USMS Suit Rules
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Suit Debacle - USMS Convention Edition
**UPDATE: Click here for a scan of some of what was voted on
Ok so I just got out of the final meeting of this year's house of delegates. The last action item was, dun dun dun.... swimsuits. It finally happened. Up until this point hardly anyone mentioned it, it was like bringing up religion or politics in casual conversation... not a good idea. Once the floor opened up the comments got pretty hot for a little while.
2 major things went down here but I will forewarn you that all this may be completely meaningless depending on how things go down next week with the FINA Masters Technical Committee.
1st off, the USMS rules committee proposed suit restrictions. THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION NOT A RULE!!! The short version is men and women get the same suits, shoulder to knee in textile (the definition of which is tbd). Zippers and drawstrings are allowed. Modesty suits are still ok and taping is only allowed for medical reasons.
2nd we voted on how long to keep suits in regards to short course yards season. In case you forgot we're the only country that bothers with SCY. The 2 choices that people were voting for were:
1. dropping the tech suits as soon as the FINA Masters swim wear rule is adopted
2. Keep tech suits for SCY until June 1st (when SCY season ends) or later if FINA adopts no standard.
The vote was much closer than I would have expected. 101 to 93 in favor of dropping the suits earlier rather than later. Boo. I still think FINA has plenty of flip flop left in it and this was probably a whole lot of fighting for nothing. We'll see how it goes down. From what I understand we still get to ride out the rest of SCM season in techsuits.
More info will be coming out on this in the next couple of weeks, but I want to remind you all again that this still doesn't mean anything per se. There are a lot of variables floating around, but I wanted to share what's gone down so far.
Argue amongst yourselves, I have a banquet to get to!
from
www.robaquatics.com/.../suit-debacle-usms-convention-edition.html
I'm more sympathetic to your view on SCM but just want to rip the bandaid off here.
opposite view ... (which is the one that appears to have won the day).
Yeah, the rest of the world has been swimming SCM and holding SCM championship meets, so it's no big deal to us US swimmers ... I'm not as worried about SCY (an admittedly long season) as SCM.
A tech suit is not a "bandaid." These are the types of words purists use that contribute to your, now admitted, moral self righteous image.
Well, you haven't "won" yet. To date, FINA doesn't care about masters. It is quite possible of course that FINA will change its mind. And, if it does, I think it will be for the reasons Jimby previously stated -- bureaucratic need to exert dominion and jurisdiction over every conceivable regulatee.
Another reason against prolonging the ban until the end of the scy season is suit availability. If at our championship meet in May, the lzrs and x-glides are still legal, but those companies are no longer making them/ran out of the common sizes, then only those swimmers that still have them can use them. That doesn't seem to make for a level competition.
It's one thing to compare times from october to may in the top ten, but you'd hope that at our championship meet everyone would have the same suit advantage whatever that turns out to be.
You could be proactive and buy one now. They're very inexpensive. If you buy the right one (I'd suggest B70 as you can get 50+ swims in it) it would be available for Spring Nat's (assuming it can be worn and isn't on the banned substance list :)) I have two, a short and a full length so between them and an FSII I last used in Texas, I should (might, who knows?) be covered.
People are very passionate about this issue and I have personally engaged in meaningless debates with people who hold their views strongly and will not be convinced by my arguments any more than I will be convinced by theirs. I've decided I'm giving up tilting at that particular windmill.
"Meaningless"? You have hurt my feelings. And I was ready to concede that the Blue Seventy Nero Comp bodyskin is really just an ultrathin wetsuit. But it sure is fast.
I'd prefer the ban start 1/1/10 for SCM and 6/1/10 for SCY,but I can see some wisdom in 1/1/10 for both.If the ban is before 1/1/10 I will be very irritated and think it just unfair as there have been several SCM meets already in USMS and mostly elsewhere.
That doesn't seem to make for a level competition.
I have been told many times that there is no level playing field in sports. One needs to stop whining work on technique, and train harder. Or so, I've been told.
Another reason against prolonging the ban until the end of the scy season is suit availability. If at our championship meet in May, the lzrs and x-glides are still legal, but those companies are no longer making them/ran out of the common sizes, then only those swimmers that still have them can use them. That doesn't seem to make for a level competition.
AND what is the likelihood that companies will be making kneeskins for men or suits with zippers? Obviously the "do nothing" option and the so-called "compromise" are most advantageous to those currently owning suits!
Ok. Now I'm thoroughly confused.
I could have sworn I read on these boards yesterday or Sunday that USMS was going to ban the tech suits on 10/1/09, that we could only wear jammers to the knees.
Chris S. gave a very thorough explanation of what was decided at convention on the "what should usms do about the suits" thread.
I think you're referring to USA-S.
