking four or five steps (thereby getting much needed breather) then setting off again. If you multiply 3x2x30 that's 180 metres saved off a mile swim. Quite a chunk.

Do you think I am utterly bonkers to get worked up about this? The whole distance swim certificate thing was just totally faked by several children, whose parents were clearly condoning it. Shouldn't these things actually mean something? Should children be so obviously allowed to cheat like this?

Bridie - I do respect your view and why you did it - but I wonder if this sends the wrong message - it was not fair but thats ok someone sorted it out - life is not like that - later you will come across cheating bastards and there is nothing to be done other than be better than them.

You can get into serious trouble as an adult if you're caught falsifying your CV, or claiming educational/professional qualifications you don't actually have. Or if you're a serious athlete and you cheat by taking drugs.

So it's in all children's intereststhe cheats and the honest onesto try and make sure that things are run fairly.

I don't know - cheating on your CV seems ok - just ask Alan Sugar. And Athletes - Iam sure that it is just the very tip of the iceberg - most get away with it. My DW tells an interesting story at her Karete - loads of people took drugs to improve performance - or to help them dump weight - they never got caught - but she loved more than anything beating these people.

Smilar thing happened to my dd when she was doing her swimming gold. They do circuits rather than lengths where dd has lessons. The other girl doing circuits repeatedly cut great chunks off at each corner and kept cutting dd up in the process. DD was very upset by the unfairness. I just told her (extremely vocally knowing other girl and her mum were in the next cubicle) that she had the satisfaction of knowing she gained her gold fairly and other girl would always know she didn't. A lesson learned in the unfairness of life but still hard for a 10 year old to accept. My dd had worked very hard with her swimming as she wasn't a natural.

You are right to get worked up but you shoud speak to the organisers and then move on.
I have two young kids and I intend them to learn to play fairly. But they won't be as niave as I was when I was younger!
I have played loads of sports over the years and come across plenty of cheats, generally if you see them cheating on the pitch then I would try to give them their come uppance since two can play at that game.

A levels and GCSEs have suffered grade deflation and it seems the mile swim isn't what it once was.

BGDad - Yeah that always worked - a sly fist in the ruck - oh happy days!!!

Well if they diodnt get anything like a certificate at the end, it wouldn't bother me, ie group school thing that they all had to do.

However, if it was for a swimming distance badge, then yep they are twats and will probably cheat the way up life until they appear on The Apprentice in 15 years, only to finally be exposed for the little shits they really are.

Children often cheat and parents often encourage them to do so because they want their children to be winners. Just take a looky at any sports day. It makes you weep.

oh, in fact, just take a look at a few posters on this thread

Well yes indeed pointy. I have just done something incredibly anal actually, so anal that I daren't even confess on a forum which is anonymous.

I've just written to this STA organisation, which turns out to be a charidee. Surprisingly enough one of their aims is not stated to be the giving of awards to those who don't deserve them. I wrote and asked why their awards were being given out to cheating brats children who clearly had not done what they were supposed to do in order to get them.

I don't suppose they'll do anything whatsoever about it but at least I feel less irritated.

swedes and Mr Lumley will be right behind you, Quattro

whey hey! Good on you.

Its ok wide world - if you are not fair and don't follow the rules, Mummy will make everything ok.

What is your actual aim in doing that? A special award for your child? Or to take the certs back off the other children who cheated in a meaningless event??

However, if it was for a swimming distance badge, then yep they are twats and will probably cheat the way up life until they appear on The Apprentice in 15 years, - The the point from this is that he won! He is the one with the contract worth 100k!!

My aim? Well to stop barefaced cheating, that was my aim. It won't change a thing of course. It certainly won't result in an award for my child, how could it?

The aim is fairness, I'd guess. That's all. Some people have a much stronger sense of fairness. It's not all about protecting your own child in a ridiculous over-protective way. It's more about, what a brainless way to run something, it's so unfair and senseless, I'm going to complain.

I just really can't see being as Pious as going to complain to STA - my god stopping barefaced cheating - get over yourself - it is human nature - if your son did not cheat - award yourself extra good mum points.

I attempted the 10m swim several times in the two years my mum sent me to swim club.

Eventually they got so fed up with having to do the same thing each week with me (and it must have looked bad on them that I wasn't able to do it after 2 years of lessons)that the man made me hold onto a pole while he dragged me the length of the pool.

I got my badge but never sewed it on my cossie because I was so ashamed I also stopped my lessons and still cannot swim 10m.

Cheating ruined my swimming career.

It's not stopping the cheating. It's stopping the official sanctioning of it.

how appropriate your posting name is, Flashman!

I never thought it possible to not be able to swim 10 m I would have thought you could float that far!

Well maybe it is pious. It's certainly over-zealous. It does boil down to what Pointy called a sense of fairness. Mine? Neither of them have ever (to my knowledge - a careful caveat) cheated, even at snap ...

I don't believe that honesty doesn't pay. In most situations, dishonesty does get punished, if it is found out. I certainly don't believe that society should be constructed in such a way to allow cheats to prosper although of course they do sometimes.

iheartdusty how so?

Pointydog - what a crock - this is more as little one is upset - would she still be complaining if DS had swam further despite the girls cheating? I would bet not.

Oy, I'll have you know that my DS got his mile thank you very much!!! Nothing to do with any personal sour grapes.