What rule changes should NVSL do for next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:for purposes of this thread and banning tech suits for dual meets, is a Speedo Aquablade Recordbreaker a tech suit?

Okay - looking into actually doing this, here's what I've come up with:

Definition of a “Tech Suit” for NVSL Use
A tech suit is a high-performance competition swimsuit that is designed with advanced fabric technology and compression features to enhance speed, reduce drag, and improve muscle efficiency. These suits are typically intended for championship-level racing and are often cost-prohibitive and less durable than traditional practice or standard racing suits.

A suit will be considered a “tech suit” if it meets any of the following:
Is marketed or labeled as a technical racing suit, tech suit, or elite competition suit
Contains bonded seams (no stitching) or ultrasonic welded seams
Is constructed with hydrophobic fabric engineered for minimal water absorption
Offers compression panels or zones for muscle containment or oxygen efficiency
Is approved for use by FINA (look for FINA logo on the back)

Examples of Tech Suits:
Arena Carbon Air/Ultra/Glide/Prime
Speedo LZR Pure Intent or Valor
TYR Avictor or Venzo
Mizuno GX-Sonic IV
Jaked Jkeel or Jkomp

[Anonymous]

And to answer your actual question:

Why the Speedo Aquablade is not a tech suit:
Stitched seams: It does not use bonded or ultrasonic welded seams.
Basic compression: Offers some muscle support, but not elite-level compression zones.
Older design: Originally released in the 1990s and no longer considered cutting-edge.
Material: While it is water-repellent and sleek, it is not made of hydrophobic woven fabric used in modern tech suits.
Legal for 12&U: As of USA Swimming guidelines, it is approved for 12 & under use and not on any restricted lists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if this would involve a rule change, but they should NOT have an A meet on July 4th. Our team will have to forfeit if we are asked to host a meet that day because our pool won't let us open late. I doubt we are the only team in that situation.

I asked our team rep about this and she told me that she already plans ask the other team to hold (or we will hold) the meet on the Federal Friday (3rd) instead of the 4th. This is allowable by the rules and will solve a number of problems and make it easier for families to go out of town.

Great idea! I am going to suggest this.

[Anonymous]

So basically the proposed rule would ban all suits not otherwise approved by World Aquatics for 12 & under swimmers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So basically the proposed rule would ban all suits not otherwise approved by World Aquatics for 12 & under swimmers.

Why 12 and under? What's wrong with banning them for all ages?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So basically the proposed rule would ban all suits not otherwise approved by World Aquatics for 12 & under swimmers.

Why 12 and under? What's wrong with banning them for all ages?

I think that's what the poster was saying. That in essence, if it's not approved for the 12 and under set it wouldn't be allowed for anyone at an NVSL dual meet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So basically the proposed rule would ban all suits not otherwise approved by World Aquatics for 12 & under swimmers.

Why 12 and under? What's wrong with banning them for all ages?

12&U are not true tech suits. They are kneeskins that offer minimal compression, no buoyancy advantage , no decrease in drag, and stitches seams.

[Anonymous]

I’d love to see swim shirts allowed. I’ve been a referee for about a decade and I’ve had to dq two different 8 and under boys who refused to take off a swim shirt. It was clearly not a competitive advantage, if anything made the kid slower with drag, but is a violation of the uniform rule for boys suits.

Obviously, I’m in a lower division and I’m sure this isn’t an issue in D1. I know the swim suit rules exist to eliminate the full body super fast swim suits, but I hate that it prevents a little kid from wearing the sun shirt they are comfortable in.

[Anonymous]

It’s not a rule change, but I’d also love to see Nvsl update their standard documents. Do we really still need to remind people before every meet to silence their pagers? Or tell the timers not to smoke on deck?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So basically the proposed rule would ban all suits not otherwise approved by World Aquatics for 12 & under swimmers.

Why 12 and under? What's wrong with banning them for all ages?

World Aquatics (formerly FINA) does not permit true tech suits for 12&unders, so the proposed rule would essentially only permit the bathing suits listed as an approved 12&under suit plus non-competition training suits (eg, the typical team suit) for all swimmers, including those who are 13 and older.

[Anonymous]

I think part of the problem (as evidenced by inaccurate comments ostensibly from parents of summer only swimmers about 12 and under higher division swimmers wearing “tech suits”) is that non-club parents see kneeskins and automatically think “tech suits.” We need to normalize calling approved 13+ suits “tech suits” and 12&U approved suits “kneeskins,” at least on the girls side. Nobody can tell the difference from a glance about boys’ suits.

[Anonymous]

We should also ban racing goggles because they provide a clear advantage over recreational goggles. Some goggles cost over a hundred dollars. This isn't fair for the swimmers who can't afford them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We should also ban racing goggles because they provide a clear advantage over recreational goggles. Some goggles cost over a hundred dollars. This isn't fair for the swimmers who can't afford them.

Racing goggles can be worn more than 2-3 times and still retain their "effectiveness". In addition, they don't have the same perception as tech suits do with poor sportsmanship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d love to see swim shirts allowed. I’ve been a referee for about a decade and I’ve had to dq two different 8 and under boys who refused to take off a swim shirt. It was clearly not a competitive advantage, if anything made the kid slower with drag, but is a violation of the uniform rule for boys suits.

Obviously, I’m in a lower division and I’m sure this isn’t an issue in D1. I know the swim suit rules exist to eliminate the full body super fast swim suits, but I hate that it prevents a little kid from wearing the sun shirt they are comfortable in.

I think this is a great idea. It makes sense for USA swimming to have their rules, but there’s no need for rec swim to be as strict.

I think it was a miss by USA swimming to have chosen 12U instead of 14U for banning tech suits. 14U would have been a natural cutoff given the transition between age group swimming and senior swimming. The current exception to allow tech suits for younger swimmers at jr national level meets and above would still be as effective. I’m sure the suit companies had a say in this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not a rule change, but I’d also love to see Nvsl update their standard documents. Do we really still need to remind people before every meet to silence their pagers? Or tell the timers not to smoke on deck?

Agreed - but I also take these words with a bit of license (I am the announcer in my pool & Division).
For example, I omit the pagers part,
I substitute ‘phones and devices’ and I also emphasize the silence after the whistle. You just have to find the right words for your pool.