Update

Hi everyone. Thank you so much for your responses and support. I'm going through all of your ideas and suggestions. This is a great start and I want to keep the momentum going!

For the last two years I’ve been working hard and communicating with USA swimming about my needs as a Deaf athlete. Even though I remind the officials and referrees time and time again, they are constantly forgetting or incorrectly executing the hand signals and strobe lights that I request at each one of my swim meets.  This has been causing too much tension and stress in my swims. This latest incident, along with the hand signals having been messed up too many times has pushed my frustration and patience beyond anger and I am losing focus on what's most important to me - my swimming. It's not fair to me when I am swimming among the best swimmers in the country and world to have an additional stressor. Why do I have to worry every time I get up on the block. Should I carry this additional weight with me constantly?  I want to be excited and just as focused as the swimmer next to me. I only want to worry about my race, not whether the official is going to give me a signal or not. Is that too much to ask??


Now I get a response back from USA Swimming saying that they want to follow FINA protocol for the starting system, which means no hand signals at the Omaha Olympic Trials. Why are they making this decision? Is it becuase they don't want to carry the responsibility of making a mistake during the start procedure? That’s not fair. USA Swimming tells me that they want to “practice” for me to prepare for London, in which they won’t provide hand signals. Why do I have to worry about that now? I will worry about that only AFTER the trials and only IF I make the team. That is fair. We are on US soil. How can USA Swimming justify their actions?


Thanks again everyone for your comments! Please help me continue spreading the word and write in to USA swimming to help me protest!