Last year I swam at a SCM meet and leisurely swam a 400 IM (had a bad cold and feeling lousy). I had been swimming *** for almost 50 years and was astonished when I was told I had performed an illegal turn. The meet was almost over, I was swimming a relay the very next heat, and the referee gave me a prefunctory reply something like I had not completed a stroke before the turn. He disappeared as soon as the meet was over and email to the meet manager failed to get me a definitive answer. I looked at the rule book online and saw nothing in the breaststroke regs that looked even close to it. I decided to not take any chances and glide into the wall instead of taking a short stroke.
Now I was told that another swimmer was DQd last weekend at the Colonies Zone for the same reason. I have looked at the current rule book online and can find nothing about that. Is this an unspoken rule or an old one that has been removed and officials are still using?
Very confusing!
Parents
Former Member
Rule 101.2.2 refers to a "complete cycle of one arm stroke and one leg kick, in that order". I gather that the referee was objecting to the fact that you did not complete your last stroke cycle before touching the wall.
The trouble with this is that rule 101.2.4 clearly refers to the fact that the touch may be preceded by a "complete or incomplete stroke cycle". I might add that this is true not only under USMS rules, but also under USA Swimming rules, FINA rules, and NCAA rules. Unless your account of these incidents is incorrect, the calls were simply wrong. I would suggest that you print off a copy of the rules, and that in the future you bring it to your meets. If you are DQed on similar grounds again, show the referee the rules and demand that he reverse his decision. If he refuses, use the protest procedures described in 102.16.3 and 102.16.4.
Rule 101.2.2 refers to a "complete cycle of one arm stroke and one leg kick, in that order". I gather that the referee was objecting to the fact that you did not complete your last stroke cycle before touching the wall.
The trouble with this is that rule 101.2.4 clearly refers to the fact that the touch may be preceded by a "complete or incomplete stroke cycle". I might add that this is true not only under USMS rules, but also under USA Swimming rules, FINA rules, and NCAA rules. Unless your account of these incidents is incorrect, the calls were simply wrong. I would suggest that you print off a copy of the rules, and that in the future you bring it to your meets. If you are DQed on similar grounds again, show the referee the rules and demand that he reverse his decision. If he refuses, use the protest procedures described in 102.16.3 and 102.16.4.
