USAS Convention Rules Review

We just wrapped up a week in Rosemont, Illinois at the 2009 USAS Convention. Below is a recap of the rule changes and voting from the House of Delegates.

This year there were a total of 47 rule changes and 7 housekeeping actions proposed for the USA Swimming rule book at the HOD.

Rule Changes:
4 Withdrawn (Not voted on)
38 Adopted
5 Defeated

Housekeeping:
7 Adopted

Key Rule Changes:
102.9 Swimwear
USA Swimming will be enforcing the FINA swimwear rule effective Oct. 1, 2009. For a list of FINA approved suits visit USA Swimming's website

103.2 Water Depth
Initial racing starts, and any changes to basic technique thereafter, must be taught under the direct supervision of a USA Swimming member coach in a minimum of 6 feet (1.84 meters) of water measured from a distance of 3 feet 3 1/2 inches (1.0 meters) to 16 feet 5 inches (5.0 meters) from the end of the wall.

205.10 Swimwear in Age Group Competition
In Age Group swimming it is permissible to wear a garment under a swimsuit, for modesty and/or privacy reasons

2009 Athletes Appreciation Award: Janet Evans

This Evening at the USA Swimming House of Delegates meeting in Rosemont, Illinois the recipient of the 27th Athletes Appreciation Award was announced. This award was created in 1983 to recognize the individual or organization perceived by the Athletes Committee to have contributed most significantly to the Athletes' Movement.

Janet Evans is no stranger to the world of swimming. She is recognized as the best female distance swimmer of all time and her career highlights support this claim. 3-Time Olympian, 4-Time Olympic Gold Medalist, 17 International Titles, 45 National Titles, and she held the World Record in all 3 distance events from March 1988 - May of 2006.

Although impressive, its not her accomplishments in the pool that earned her this award. In 1978 the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act insured that the athlete voice would be heard in the U.S., but the rest of the world was lacking in athlete involvement. As a member of the inaugural FINA Athletes Commission in 1991 she worked with swimmers such as Alexander Popov of Russia and Daniel Kowolski of Austrailia to give the athlete’s perspective a voice. She served as the Chair of the Commission from 2000-2009 when her term ended. Most recently, she provided outspoken leadership on the negative impact of “tech suits” in our sport, but most importantly she opened the door for international athlete representation and US athlete representation internationally.

On behalf of the entire Athletes Committee, I thank Janet for all the work she has done in the swimming community.

AQ Goes Digital

Welcome to the USA Swimming AEC blog! This page will be your one-stop-shop for up to date information from your Athletes' Executive Committee. We hope to increase lines of communication between all levels of athlete representation through this site. Check back often for updates!