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
Dave: Insurance goes up with 2 waves instead of one? If so, then have them all go off at once and score them separately. I was under the impression from prior posts that the wetsuit swimmers outnumbered the purists anyway.
insurance: i'm not sure how it all works, but if you look at the top ten list of open water events, you will find quite a few if not most, are not usms events.
some events have 50 participants; some have 2000; there is no simple format that would work for all.
when wetsuits are permitted/encouraged and no separation exists, (i will use the bay swim as an example) the vast majority of participants wear them, even when the water temp is in the mid 70's and the air temp is in the high 80's.
the result is:
the elimination of a competitive non-wetsuit field.
at some ow "national championship" events, the field can be fewer than 100. to add a wetsuit division would do more to divide the field in half than double the number of entrants
Dave: Insurance goes up with 2 waves instead of one? If so, then have them all go off at once and score them separately. I was under the impression from prior posts that the wetsuit swimmers outnumbered the purists anyway.
insurance: i'm not sure how it all works, but if you look at the top ten list of open water events, you will find quite a few if not most, are not usms events.
some events have 50 participants; some have 2000; there is no simple format that would work for all.
when wetsuits are permitted/encouraged and no separation exists, (i will use the bay swim as an example) the vast majority of participants wear them, even when the water temp is in the mid 70's and the air temp is in the high 80's.
the result is:
the elimination of a competitive non-wetsuit field.
at some ow "national championship" events, the field can be fewer than 100. to add a wetsuit division would do more to divide the field in half than double the number of entrants
