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.”
Former Member
OK my view:
Tech suits change the way you swim via feel, buoancy, fat compression, whatever--they add speed.
Wet suits keep you warm and make you float better--who knew?
Swimming a fast 50 is painful but quick. The training is the hardest part--even just willing yourself to do the work.
Swimming OW is more challenging beyond proving how tough you are (a 200 fy is tough in it's own right) especially if the course is not marked well, or the kayakers like to ram you to get your attention. Plus there is all that current, sun-glare, wildlife and variable climate to contend with.
At the end of the day swimming is hard sport regardless, maybe USMS want to get more "poolies" into OW events and think allowing wetsuits will do this.
LD 35 305.7.5
Wetsuits competitors shall b excluded for the purposes of articles 305.8 through 306.1, except where noted. In addition, wetsuit competitors shall have a separate start time.
PASSED by the House of Delegates
Most OW "purists" are just failed pool swimmers anyway, looking for an event where your time is pretty meaningless or that doesn't require any fast-twitch muscles...:)...actually, now that I think about it, they are really just like triathletes in most respects...
Exclusive pool swimmers and those depending on wetsuit's are like a 11-year kid who still can't ride a bike without there training wheels. Sure they enjoy it but still........ ;)
You know, if you don't like the wetsuits, you can always go and swim USS. :)
Ya won't see 'em there! At least we have choice. That's always a bonus.
, but honestly view OW events more as training or a diversion, rather than "serious" swimming.
:rofl::rofl::rofl: Goes double for anything 25K or over.
LD 35 305.7.5
Wetsuits competitors shall b excluded for the purposes of articles 305.8 through 306.1, except where noted. In addition, wetsuit competitors shall have a separate start time.
PASSED by the House of Delegates
Can a non wetsuit swimmer request to swim with the wetsuit swimmers in their heat?
I sure don't know why you'd want to draft wetsuit-wearers, though, (S)he. I don't think I've ever done a race that included both wetsuit and non-wetsuit divisions where the wetsuit-wearers were anywhere among the overall leaders.
To take my most recent 5K as an example, the first male wetsuit-wearer finished in 1:16 and the first female wetsuit-wearer finished in 1:26. You would not have wanted to draft them. You would have wanted to swim with the first male non-wetsuit-wearer, who finished in 1:05, or the first female non-wetsuit-wearer, who finished in 1:09. (I think the course was maybe a little long, because both of those people are very, very strong distance swimmers.)
Most if not all of the overall leaders in that race were wearing "technical" suits. For instance, the winning woman wore a B70; the second woman wore a Fastskin I; I don't know what the third woman wore; and the fourth woman wore an ankle-length Finis suit.
I don't think we addressed this --- hmmmm.
Why would you have to (S)he? Wouldn't you know by times whether you whupped them good?
Uh, yeah, Mermaid, I hadn't seen that before!
Those of you who read through what passed (and weren't at the Convention) might think that wetsuits-wearers are now allowed more freedom than before, which is not really the case.
Remember that under the previous rules, for all events except the national champs, event directors already had the option of allowing wetsuits and giving them awards, but they had to be in a separate category and in results lists the wetsuit-clad swimmers had to be clearly indicated.
Here is what passed that is DIFFERENT than what existed before Convention:
-- wetsuits cannot be worn above 78F (similar in spirit to the USAT rule, meant to be a health safeguard)
-- in national championships, event directors no longer have to provide a separate finish line for wetsuit competitors (if they allow them to swim the course).
Everything else is exactly the same as now. During committee meetings, the OW/LD Committee withdrew their recommendation that wetsuit-clad swimmers be allowed to compete for national championship awards or be listed in the results. Mark Gill introduced an amendment of an OW/LD motion that would have allowed wetsuit wearers to have the whole shebang (results, awards, All-American, All-Star, separate records for the cable swims).
This was, by the way, more ambitious than the proposal the VA LMSC originally sent to the OW/LD committee last fall; we simply asked for results and awards for wetsuit-wearers (and club scoring, which is not usually an issue in OW champ events), not all-american or all-star.
The amended motion needed a two-thirds majority to pass -- since it was not an OW/LD recommendation -- and didn't get it (the voting was roughly 50-50 and debate was lively).
The OW/LD committee did listen to two other suggestions we made: to limit the temperature wetsuits could be used, and to ask for seed money to develop cable swims in other parts of the country. (They may have planned to do these things anyway, of course.)
To answer (S)he's question, IF USMS OW event directors allow wetsuits at a race, it is up to them how to run it (co-mingle all the swimmers, separate heats, etc). The only exception is OW National Championships where the event directors MUST have separate heats (again, if s/he chooses to allow them to compete at all).
(Kind of funny you asked this, because the delegate in front of me joked that wanted exactly this situation -- she wanted to be able to draft off wetsuit swimmers. :) )
Could you post this a fifth, sixth, and seventh time for the people who didn't see it the first four times? :frustrated:
OMG!
Please note the subsections "A", "B" & I was posting "real time" convetion vote results. Since this was a hot topic - not only in the convention but here - I wanted to make sure your voice was heard and you got instant feedback.
do you really want to tango???
