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NCAA Committees to Consider Rule Changes

This summer the NCAA Swimming and Diving Committee will consider and possibly implement several proposed rules changes. Before they get to that point, however, the committee solicits input both through a survey of coaches (also Athletic Directors and Conference Commissioners) and follow-up discussion next week at the CSCAA Convention in San Diego.

Some of the biggest issues will relate to qualification for the NCAA Division I Championships.(might want to reconsider this sentence after reading all comments). These include modifications to relay selection (Division I), eliminating qualifications via long or short course meters,(All Divisions) and the neutralization of "Last-Chance" meets.(All Divisions) Other hot-button proposals target the use (or disuse) of relay take-off equipment and elimination of relay alternates. (All Divisions)

Here is a summary of several proposed changes:

Championship Qualifying: (Division I) 

  • Select up to sixteen relays for the NCAA Division I Championships in each event without exceeding the current cap. The hope would be to add more credibility to the relays by allowing “legitimately selected” relays compete against relays that were added to fill the field. This model would undoubtedly reduce the number of individual qualifiers.
  • Require that all NCAA qualifying times be achieved only in 25-yard courses. This is for all Division’s, not just Division I
  • Eliminate “Last Chance” meets, not by outlawing the meets per-se but rather to disallow the use of any times achieve following a team’s conference championship to be used for qualifying. Division III will disallow the use of “Last Chance” meets next year. This is on the table for consideration by all 3 Divisions

Starts (These are rule book items for all collegiate swimming meets)
  • Adopt the use of no recall false start rules such as those used in club competition. This would eliminate the need for and use of a recall rope. If the Referee independently observes and confirms the Starter's observation that a violation occurred, the swimmer or swimmers who have false started will be disqualified upon completion of the race. This was an issue at March’s NCAA Division II Championships where the officials inability to deploy the rope resulted in a full lap being completed by the first heat of women’s 200 freestyle relay.
  • Allow for the use of track-type starting blocks. This would include blocks with back plates and foot wedges such as those used at last December’s national championships. (Rule 2-1-1)
Championship Operations - Division I
  • Proposes to begin preliminaries at 11:00 am in order to allow for greater recovery between preliminaries and finals.
  • Close the scratchbox at 6:00 or 6:30 pm. This is a re-evaluation of a change that was made four years ago and seeks to find a balance between what works best for teams which want the most time possible to make changes and meet hosts that seek to publish heat sheets in a timely manner.
  • Divers must achieve qualification twice in order to qualify for the NCAA Zone meet. This is a result of growing numbers of qualifying divers that make the meet unwieldy. It is hoped that the two-time qualifying requirement well help limit numbers at the meet.
  • Give each Zone the flexibility on when to host the meet in order to allow for a longer break between the Zone meet and the NCAA Championships for recovery, academic and travel reasons.
  • Eliminate the option of declaring false starts in timed final events. (Rule 2-1-3-h) Currently if a student-athlete or team is not removed through the normal scratch procedure they must compete in the event or false start to avoid competing. This should be under the “rules” section and is a rule book issue that will be for all collegiate swimming meets (prelim/final)
Championship Relays
  • Eliminate relay alternates at the NCAA Division I Championships. Under the current rule teams have been able to bring a relay alternate to the meet at their own cost. This proposal strives to provide “competitive and financial equity.” The current rule has enabled teams to bring additional swimmers (even exceeding the championship-maximum 18 participants).
  • Allow schools achieving ‘A’ or ‘B’ standards to “own” the relay times and thus allow for any student-athlete on their championship roster to swim on the relay. Currently, relays must use the swimmers that achieved the time to swim on the relay at least once. Not just for Division I….will be considered by all 3 Divisions.
  • Give schools more flexibility with use aggregate times for relay qualification. It is proposed that schools be allowed to use the best actual time OR the times of any four swimmers whose aggregate times achieve the qualifying standard. This would allow teams with the ability to do so, to use their entire roster to achieve qualifying standards and thus increase the number qualifiers for the meet.  This is for all 3 Divisions, not just Division I.
Relay Take-Offs (These are rulebook issues, not limited to championships)
  • One proposal to rule 4-14-6 would do away with electronic takeoff equipment and return to human judging as the sole arbiter of relay take-offs. This is based upon the perceived unreliability of the electronic judging equipment. As proposed, it would also eliminate electronic equipment video review from the rules book as its adoption and purpose was to evaluate the electronic take off equipment.
  • A second proposal would give the referee discretion eliminate electronic takeoff results for an entire event (not just that one heat) if he or she has deemed a malfunction of the electronic takeoff equipment. This proposal aims to “add consistency and fairness.” At present only the affected has the readings eliminated and it creates unfairness with the other heats in the event being more closely scrutinized. This proposal does not necessarily give the referee “discretion” to eliminate RJP results from the entire event. If he/she deems a malfunction of the system in one heat (and discards the readings), the rule would require eliminating all electronic results for the entire event. This would be automatic, not subject to human intervention.
  • Yet another change would minimize, not eliminate, the use of electronic take-off equipment. It would change rule 4-14-6-c to say "if there is dual confirmation of an early relay take-off, the electronic takeoff equipment shall be used only to confirm or overturn the decision of the human judges. No reading that did not begin with dual confirmation by human judges shall be considered." It would thus eliminate rule 4-14-7 Electronic Equipment Video Review as it would become moot.
Swimming Rules

  • Alter Rule 2-2-1-b regarding backstroke by adding a camera to allow the referee to review violations of the 15 meter rule. Video would allow reinstatement of a disqualified swimmer if warranted, but not used to disqualify any competitor that was viewed committing a violation not previously called. The proposer believes that officials are very conservative when making this call making it rarely enforced and they feel video will allow officials to make the call as written and have the video evidence to back it up or be reversed.
  • Changes the wording of the backstroke rule (2-2-1-c) to allow for swimmers' shoulders to "be turned past vertical toward the breast after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous double arm pull may be used to initiate the turn." This would eliminate the wording "kicking and gliding actions are permitted" to add consistency with rules used by other swimming organizations and federations.
Disqualifications (Rulebook items)
  • Allow swimmers to move across lanes to exit via the ladders in the outside lanes. The proposal to change the wording of rule 2-5-1-d to read “obstructing another swimmer by swimming across or otherwise interfering shall disqualify the offender, subject to the discretion of the referee."
  • Disqualifies a swimmer utilizing an illegal swimsuit from all previous and all entered events for the duration of the meet. “With the swimsuit rule now over two years old and universally applied to all domestic and international competition, severe penalties should be applied to those who willingly are breaking this rule.”
  • Widen the restrictions of use on tape and kinesio tape (Rule 3-1-2) to allow the referee to request documentation from a designated health official before certifying a swimmer eligible to compete.This actually doesn’t widen the restrictions, but, lessens them. It allows the opportunity for usage of tape and kinesio tape. We have been operating under a November 2009 interpretation allowing tape to treat documented injuries for the past 1 ½ years, but, prohibited kinesio-tape. This allows kinesio tape under the same conditions as tape.
Diving (Rulebook)
  • Allow a diver in finals at a championship meet to be awarded the last place points in their final if they are unable to, in the judgment of medical personnel, finish due to injury or illness. This would seek to eliminate situations where a diver runs the risk of further injury by attempting the remainder of their list. This rule would have enabled Texas’ Maren Taylor to score points and become an All-American after withdrawing following an injury in finals on the platform.
  • Eliminate bias in diving by requiring the use of at least two paid and certified officials that do not represent any of the participating schools. This is proposed for both championship meets (rule 6-5-1-a) and dual meets (6-5-2-a).
Order of Events (Rulebook)
  • Change the 100 freestyle and 200 backstroke in the16-event program (rule 8-1-1-c). This would, it’s hoped, gives sprinters more rest after 50 free just before break while also giving swimmers in the 200 backstroke the benefit of more rest before the 500 freestyle or 200 butterfly.
  • During Championship meets, it is proposed to move the 1650 freestyle after the 100 freestyle during championship meets. This proposal would, its proposed, give swimmers more rest between the 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay.

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