NCAA Adds Speedsuit Moratorium Discussion to Division I Phone Call Agenda; CSCAA Responds; Full Counsilman Study Reprinted – Updated

The CSCAA is pleased to learn that the NCAA Swimming and Diving Committee will be revisiting the swim suit issue at its conference call meeting tomorrow. Much has transpired since the committee last considered the issue in September and voted to reverse its decision of two months earlier to extend the moratorium on use of the new, high-tech suits.

Specifically,

1. It now is clear that there will not be a sufficient quantity of suits available for all the teams that want (or feel they must have the suits to remain competitive) by February's conference championships. Thus, by allowing the suits the NCAA actually will be creating an uneven playing field..

2. Joel Stager, head of the Counsilman Center at IU,and his colleagues, have published several papers clearly showing that the suits are performance-enhancing, either via significantly increasing buoyancy or compression. These studies are borne out by the pattern of performances we've already seen this season among student-athletes who are using the suits. Dr. Stager has indicated he would be happy to sit in on the conference call meeting to answer any questions the Committee might have. Likewise, the CSCAA Board of Directors is offering to do the same — that is, to have a member of the Executive Board or the Executive Director sit in on the meeting to answer any questions on which we might throw some light.

3. Internationally, the tide has turned on this issue. USA Swimming reversed itself and now advocates a ban on all body suits. Nine other federations of leading swimming nations also support severe restrictions or an outright ban. Most significantly, FINA has called a meeting of FINA board members, national federation officials and coaches to consider the entire issue – an unprecedented step in its century-long history.

Attached please find the empirical and statistical studies published by Professor Stager and his colleagues.

Please get back to me (or ask Tracy to get back to me) today regarding this urgent matter.

Sincerely,