Wetsuits at Meets?!

I meant the second suit mentioned in that post, not a "bottom only" wetsuit! Although that would be interesting and possibly quite useful for those of us who swim topless.

How does one really differentiate a Fatskin versus a wetsuit? Other than buoyancy, the rule book doesn't offer a clear written description. Or does it? In my opinion the definition is a bit on the weak side. Maybe the thickness of the suit should be included as part of the criteria.

A wetsuit does not conform to the concept of a pool competition, as their primary use is for outdoor OW - therefore is not appropriate for a pool meet. I agree with you here. No one wears a wetsuit in pool competition. It is just something that we all take for granted. Perhaps as you suggest the competitor was really taking a chance or completely ignorant of common pool practice. (I have to wonder though how much of an advantage it would really be. Would the increased buoyancy really offset the added water weight and decreased mobility?) But the question really is: Do the rules really exclude the use of them? In my opinion Rule 102.14.1 refers to modesty and appropriate dress i.e. no g-strings, transparent swimwear, outrageously daring cuts, etc :D I think you are right about Rule 102.15.9 in that it refers to a device rather than swimwear. I don't know. The lawyers should be clearer on this. Fort? Syd

Has anyone else noticed that the meet director hasn't commented in this thread?

Has anyone else noticed that the meet director hasn't commented in this thread? I don't think he reads this board. I will e-mail him about it.

I think your off the wall streamline will vanish in a wetsuit. How does that affect a distance swim in a short course pool? This subject is a waste of time. At the highest level of swimming a wetsuit won't work. For a ham 'n egger, it may help and if that is the case, just learn how to swim. I might allow She-man to wear hers.

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. I didn't swim the 400 IM. She didn't beat me; I beat her in our couple common events. Since I didn't see it up close myself -- I'm usually oblivious to competitors right before I swim -- I would not report it. I don't think many people fancy being a squealer either. Wait -- you can't just leave us hanging. What are you thoughts on top ten?

A point of clarification: There is a female swimmer, who wore a surf shirt that is not bouyant that swam in a meet this weekend. The surf shirt does not provide any advantage in her swimming, actually in my opinion creates drag. It is a snug top and she has a regular suit underneath it. This is not an illegal situation and does abide by the USMS standards. If there was another swimmer that was full body wetsuit, that should have been addressed with the meet director and the referee. However, I was not aware of this. As for distinguishing wetsuits from full body suits will be interesting. First defining wetsuits: any material that is buoyant in the water. Let the proper USMS committees to take care of the situation.

A point of clarification: There is a female swimmer, who wore a surf shirt that is not bouyant that swam in a meet this weekend. The surf shirt does not provide any advantage in her swimming, actually in my opinion creates drag. It is a snug top and she has a regular suit underneath it. This is not an illegal situation and does abide by the USMS standards. That was another Potomac Valley swimmer, not a wetsuit wearer. She always wears that.

I've been to a ton of USMS meets and never seen a wetsuit, nor anything even close. If folks are going to start donning the wetsuits at USMS meets, we've lost the battle to the tris. We need to stand united against this.