High school swimmer who filed complaint against CHSAA happy rule was changed

In 2021, Ethan Orr was enjoying the fruits of his labor. He was swimming at the Colorado High School Activities Association state meet.

"That day I was really excited," he said.

He was getting ready to swim a relay with his teammates when a CHSAA official confronted him.

"I thought that why would I be pulled aside? I did nothing wrong at that time," Orr said.

Ethan was wearing a glucose monitor for diabetes covered by black tape to prevent it from falling off in the pool and the ref did not like it.

CHSSA rules permit tape to treat a documented medical condition, with a doctor's note, but Ethan did not have one. The referee gave him the option to remove it but that would be dangerous to Ethan.

He and his team were disqualified. Ethan says it ruined the rest of the meet.

"In general, I just was not feeling okay about it," he said.

He says when he reflected on the incident later he knew he had to speak up.

"Other people could very well go through the same exact thing and I just don't want that to happen to other people," Orr said.

He filed a complaint against CHSAA with the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to change the rules. After a long wait, last month they got their answer. 

CSHAA agreed to let students with a disability or their coach, seek an on-the-spot reasonable modification from a referee.

"Immediately I was very excited," he said.

He hopes it will help athletes with medical conditions.

"Hopefully this will be able to have a good enough impact so that other people don't have to go through that," he said.