wrist watches at USMS sanctioned meets

Interesting thread!! Watches banned as they may cause an injury?? How big are they? I wear a watch for training, but when 'racing' I take it off. After all it causes drag!! :p :D :p (I need all the help I can get!!) In Open Water events, I don't wear a watch as what use is it? I can't read it, even with the newer "Aging Iron Man" bigger sized numbers. If I did wear a watch, and tried to look at it during a refuel break it would not help much as it would make me stop longer to try and read the thing. Then ask questions as to how far, etc etc. Which would result in a much slower overall time!! I'm not a techy, so I wouldn't try to set a watch to beep at a regularly scheduled interval. In open water there are too many variables and it would be quite distracting. In an indoor meet, I suppose if you could set your watch for the 50m pace time , and it would continue to beep at this interval ad infinitum until turned off, then I agree this is a 'pacing' tool. However, in an Indoor Meet, I glance at the pace clock, as it seems to be always running. (Not that I can see exactly without my glasses!!, plus I tend to 'forget which colour hand' as I am busy counting lengths and focusing on strategy, which results in brain overload and system slow down to a snail's pace!) Should pace clocks and the scoreboard clock be covered so swimmers (who have OK vision) can't see these 'pacing devices'?? As has been stated, coaches, support staff, team members have definite, and sometimes unique, ways of keeping swimmers on pace. To me, a swimmer who knows their body, knows how to pace, is well trained. Mental training is part of the package. Happy training. Kiwi

Originally posted by Maryyyyyy In long pool races we can always see the digital pace clock running, and many people have coaches or friends signalling them. I wish I did, and will in the future, as I tend to go too slow and end the race feeling fresher than when I started it. For pool races, in Italy at least, FINA SW 10.15 applies: SW 10.15 No pace-making shall be permitted, nor may any device be used or plan adopted which has that effect. My impression was that the recent move to ban watches was an attempt to bring US rules in line with the above. I was given a warning for wearing a watch in a race in Florida last fall. Under FINA rules any clocks visible to the swimmer should be turned off. Strangely, during the Olympics they talked about the backstrokers watching the scoreboard clock...

SW 10.15 No pace-making shall be permitted, nor may any device be used or plan adopted which has that effect. Gosh, this rule would be near impossible to enforce. All a swimmer has to do is simply look in the stands, for their are ten zillion ways to convey time information from people in the stands. I'd venture to say this rule is IMPOSSIBLE to enforce.

Originally posted by LindsayNB For pool races, in Italy at least, FINA SW 10.15 applies: SW 10.15 No pace-making shall be permitted, nor may any device be used or plan adopted which has that effect. Gosh - we're all breaking the rules!?!! It could be that at master's meets we are lenient on this rule. Did anyone notice whether the FINA rule was enforced during the World Champs at Riccione in 2004? I did not notice. I'm going to open a similar thread on the Italian Masters Forum... ciao! m

When i don't have on my glasses or certain goggles, I can't see a thing. There could be alarge pace clock on the bottom of the pool & I still woudln't be able to read it. I noticed once that a copach shouted out the time to a swimmer at a competiton. I was really surprised. However, at the tiem I didn't realize that was wrong.

Originally posted by 2go+h20 Interesting thread!! Watches banned as they may cause an injury?? How big are they? Happy training. Kiwi Oh, you know, our watches are all big ARMANI things with gold and platinum and diamonds - definitely dangerous!! :D I find hand paddles WAY more dangerous than watches. I was very surprised when I was asked (told) to remove my watch during workout. We don't have a clock in our pool, so I don't know what time to get out... Anyway, this thread is really great, and the conclusion I'm getting (also in the Italian thread) is that the rule of pacing techniques in pool races would be difficult if not impossible to enforce.

Originally posted by Rob Copeland There was some confusion when USA-Swimming added language to their disqualification section “102.10.10 (DISQUALIFICATIONS) No swimmer is permitted to wear or use any device or substance to help his/her speed, pace or buoyancy during a race.” Questions were raised about considering wrist watches as “pacing devices”; as I understand it, USA-S determined that watches were not pacing devices and are legal. USMS typically follows USA-S, however USMS 102.15.9 only addresses “speed or buoyancy” NOT pace. For USMS watches are legal. I'm a USA-S stroke & turn judge (with North Carolina Swimming LSC) and, one more than one occaison in the last few months at age group meets, have had the official briefing state that wrist watches were definitely illegal and that we should ask the swimmer to remove it if we noticed it before they got on the blocks but that we should DQ if we caught it in the water. It's then ultimately up to the referee as he/she has to countersign any DQ. I'm actually participating in an open water meet tomorrow and also intend to help officiate the events I'm not participating in. As it's a jointly sanctioned meet, I intend to ask the question at the officials briefing. (My memory being what it is, hopefully I'll *remember* that I intend to ask the question!!! :D )

I can understand that there is come confusion about this since we did make a mistake in getting the rule book out this year. Last July, USA-Swimming changed their rule to add to the equivalent of our 102.15.9 the word "pace" after speed. They did this to be in compliance with FINA rules. At the same time, they indicated that their interpretation of this rule would include writst watches among other devices such as radios that communicate with coaches. The USMS Rules committee voted and chose to follow the USA-Swimming change and their interpretation. So wearing a wrist watch in a meet is not permitted. This does NOT apply to open water swimming. The communication from both USA-Swimming and USMS indicated that officials should approach this rule such that they should warn competitors and ask them to remove the watch rather than sit silently by and then DQ someone. I will ask that the on-line version of the rules be updated to reflect the correct wording of the rule. Sorry for the confusion. Leo

Thanks for the explanation, Leo. You don't happen to know the FINA rule for watches in open water swims, do you? I race in Italy. Thanks if you do! Mary

I don't know specifically but a quick look at the website ( www.fina.org/openwaterrules.html ) didn't show any rule that could be tagged with that interpretation. Also, USA-Swimming would have made that change/interpretation known at the time they did the pool swimmers. Leo