Teen Swimmer Disqualified Because Her School-Issued Swimsuit Broke Modesty Rule

[cynatnite]

A high school swimmer in Alaska won her 100-meter freestyle heat on Friday, only to be disqualified as soon as she got out of the water. Her one-piece swimsuit broke the modesty rule, the referee announced.

The young girl, a 17-year-old state championship swimmer at Dimond High School in Anchorage, was wearing the school-issued swimsuit that every other girl on the team was wearing and yet she was the only one disqualified. A referee who was present at the swim meet told the Anchorage Daily News that the official who made the controversial call disqualified the girl because she could see “butt cheek touching butt cheek.”

The referee who made the controversial call has not been publicly named and HuffPost will not identify the high school swimmer who was disqualified, as she is a minor.

The disqualification quickly stirred controversy in the Anchorage community, with some pointing to the fact that the swimmer is nonwhite and “curvier” than most others on the team. Lauren Langford, a swim coach at a neighboring high school, was the first to make this point in a Saturday essay on Medium.

“All of these girls are all wearing suits that are cut the same way,” Langford told The Washington Post on Tuesday. “And the only girl who gets disqualified is a mixed-race girl with rounder, curvier features.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/teen-swimmer-disqualified-in-race-because-school-issued-swimsuit-broke-modesty-rule_n_5d77e465e4b064513575d02d

[RKP5637]

1. I saw this before and it is absolutely absurd.

[Bettie]

2. Ridiculous

swimmers get wedgies. It is a fact of the sport.

[CrispyQ]

3. From the WaPo article:

‘curvier’ high school swimmer won — only to be disqualified because of a ‘suit wedgie’

snip...

Speaking with The Post on Monday night, Langford said she was angered at the treatment of the teenager, whom she described as “literally the nicest young lady.” It wasn’t the first time the girl had been made to feel that her curvy figure was problematic: Last year, a parent took a photo of her backside and shared it with other parents to demonstrate that girls on the team were wearing inappropriate swimwear. (District officials said Monday that Dimond High School’s assistant principal “indicated to the parent who took the photographs that it was not permissible for him to take pictures of others’ children and that he should stop immediately.”)

WTF, creepy asshole, have you no decency?

[SunSeeker]

8. Pervs are everywhere. That dad should be ashamed of himself.

[Flaleftist]

12. That's creepy.

It sounds like a pretense for him to take pictures of young girls in swim suits for his own pleasure while pretending he's doing something righteous.

[AllyCat]

19. What??? That is completely sick!

[Skittles]

4. ridiculous

body shaming is very harmful, especially to young girls

[secondwind]

5. Unbelievable!!!

[GoCubsGo]

6. Stupid.

It's hard enough to find suits that fit right on a "curvier" figure, as it is. (I say that from experience.) What the hell are these girls supposed to do? Quit the sport? Or, would you prefer they try starving themselves down into those suits first?

[SunSeeker]

7. Lawsuit if her award is not reinstated!

Fucking sickening racism/sexism.

[malaise]

9. I guessed that she was non-white

Not hard these days

[Girard442]

11. Yeah, imagine the heartbreak of the other kids at being defeated by a non-Aryan.

If she'd come in last everytime, no problem.

[malaise]

14. There you have it

The truth

[AllyCat]

20. Yup.

[lunasun]

33. it appears you are correct I heard today she had the same suit on at previous competitions

only this time when she won was she officially disqualified for the suit

[Celerity]

28. yep, so much racism involved

[Pacifist Patriot]

37. I immediately went there too.

[Aristus]

40. Yep. First thing I thought of, too.

The pervy parent taking pictures of her makes the whole thing even worse...

[mahannah]

10. Don't butt cheeks always touch? The official needs to go.

[rickford66]

13. What did he use ? A feeler gauge ?

[pansypoo53219]

15. figured it was her body that was disqualified. SHARIA!

[trof]

16. Images?

[mbusby]

17. Take a tow sack....

...cut out arm and head holes. Get in the water with the tow sack on, nothing else. After completely submerged, take off the tow sack. Swim to the other side. While still in the water, put the tow sack back on. Get out of the water. Problem solved. Works for both men and women.

After all, the ancient greeks ran in the olympics naked.

[AllaN01Bear]

18. humbug.

[LisaM]

21. Thankfully, they are reviewing it.

I hope they overturn it. Kudos to the coach from a different school who stood up for her, by the way.

[PoliticAverse]

23. They're "reviewing it" before the lawsuit they'd eventually lose is filed. n/t

[LisaM]

29. Well, whatever. There's a chance the ruling will be overturned. I think that's good.

I didn't see any evidence that anyone was planning a lawsuit (maybe they are, don't know). But reviewing it is the right thing to do and something good might come out of it.

I'm glad for that.

[PoliticAverse]

30. It will be overturned because their attorneys will advise them to quit before it costs them. n/t

[LisaM]

31. OK, but maybe the school district also thinks it's right.

Sounds as if the official had the problem, that's why there are avenues to address these things. I hope it gets overturned, and I don't really know why are you being so hostile to me. It was an official, not the district itself.

[PoliticAverse]

32. I'm not sure why you think I'm being hostile, I'm merely commenting as to what I believe

will happen. It'd be the organization that the official represents that would likely face any lawsuit.

[LisaM]

38. It was a wrong decision, now reversed.

I just had confidence that the system would work as it was supposed to, and that this was just an errant referee, not a systemic issue.

The swimmer's mother (their other daughter had problems with him, too, apparently) wants the official decertified, but I'd advocate for sensitivity training myself.

[lunasun]

34. that is good but it was a winning moment in her life ruined. Seen stuff like this before . Can not

get back the moment which gives some others glee in my experience

[LAS14]

22. This has got to stop! nt

[NBachers]

24. I hate this shit and I hate the bigoted perverts who muck around in it.

[whistler162]

25. Well they should be wearing this....

[lunasun]

35. What ? and show their knees???? Too shocking & improper Proper suits are available

that will not flaunt your seducing curves
Please cover your arms ladies if you have any morals at all!!!

and it is endless someone could come along, maybe a shrimper and complain about bare feet on women being improper

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

36. School issued swimsuit.

I hope someone sues the shit out of the people who disqualified her.

[LisaM]

39. Update: DECISION REVERSED

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/decision-disqualify-alaska-swimmer-over-bathing-suit-overturned-n1052226