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?

And he wasn't actually upset, I told you. Phlegmatic he was. Puzzled too

Thanks flashman-rub it in.
I really struggle to stay afloat actually. My technique is flawless.

flash man, you're really rubbish at grasping the fact others can have a differnt opinion to you without you having to be completely right

Quattro, take it easy.

The first Ironman triathlon was run without checkpoints. At the start, the organisers told the athletes "If you cheat, no-one will care, and you'll always know".

Parents and staff may be condoning this cheating. Parents because they can't face up to giving their children hard lessons about honesty and fairness, or they believe that all that matters is winning, by fair means or foul. Staff, probably because they can't face taking on angry parents when they say that their daughter isn't going to get a certificate.

Life will catch up with the parents and kids in the end. It always does. I've seen cheats and dishonest people prosper until life takes them by the goolies and screws them over, and they can't understand why. This isn't your fight.

Queen - have you thought of adult swimming lessons? I've been thinking of trying to do some because I'm totally rubbish - the DCs laugh at my breaststroke kick, my crawl is nonexistent, my backstroke is horrible and I can only ever do a few stately lengths because my strokepatterns are so rubbish.

I am quoting you from earlier Also my child was puzzled - "Mummy, am I slow or something? They kept overtaking me." and I was wondering if you would have still complained if despite the cheating he was still quicker?

And pointy dog - and i have a different view to you and others - if you don't want people to argue with you don't post it and ask am I being unreasonable -

oh no, life does not always catch up with cheats. many do very well

I don't care a hoot if people argue with me. And I didn't post AIBU.

But it wasn't a race, Flash. They didn't start together, and in the same post I described him as puzzled but phlegmatic. You are quoting selectively

Oh I agree with it not being my fight. I've nothing whatsoever to gain from this and quite a lot of (precious) time to lose, so I am receptive to people telling me I am tilting at windmills

Sorry i thought that was your main objection

Flashman you asked why I said your name was appropriate.

I assumed you had named yourself after the George MacDonald Fraser character.

Even if you hadn't, here is a quote from the 'Flashman papers'

"These stories will be completely truthful; I am breaking the habit of eighty years. Why shouldn't I?

When a man is as old as I am, and knows himself for what he is, he doesn't care much. I'm not ashamed, you see; never was -. So I can look at the picture above my desk, of the young officer; tall and handsome as I was in those days, and say that it is the portrait of a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat. since many of the stories are discreditable to me, you can rest assured they are true....."

Brigadier General Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC, KCB KCIE

George MacDonald Fraser.

wishing I had called myself Lord Flasheart now!

I like flashman he makes me laugh.

Kew, you didn't came back to my Lawrence OBE post?? Give him time and he will grow on you...

kewcumber - You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little fucked up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to fuckin' amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

And you gotta have seen goodfellas for that to make sense!!

Actually Quattro, I agree with you, it's a shitty thing to do and I hate seeing other kids cheating at stuff when my ds plays it fair. He was in a golf competition once, and he'd only just started playing it, as they progressed round the holes the parents kept the score. I was scrupulously fair, probably to the point of being harder on ds than on the other kids. We got to the finish and some of ds's friends in another team came up complaining that another boy's grandad was keeping score and cheating, giving his gs extra points. I told them not to worry, as long as they'd enjoyed it and all that crap, then they announced the results. Ds came second and we were over the moon - till they announced the cheat had won. His fucking grandad was standing there smirking from ear to ear, my ds was really upset, not because he'd come second but because the kid had won by cheating, and I wanted to smash both kid and grandad ove the head with the bollocking trophy
Crikey, hadn't realised just how pissed off I still am about that!!!!

Well perhaps it is just me then - but in this case I really can't see how their cheating actually improved their position - actually walking in water is much harder than swimming and takes longer - the quickes way surely is to roll just before the wall and push off the wall. Perhaps shockingly they were faster .

Ladymariner - did you actually say any thing to the GF??

(sorry not seen goodfellas)

No, I didn't simply because I had no proof, only the kids word for it, and I would have just looked like I was being petty and kicking off because ds hadn't won. Really wish i had, though!!!

I hate cheating too. Dd2 entered the toddlers race at dd1s school. She did it herself but the bloody race was won 1st 2nd and 3rd places all by parents running CARRYING their tots.

Quattro, on the face of it, it does look like it's just a touch of Competitive Mum syndrome, why get worked up about a kids race etc. HOWEVER, you have my every sympathy. Maybe it SHOULD be something that should wash over you, but if I think about it and it had been my little darling, I'd have been furious. Because I.HATE.CHEATS. Furthermore, I'd have kicked off there and then and made myself look uptight. Whereas you did the sensible thing and wrote a letter.

Flashman, you were doing so well! Kew hates you now with all that bad language!(Not reslly she is very nice person actually and a bit of a star for what she went through to get her son. Have you still got the blog Kew?)
Great film though...

Yeah I know - I forgot that about who I was writing for!! There really should be a delete post! Oh well would not be the first time I have opened my (virtual) mouth and put my foot in it!!

But you are funny you know!!

I have, BGD - can you beleive that we hit 100,000 visits this week