Schools

County AD: Broadneck Coach Let Shaving Swimmer Compete

The team's coach couldn't be there for their weekend victory in the regional championship due to a one-meet ban.

Update (Feb. 24 at 10:25 a.m.)—This article reflects new information about who first reported the infraction to Winans.

 Bruins swimmer  had told the coach of the infraction, but was allowed to compete anyway, a school official told Patch on Thursday.

County Athletic Program Supervisor Greg LeGrand said the infraction was reported to Bruins coach Colleen Winans before the meet began, but she chose to let her swim.

Winans said she first heard about the incident from the coach of another team, who heard it from a student who saw the female swimmer shaving.

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“The student should have been disqualified to begin with,” LeGrand said. “We expect our coaches to knowingly abide by the rules. We do not think it’s appropriate that the coach knew the rule, confirmed the rule, and then knowingly violated the rule.”

Shaving on-site before a swim meet is a violation of the National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFHS) rulebook. The practice of shaving on-site before a meet is prohibited for health and safety reasons, according to the NFHS' website.

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As a result, the swimmer’s points were redistributed and the Bruins placed third at their Feb. 10 meet. Their rivals, the  Falcons, took first place in the county championship.

Winans was banned for one meet for her involvement in the incident, preventing her from attending the team's regional championship victory Saturday. The team is now qualified for the state championship.

LeGrand said Winans informed the school's athletic director Ken Kazmarek of the incident on her own.

“She felt she had a bad lapse of judgment, and said she made an error and wanted to set the record straight,” LeGrand said. “We held no additional issue with the student because she was up front and honest about what happened.”

Patch is attempting to reach Winans for comment.

Broadneck swimmer Lauren Fogarty told The Capital after winning the 100-meter-breaststroke at regionals that she wanted to make Winans proud, despite the fact that she couldn’t be there. 

Katherine Woods, the mother of a Bruins swimmer, said despite the disqualification in the earlier meet, the girls should hold their heads high. 

"It is unfortunate that the rule infraction resulted in the girls losing the title. The girls team can take pride in the fact that they swam better than all the other teams at the county meet," Woods said. "They worked hard and have an excellent coach who runs a really good program."

The 2012 state championship is scheduled for Saturday at the University of Maryland in College Park.


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