Wetsuits at Meets?!

OK, do we want to gnash our teeth, cluck and wag fingers, or take care of the problem? Even if wetsuits are not specifically named in the rules, using one to gain unfair advantage is against the rules and violates the spirit of the sport. Name the meet and/or competitor to a local or national official (of USMS, not a referee), and this will be taken care of. It is one thing to swim as a joke with a cap festooned with crabs and seaweed, it is another altogether to take advantage of nonexistant meet officiating. This thread is three pages longer than necessary. Oh I don't know. Fort, how much did this woman beat you by? By the way you are improving and training, (if it were me), I'd much prefer beating her the next time and then making a comment directly to her about the suit. End of story. I'd gain much more satisfaction that way as opposed to running to the officials. I can't help but think of myself in practice (or a meet) when I'm sandwiched between a 6'2" male on my left and a gal in my wetsuit on my right. Oh, and one lane down is a 22 yr old fresh from her swimming career at UGA. Sure, they aren't in my "age group," but we all know we're racing eachother. Frankly, I never know what the heck is going to be next to me in masters. I fully expect Shamu and Jaws to make an appearance in the lane next to me at one of my meets. This attitude has served me well in meets and practice (expect anything.) This brings up an interesting point. What is really fair? The wetsuit is simply another variable. I'd much rather swim against an older female in a wetsuit as opposed to a 22 year old right off his or her NCAA Div I season. Half my meets I attend are seeded regardless of age and gender and seed times are often inaccurate. Don't get me started on my thoughts about Top 10. Anyhoo. Great thread.

OK, do we want to gnash our teeth, cluck and wag fingers, or take care of the problem? Even if wetsuits are not specifically named in the rules, using one to gain unfair advantage is against the rules and violates the spirit of the sport. Name the meet and/or competitor to a local or national official (of USMS, not a referee), and this will be taken care of. It is one thing to swim as a joke with a cap festooned with crabs and seaweed, it is another altogether to take advantage of nonexistant meet officiating. This thread is three pages longer than necessary. Oh I don't know. Fort, how much did this woman beat you by? By the way you are improving and training, (if it were me), I'd much prefer beating her the next time and then making a comment directly to her about the suit. End of story. I'd gain much more satisfaction that way as opposed to running to the officials. I can't help but think of myself in practice (or a meet) when I'm sandwiched between a 6'2" male on my left and a gal in my wetsuit on my right. Oh, and one lane down is a 22 yr old fresh from her swimming career at UGA. Sure, they aren't in my "age group," but we all know we're racing eachother. Frankly, I never know what the heck is going to be next to me in masters. I fully expect Shamu and Jaws to make an appearance in the lane next to me at one of my meets. This attitude has served me well in meets and practice (expect anything.) This brings up an interesting point. What is really fair? The wetsuit is simply another variable. I'd much rather swim against an older female in a wetsuit as opposed to a 22 year old right off his or her NCAA Div I season. Half my meets I attend are seeded regardless of age and gender and seed times are often inaccurate. Don't get me started on my thoughts about Top 10. Anyhoo. Great thread.