The DQ thread got me thinking about swimming rules I'd like to see repealed. Here's my list:
15M rule on freestyle -- You're allowed to do virtually anything you want in a freestyle race provided you touch the walls, don't push off the bottom and don't pull on the lane lines. Why is going beyond 15 meters doing SDK not "freestyle?"
15M rule on backstroke -- Again, the rule seems arbitrary as I could go 15M underwater SDK, pop up and then kick the rest of the way still doing SDK on my back and be perfectly legal. What's so magical about 15M?
Dolphin kick off the wall on a breaststroke pullout -- just have the guts to DQ Kitajima back when he should've been DQd and this whole :worms:wouldn't have been opened.
Rollover backstroke turns -- go back to the bucket turn (touch on your back, turn, push off on your back) and you save a whole bunch of DQ hassles for swimmers & judges. Yeah, times will be way slower, but we banned tech suits, so clearly the swimming purists should be lined up behind this one.
Standup backstroke starts -- what's so magical about starting with your toes / feet in the water when we get to start with our feet out of the water on all other races? Let's stop the discrimination against backstrokers!
For the record, with the exception of #5, I would derive no speed benefit from any of the above rule changes as a competitor (I can't hold my breath in a race for 15M and my doplhin kick on the *** pullout is weak at best). As an S&T judge, though, all of these would make my life easier and, I believe (#5 possibly excepted), be more consistent with the overall rules for the strokes.
I could see the no counting for less than 400 meter rule being "relaxed" for 10 and unders. For them, that's a long swim and a lot of counting. In fact, I'm surprised that there is even a 200 freestyle event for 10 and unders.
The official should have made you stop counting during the race rather than DQ your son afterward (though I'm not sure he was DQ'd--that wasn't clear from your post). If all he did the next day was tell you that it was a violation and don't do it again, I don't think you had the right to "lose it" on the guy. If he DQ'd your son a day late, then you were right to be upset. This wasn't your son's fault and the DQ should have been prevented during the race by making you stop.
I could see the no counting for less than 400 meter rule being "relaxed" for 10 and unders. For them, that's a long swim and a lot of counting. In fact, I'm surprised that there is even a 200 freestyle event for 10 and unders.
The official should have made you stop counting during the race rather than DQ your son afterward (though I'm not sure he was DQ'd--that wasn't clear from your post). If all he did the next day was tell you that it was a violation and don't do it again, I don't think you had the right to "lose it" on the guy. If he DQ'd your son a day late, then you were right to be upset. This wasn't your son's fault and the DQ should have been prevented during the race by making you stop.
