By Anne Marie Tiernon
WTHR-13 Eyewitness News

INDIANAPOLIS -- A strict ruling Aug. 11 in Indianapolis is affecting high school athletes across the country. It's a ruling that not only bans a certain swimsuit, but limits what a high school swimmer can wear.

The ruling impacts all high school swimmers in the country the high-tech suits are no longer legal for high school competition.

"My gut reaction is, 'Great'," said Andy Pedersen, head swimming coach at Hamilton Southeastern.

In seven years as coach, Pedersen says he's seen the cost of team suits go from $70 to $500.

"It's less of a uniform and more of a piece of equipment," he said.

The suits were also in short supply.

"If you could get them, they were outrageously priced and it did come down to the haves and the have-nots," Pedersen said.

The change will be most visible in the men's suits.

"The newest restriction they made is that the suit will only be allowed from the waist to the knee," said senior swimmer Marshall Osborne. "So like a pair of shorts, so everything up on the chest and shoulders is gone."

No zippers or fastening systems are allowed. The suits are skin-tight.

For women like Carly Mercer, the suits may not extend beyond the top of the kneecap or cover the neck.

"It's hard to get an appreciation for just how tight these suits are," Mercer said.

Mercer spends up to 40 minutes putting the suit on and you can't get a hold of it, it's like a second skin. That tightness aids in speed.

"It makes you more buoyant in the water, your turns are faster," said Osborne.

But cutting time proved to be hard to predict.

"They actually help less fit swimmers more and help more fit swimmers less," Pedersen said. "As coaches, we don't like that. We want our athletes to be as fit as possible and reap the benefits of being fit."

The federation which governs high school swimming is headquartered in Indianapolis and made the ruling effective immediately, because swimming is a fall sport in one-third of the nation's high schools.

The only remaining outlet for swimmers to use the suits will be Masters swimming and some open water events.