t-and-f: Official idiocy

[Ed Grant]

Netters:         This actually happened at one of our sectional meets last weekend. I wasn't present at this meet, but me source is unimpeachable.           First, some background. While the meet had an auto-timer present and picture sof each race were taken, it was to be consulted only when there was some dispute about trhe order of finish or when the hand-wtahces showed a "tie" and the AT was neded ot break it., At least, that's the way it was supposed to be.           Two things heppened during the set of four 400 rinals (two boys, two girls). In one boys; race, there was a question over timing. Two boys from different heats had hand "times" of 50.33 and 50.37. The AT head man suggested that this could only be resolved bylooking at the auto-times since the hand times, by the rule book, have to be rounded up to 51.0. Not so, insisted the finish line chief, the hand times were to be taken as valid to to hundreth of a second.              But that was nothing. There ws no question who had finished first in the other f=400 final until the times were taken. Somehow, the second place time was faster than the first. Instead of simply adjustiung the time, the same head official reversed the order of the finish, giving precedence to time over place. It was quite a while before that one was settled and the right boy given the gold medal and the points.                                                                     Ed Grant