Tara, as you mentioned earlier, one of the attractions of the sport is the objectivity of the clock. My daughter is also interested in diving, but I’ve got a clear bias against a sport where so much depends on the subjectivity of a judge. Subjectivity, of course, is problematic not in the form of something like creative preference, but when it stems from politics. Did she deduct a tenth of a point because she thought that gymnast was too popular? Did he call the tag against the runner because he’s friends with the other team’s coach? It’s tempting to think that a sport like swimming avoids most of the politics rife in other sports, but of course there are politics in every social organization. Even at the summer league level, my daughter has been on the receiving end of puzzling relay assignments where she was not placed but had faster times than girls who did. The excuse? The computer made the assignments. The real answer? Politics.

I mention this because it takes a great deal of the joy of competition away where there is the expectation of fairness. Whether it’s for a ten year old at a local invitational or a 26 year old at the Olympics, politics is anathema to the spirit of sports. USA Swimming ought to pay attention because there are many young athletes and parents who are realizing that their NGB is so petty and arbitrary that it cannot be expected to stand behind them and perform a primary duty for which it exists — to ensure that all their athletes are treated fairly and advocated for equally. For those contemplating the eight or twelve years it may take to reach the Olympics, they may say it’s not worth it if the door might be unfairly slammed shut at the very last minute. Maybe they’ll play water polo instead, or the violin, or go to Oxford on Rhodes scholarships. Olympic-level athletes are so self-disciplined and achievement-oriented that they can do many things well, and they may well choose to devote their efforts to something where they don’t feel so much at the mercy of shameless politics.

Tara, keep up the fight. You are doing this not just to prevent another roster disaster such as happened to you, but to keep USA Swimming accountable. This trickles down through the entire organization. Politics will always be with us, but if the NGB shamelessly allows it to affect its operations, then that just encourages everyone further down to practice it. It’s the same for us little guys. I argued my daughter’s situation even though I didn’t want to be seen as an overaggressive parent, and I didn’t want to cause hard feelings with the girl she would replace. But she had earned the right to compete on that relay team, and I was fortunate that the coaches were not so entrenched in their decision that they refused to revisit it. No Cinderella story here — my daughter’s team came in 7th — but the important part was the message that was sent — to both the team and my daughter. For the rest of us, the important part is the message you’re sending to USA Swimming. Don’t lose hope. Kudos to WNTW for airing the repeats and maintaining awareness of your cause.