Maryland swim team retroactively loses county title because of shaving violation

[First_Down]

A Maryland girls swimming team has had its county championship title retroactively stripped for one of the more bizarre retroactive punishments to come down in recent years: It was deemed that improper shaving had occurred.

Broadneck (Md.) High girls swimming squad lost its Anne Arundel County title after it was determined that one of the team's swimmers shaved on-site just before the start of the event. National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules for swimming, diving and water polo stipulate that athletes can not shave before, during or after a meet once a team is on-site.


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highsc...153508295.html

[slapshot]

A Maryland girls swimming team has had its county championship title retroactively stripped for one of the more bizarre retroactive punishments to come down in recent years: It was deemed that improper shaving had occurred.

Broadneck (Md.) High girls swimming squad lost its Anne Arundel County title after it was determined that one of the team's swimmers shaved on-site just before the start of the event. National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules for swimming, diving and water polo stipulate that athletes can not shave before, during or after a meet once a team is on-site.


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highsc...153508295.html

Very bizzar rule, although I get some of the reasoning for not allowing it "before"...but what possible reason could there be for not allowing it "after" the meet is over?

[jtowne-swim]

Very bizzar rule, although I get some of the reasoning for not allowing it "before"...but what possible reason could there be for not allowing it "after" the meet is over?

No shaving on site period. The issue is not shaving in general, which i totally legal. The issue is encouraging the practice in a common area.

[slapshot]

No shaving on site period. The issue is not shaving in general, which i totally legal. The issue is encouraging the practice in a common area.

Why? Unsafe? Unsanitary? Inquiring minds want to know.

[jtowne-swim]

Why? Unsafe? Unsanitary? Inquiring minds want to know.

Back in the days......you would have locker room shaves between events and after warm-up the deck would almost clear as everyone re shaved. Razor sharing was not uncommon. Weigh in the fact that you are not simple shaving legs and facial hair; but arms, suit lines, arm pits, heads, etc. You are trying to reuse razors over and over doing it in a hurry because of time this increases the likelyhood of excesive nicks and cuts. Essentially the practice was a saftey hazard because of the transmission of desieases. About 1996 on site shaving was banned by almost everyone (NHFS,NCAA, USA Swimming, FINA). Shaving at home before the meet is what is done and you wear nylons in warm-up so you get the fresh shave feeling when you swim your first event.

Applying oil, vaseline or any water repelant substance has always been banned.

[gillytech]

The coach was on the norris & davis show this morning and explained the series of events: First, a swimmer from another school witnessed a Broadneck female swimmer shaving her underarms and told her coach about it, who told the Broadneck coach. Next, the Broadneck coach confronted her swimmer and asked her what she was doing, and the swimmer didn't know she had done anything wrong. At that point, the Broadneck coach realized she had failed to explain the rule prohibiting shaving on-site (which she called the most important rule in swimming) to her team all year, and, feeling that she shouldn't punish the kid for violating a rule she didn't even know about, let the swimmer participate in the meet. After the race, the coach realized she had done something wrong and self reported the violation to Broadneck's AD, who informed the county.

[slapshot]

The coach was on the norris & davis show this morning and explained the series of events: First, a swimmer from another school witnessed a Broadneck female swimmer shaving her underarms and told her coach about it, who told the Broadneck coach. Next, the Broadneck coach confronted her swimmer and asked her what she was doing, and the swimmer didn't know she had done anything wrong. At that point, the Broadneck coach realized she had failed to explain the rule prohibiting shaving on-site (which she called the most important rule in swimming) to her team all year, and, feeling that she shouldn't punish the kid for violating a rule she didn't even know about, let the swimmer participate in the meet. After the race, the coach realized she had done something wrong and self reported the violation to Broadneck's AD, who informed the county.

jtown - Thanks for the explaination. Makes more sense.

Gilly - I can one-up. Last night's Jay Leno monologue, this situation was mentioned (turned into a joke) by Jay. Only mentioned that it was a high school swim team from Maryland.