South Carolina Swimming has joined numerous other LSCs throughout the country in issuing a ban on technical suits for 10-and-under swimmers. The SC House of Delegates came to that unanimous decision this weekend, and the new rule goes into effect Jan. 1, 2018.
“This will allow coaches and member clubs to help their members make proper suit choices for their athletes by preventing them from spending money on suits that are not designed for young bodies,” says a post on the SC Swimming website. “South Carolina Swimming’s leadership in this area will assist our current membership and make our sport more accessible to new members.”
The policy will determine a swimmer’s age from the first day of a meet, and SC Swimming has released a list of suits that are banned and others that are still allowed, including the Speedo Fastskin II, versions of the Arena Powerskin and offerings from both TYR and Dolfin.
The rule borrowed from many of the others instituted by LSCs throughout the country limiting tech suit use for young swimmers, including a line banning any suit with “bonded seams, kinetic tape or meshed seams.”
The full rule about the suit ban must be included in any meet flyer after the start of 2018, and meet referees are expected to remind coaches of the rule at pre-meet coaches’ meetings.
New Jersey had been the latest state to institute a ban on tech suit use for young swimmers prior to the South Carolina announcement. However, New Jersey is the only LSC so far to limit tech suit use among 12-and-under swimmers, while most other LSCs, including New England and now South Carolina, have only ruled on 10-and-under swimmers.
Read more about New Jersey’s tech suit ban, as well as an effort to determine a national policy on tech suit use.
Read the post from South Carolina Swimming announcing the decision here, and the full text of the new SC Swimming rule is available here.
Amen. NJ has it right restricting tech suits for 12 & Unders….great step.
This makes total sense.
Kris and Caryn… NJ just restricted for 12 and under; now SC! Waiting to hear what happens in IL.
Team policy already but yay!!! Still.
Our team’s policy is that you have to speak with the coach first. Nolan’s muscle development at 12 is not ready for one. He sprouted another couple inches overnight!
Christina Sosnowski Lowry I noticed he looked taller! His face is maturing also. He’s 11?
Caryn – he turned 12 last month. Growing boy!!
Should ban them through all swimming until they’re 18 and out of high school.
I have to disagree with you. There are many reasons for swimmers under the age of 18 to wear fastskins. Two of the best examples I can think of are Phelps and Ledecky. Both competed at the Olympics before the age of 18. And with out their suits, they might not be the swimmers we know them to be today. If you are going to put such a high level restriction on it, maybe consider restricting it by speed. For instance, not allow the athletes to wear them until they have qualified for a junior national level meet.
i am a proud to be from south carolina
Oh yeah
The Blue Seventy One was made specifically in kid sizes and was cute. But if no one wears them it’s fine.
It makes sense. The suits are expensive, very difficult to put on, only last a few swims and they really do not make that much difference in times.
So wait, the rule is there because some might spend more money than others?
Are the LSCs that are enacting these rules aware that USA Swimming is studying the suit ban and will decide on whether to enact a USA Swimming wide ban or not??? This is not an issue that can be decided by each LSC. Consistency across all LSCs is good and critical.
Seems like an utter waste of time for individual LSCs’ House of Delegates to waste their time time on a decision that in all likelihood will be completely moot at the conclusion of the study and the USA Swimming House of Delegates vote.
USA Swimming- just ban them for 12&U’s and be done with it. Why go LSC by LSC? At least go zone by zone.
I agree but I do think there should be an exception for championship meets for 11/12. 10 and under I support a ban
Elisabeth Jane Woare Fair enough. What is happening is some LSC’s are banning for 10&u and some are banning tech suits for 12&u. I think all the LSC’s need to vote and come to one decision w/USA Swimming. It is unfair for some 11/12 kids to be allowed the suits in one LSC and others not allowed. Messes with the national rankings. USA Swimming is afraid to offend the sponsors who make the swimwear so they just stay quiet.
Agree – I think there should be one nationwide policy.
Should only be allowed once they thru puberty. Too expensive to keep replacing when they growing and they need to show the talent and discipline – in other words earn the right to wear them