I'm starting this thread because I'd like to see some discussion about the USMS rules/fees for sanctioning open water events.
Until recently, we had two different open water swim series here in Arizona, one USMS sanctioned, one not.
The USMS event (AZ Open Water Series) included a 1K, 2K and a 4K swim. Wetsuits were allowed, but they started in a separate wave and were awarded separately. At least 80% of the participants are triathletes. Most people wear wetsuits unless the water is too hot.
The non-USMS series (Splash & Dash) always has a choice of two distances, ranging from 750m to 4K, depending on the event. The swim is followed by an optional 5K run. Wetsuits are allowed, and awards are not separated. At least 90% of the participants are triathletes.
Going forward, neither event will have USMS sanctioning. It looks to me like these are some of the factors that influenced the change:
Very few participants are USMS members, so they have to pay the $12 one-day sanctioning fee. Non-USMS events have private insurance, so there's no need to pay an additional fee.
USMS insurance doesn't cover kids under the age of 18. Private and USAT insurance does.
It's very difficult to time the event when wetsuits and non-wetsuits start in different waves. The problem is that people change their mind at the last minute without telling anyone. If they're registered as non-wetsuit, but they put it on at the last minute, their time ends up being 5 minutes faster. The published "winners" of the non-wetsuit races are often swimmers from the wetsuit wave. Chip timing would not solve the problem.
I wish for two things:
I wish sanctioning and insurance could be separated. This would make USMS sanctioned events more competitive. It would also allow kids to participate.
I wish wetsuits and non-wetsuits could start in the same wave. I still want the awards to be separate, but I don't see a reason to separate the waves. This would make the timing much easier. It would also make the non-wetsuit event feel more like a race--there are usually so few people in that wave that I might as well be swimming alone.
I think USMS sanctioning is important because the rules support pure swimming.
I think chip timing would stop this easily.
You were signed up to go in wave 2 with the non wetsuits, but you actually beeped in when we called the athletes for wave 1, your times don't count.
Chip timers do that kind of thing all the time.
And most races have different color caps for the waves. So that makes it easy as well, the folks in wave 1 should be wearing fuchsia caps, if a lime green cap is in wave 1, they are in the wrong wave and are stopped.
I think chip timing would stop this easily.
You were signed up to go in wave 2 with the non wetsuits, but you actually beeped in when we called the athletes for wave 1, your times don't count.
Chip timers do that kind of thing all the time.
And most races have different color caps for the waves. So that makes it easy as well, the folks in wave 1 should be wearing fuchsia caps, if a lime green cap is in wave 1, they are in the wrong wave and are stopped.
