Swimmer with American flag on cap disqualified from high school race in New Jersey
>
Swimmer with American flag on his cap in honor of his grandfather killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack is disqualified from the New Jersey high school race
- The boy was not identified, but his father, Rob Miller, expressed his disappointment.
- The American flag on his cap was too large and violated the rules of the competition.
- The race was at Morristown’s Senior Night against Parsippany Hills High School.
A New Jersey high school swimmer has been disqualified from a race for wearing an American flag on his cap in honor of his grandfather, who was killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The boy’s father, Rob Miller, said his son, whose name was not released, was told the flag on his swim cap was too big and violated competition rules. He said the opposing coach waited until he finished the 400-meter freestyle relay to measure the badge.
The swim meet was held Thursday night during Morristown High School’s ‘senior night’ against Parsippany Hills High School. Miller’s son is a sophomore at a New Jersey high school.
On Friday, Miller took to Twitter and posted his disappointment: “Blood is boiling. My son was part of a free 200 relay to win a swim meet on Senior Night. After the final event, the opposing coach asked to measure the size of the American flag on his @SpeedoUSA swim cap. It was 0.2″ too big by standards. DQ’d. Lost.’
Miller noted that “the problem is that the coach waited until after the swim to get the disqualification, and decided to put the burden of a ‘loss’ on a 16-year-old, letting down all the seniors who won their last dual meet.” his HS. runs.’
The swim meet was held during Morristown’s senior night against Parsippany Hills High School (pictured)
A tweet that the boy’s father, Rob Miller, posted after the ordeal.
Miller said this is the first time his son has worn a different swim cap than he normally wears, calling it “unreal luck.”
“Usually wears team cap or other color backwards, no logo/flag,” he wrote. ‘The only time he’s ever worn this in a competition and the coach disqualified him. Unreal luck,’ he said.
In a separate tweet, Miller wrote that he “guess this could have been a political statement.”
The rules for swimming competitions are extremely specific, including the size of flags that are allowed on team uniforms.
The National Federation of State High School Associations Rules of Swimming and Diving provide the dimensions.
‘An American flag, not to exceed 2 inches by 3 inches, may be used or spaced on each item of uniform.’
“By adoption of the state association, to allow for special occasions, commemorative or commemorative patches, not to exceed four square inches, may be worn on the uniform without compromising its integrity,” Fox News reported.
The team came together to support their teammate by posting on their Instagram: ‘everyone knows the motown boys were the real winners’.
A stock image of swimmers during swimming training.
Miller issued a tweet expressing his gratitude for the community support he received.
In a subsequent tweet, Miller expressed gratitude for the support he received from other parents and the community, saying his son “wishes no ill will on the opposing team.”
His father, who shared that his son wore the cap in honor of his grandfather, who was killed during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 2,996 people: 2,753 people were killed in and around the World Trade Center, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 in Pennsylvania.
‘Thank you very much for the support in my son’s swimming DQ. Hard rule with a tough penalty, but we will learn from this,’ he wrote.
‘My son doesn’t wish ill will on the opposing team and just wants everyone to swim again. Let’s hope that the spirit of this rule can change in the future.’