swimsuit question

I am going to buy my 12 year old daughter a high performance swimsuit for christmas. Price is not an issue. Any recommendations on what is the best suit out there right now?12 year olds don't need high performance swimwear, even if price is not an issue. They're gonna drop time (or not) completely independently of what suit they are wearing. A good speedo endurance suit is fine.

I agree with both posts! Unless we are talking about the next Missy Franklin here, seriously, I would give it a pass. :bolt:

If you are wanting to get your daughter a suit you should.I'd say the Arena carbon suit. The top TYR and Blue 70 are good too.Avoid the Speedo.I usually love Speedo,but I am dissappointed with their new suit.

Thanks for the replies. Seeing as though her dad is a derivative trader and her mom is a calculus teacher, I think she will be fine in the math and science dept. if anybody would like to answer the question instead of giving a lecture, feel free. Perhaps you missed the part where it was going to be her christmas present. Its what she wants. She has plenty of math and science books but they don't really make that great of a christmas present. Well said! If this were a Facebook post, I'd hit "like." The OP is talking about something she'll use and enjoy in a healthy activity--not about being a "stage parent" or about buying her the latest $150 designer jeans. As a youngster, I LOVED riding horses and got some very good quality presents centered on that interest. No, I didn't become a famous equestrian, but I did have some great experiences and appreciated that I felt valued and respected. Eventually I moved on to other interests, but neither I nor my parents had any regrets. They wanted us to try different activities. My sister got outfitted for ballet lessons and recital costumes. I would have too except that after one recital experience I felt I'd had my fill. So get her the suit she wants. I wish I could offer more specific suggestions but I haven't ever used a high tech suit, so I'm not too familiar with what's available--but maybe her coach could suggest something... or other posters here, I hope!

I am going to buy my 12 year old daughter a high performance swimsuit for christmas. Price is not an issue. Any recommendations on what is the best suit out there right now? Save your $$$ and buy her a good set of math, computer, or science books instead. When she grows up and goes looking for a job, employers won't give a rat's patoosh about what kind of swimsuit she wore. :agree: D2

The question was not your opinion on whether or not to buy a swimsuit for her for christmas. if i want your opinion on that, I will ask that question.

I don't understand why this question gets such an impassioned response.A parent wants to get a child what she wants for Christmas.It is expensive and won't last long,but it is also useful and supports a healthy activity.Point taken. And, I'm certainly not anti-tech suits, as: I sincerely wish we'd go back to full body "Nero Comp" wonder suits for both genders, and my older daughters have worn and continue to wear tech suits (even though, to this day as a junior and sophomore in HS, they often swim their best times in a Nike or Speedo 'training' suit) sgor did ask for our opinions about "high performance" suits ... though I should've been more expansive in my initial response. So, FWIW, here goes. My issue is that I think focusing too much, too early on the 'gear' sends the wrong message to kids about the experience and the value of what the kid 'delivers' through his/her own performance independent of what they're wearing. Additionally, when it comes to what impacts a pre-teen or even early teens' swimming times, my hypothesis is that the suit being worn contributes relatively little. But, those are just my own swimming opinions. I still stand by my opinion that a Speedo Endurance (or similar long-lasting suit by other brands) provides a greater degree of high performance when considering performance across a wide array of metrics, e.g., Impact on the swimmer's time (because I think suit impact in the pre-teen years is negligible given everything else that's going on in their lives and growing bodies) Longevity Comfort Ease of use Personalization (e.g., who gets really excited about another black suit) With all that said, I do think sgor might struggle to find the right high tech suit without engaging her daughter in the process of selecting the suit. The number of variations in cut, size, feel, etc. in female suits is mind-boggling. Again, my opinion (which is what was asked for) and YMMV.

Speedo or blue 70 .

I swim. I get it. Ounce for ounce, speedo endurance offers the best long term performance of any suit in the market. As a father with three daughters who swim (the oldest approaching junior national level), I would recommend having your daughter try on a lot of these suits. If you had a son, this would be easier as jammers are essentially interchangeable. Watching and listening to my older two daughters and their friends, though, there is a HUGE amount of personal preference on brands and models. As an example, even though our team is sponsored by Arena and our top level swimmers get the top (national level team) and near top (sectional level swimmers) suits free, I have seen girls * choose another brand because they didn't like the arena cut * go 'down' a model within arena because they preferred the feel on a supposed 'lower tier' suit So, if there is any way to have your daughter try on a variety of suits before you make a purchase decision, your chances of finding a suit she'll love will increase.

Crazy parent alert! A 12 year old in a tech suit is utterly pointless, regardless of parents' professions. But ignoring the crazy aspect, I think Blue Seventy and Speedo are the best performance suits out there. We are a Speedo club and the kids that wear these suits (over 15) really like them. I am a bit concerned on the fit of Blue Seventy recently. I was a huge fan but my latest suit from them was sized noticeably differently. I know the Arena suits are super popular, probably because of Soni and their cool designs. I do not care for TYR but I know a lot of folks who like them. Speaking of crazy parenting, I saw a 9 year old with shaved legs recently at a meet. That's cuckoo mcloco. I agree with pwb, a sized down endurance on a 12 year old is all you need. That leaves a few hundred dollars to buy a meaningful gift, like, say, a swim parka or 50 pairs of swedish goggles.