LD16 303.6.3 SWIMWEAR p. 62 OWLDC Modify
303.6.3 Wetsuits may be allowed in all USMS-sanctioned open water events, at the
discretion of the meet event director. Wetsuits generally provide a competitive advantage. If
awards are given to wetsuit competitors they shall be awarded separately from those for nonwetsuit
competitors. Any published results or records must clearly indicate which swimmers
wore wetsuits.
Rationale 1: Because the OWLDC is aware that people wearing wetsuits are no longer allowed to be treated as
non-participants because they represent a major area of growth to our organization. In most cases, these
neoprene-clad souls would trade their eye teeth to go without but for whatever reasons they chose to look like
shark bait, they want/need/can’t live without it so by allowing this new rule, they can now wear their wetsuit in
our USMS races and get a prize from USMS. Also, members of the OWLDC are getting tired of extracting
naked, frozen people from the bathrooms where they are attempting to warm up by splashing themselves with
lukewarm water from the sink and recognize that if these folks had been offered an opportunity to wear a
wetsuit in their race, they would be having a much more fun time at this USMS event than experiencing
hypothermia and swearing on their mother’s grave to never swim in an open water race again.
Rationale2: This rule is leading our organization down the slippery slope to The Sanitization of Open Water
Swimming. We have regulated water temp, hot hats, buoys every so often, swim suits that help us float, and
more devices to take the element of nature out of the events, sort of like rock climbing with an elevator, so are
we “purists” now viewed as the extremists in our sport, the on the fringe element? But on the other hand at
least people are swimming and staying healthy, which is a wonderful thing for our society.
Rationale3: As purists spend time acclimating to less warm water temps and not spending time cycling 140
miles or running 26 at a stretch, do we get a motor on our bike? How about we start a “Buffet Event”, similar to
the 300IM: Pick a few choices you want and we’ll all compete together. This could lead to the “All Gadget
Olympics.”
Parents
Former Member
I think a lot of people just need a frame of reference for what cold actually is and what your body can endure. I did a swim this month where the water was a balmy 66 degrees and I was pretty frosty for about a minute and a half and then it was basically a non issue. A lot of people just build it up to be epically cold in their heads and never bother to try swimming without a suit even though they totally could.
Whenever I start thinking something is too cold I reflect on the dumbest thing I've ever done aquatically... on January 1st, 1996 I was living in Milwaukee and I found my way into Lake Michigan. I don't know how cold the water was that day but there were chunks of ice meandering about. The water was shockingly cold and then proceeded to burn, kinda weird. So whenever I feel like it's too cold to swim in the ocean, or a pool isn't warm enough I think about polar bearing in Wisconsin and I get over it pretty quickly.
If you're going to wear a wetsuit you're going to wear a wetsuit... it is what it is and I'll gladly compete beside you. But I think people on the fence about it should try an open water swim without one at least once, you might realize it's not that bad after all.
I think a lot of people just need a frame of reference for what cold actually is and what your body can endure. I did a swim this month where the water was a balmy 66 degrees and I was pretty frosty for about a minute and a half and then it was basically a non issue. A lot of people just build it up to be epically cold in their heads and never bother to try swimming without a suit even though they totally could.
Whenever I start thinking something is too cold I reflect on the dumbest thing I've ever done aquatically... on January 1st, 1996 I was living in Milwaukee and I found my way into Lake Michigan. I don't know how cold the water was that day but there were chunks of ice meandering about. The water was shockingly cold and then proceeded to burn, kinda weird. So whenever I feel like it's too cold to swim in the ocean, or a pool isn't warm enough I think about polar bearing in Wisconsin and I get over it pretty quickly.
If you're going to wear a wetsuit you're going to wear a wetsuit... it is what it is and I'll gladly compete beside you. But I think people on the fence about it should try an open water swim without one at least once, you might realize it's not that bad after all.
