South Texas Swimming, Inc.
Swim Wear Policies
November 20, 2008

South Texas Swimming, Inc. (STSI) Swimwear Policy

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1.  Effective date:  All STSI meets Sanctioned or Approved for competition after December 31, 2008.  Meets Sanctioned previous to approval / adoption are exempt.

2.  All swimmers ages 14 and under, competing in STSI Sanctioned or Approved meets, are required to comply with this swimwear policy when the events are separated by age for seeding, awards and / or scoring purposes.

3.  Swimsuits worn by males in all 14 and under STSI Age Group competition shall not extend above the waist nor extend further down the legs than to the top of the kneecap (patella).  Swimsuits worn by females in all 14 and under STSI Age Group competition shall not extend past the top of the shoulder, cannot cover any part of the arms nor extend further down the torso than the buttocks.

The paragraph below must be included in all Meet Informations for meets Sanctioned or Approved in South Texas after December 31, 2008.
Please see Checklist item #12.

Swim Wear Restrictions:
Swimsuits worn by males in all 14 and under STSI Age Group competition shall not extend above the waist and nor extend further down the legs than to the top of the kneecap (patella).  Swimsuits worn by females in all 14 and under STSI Age Group competition shall not extend past the top of the shoulder, cannot cover any part of the arms nor extend further down the torso than the buttocks.  Violators will be barred from competition until the swimmer's swimsuit meets the requirements of this paragraph.

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Frequently asked questions:

A.  Are meets that include only “open” events included in this rule?  Yes, if awards will be given by age groups, such as those noted above, the policy is in effect.  If, however, results will be posted by a single “open” classification and no age group awards offered, the policy will not apply.

B.  What are the consequences for a swimmer who wears a suit that does not meet the swimwear definition?  The Meet Referee has the authority to bar the competitor from competition until the swimmer’s suit meets the approved swimwear definition.

C.  Is this policy enforceable imposed if it is not specified in the Meet Information?  No.  In order for this policy to be in enforced, paragraphs 2 and 3 above must be included verbatim in the relevant Meet Information.  Sanctions or Approvals will not be issued for meets unless these paragraphs are included in the Meet information when appropriate.

D.  If a meet has a morning session for 12 and under swimmers and an afternoon session for 13 and older swimmers, how will the rule be enforced?

            a.  For the morning (12 and under session) , the policy will be enforced.

b.  For the afternoon (13 and over) session, it will depend on the structure of the awards and results.

                        1)  If awards and / or results are broken out as 13, 14, or 13 and 14 and 15 and older, the policy would be in effect, but only for the 14 and under swimmers.

                        2)  If awards and / or results are reported as 13 and older, the policy would not be in effect.

E.  How will this policy be enforced for a championship formatted meet, i.e., preliminaries and finals; where preliminaries are conducted with the age groups combined, but the finals are swum by single or traditional age groups?  Since the awards and results will be broken out by age group, the policy would be in effect for all 14 and under swimmers for both the preliminaries and finals sessions.

Approved and adopted by the STSI Board Of Directors on November 20, 2008.