The backstroke wedges have been malfunctioning.
I didn't want to hijack Allen's thread about the "FINA Worlds Controversy" but his comment about the backstroke starts is something I've thought about a lot.
The swim events that I participate in are pretty much non-meet type events. So, I don't really have much experience with the starts in pool events. Consequently, there will probably be some disagreement with my comment, or just plane refusal to consider it. But I've talked with numerous swimmers who've had issues with backstroke starting "wedges" and/or handles, and other backstroke start related equipment. And, I've seen lots of complaints about that same equipment here in the swim forums. But...why in the world won't FINA take steps to have backstroke start up on the blocks like the other strokes and eliminate all that backstroke start equipment as a problem? Make it so that backstrokers dive into the water just like all the other strokes, and have to surface by the 15m line and first stroke must be on their back. Wouldn't that make things so much easier?
Dan
They already have retractable wedges - IUPUI has them, for example - but I imagine they're much more expensive than alternatives.
I just don't see why they were necessary in the first place. Yes, backstroke starts have evolved a bit in the past decade or so, but IMO the solution to more swimmers adopting a higher risk/higher reward technique like modern backstroke starts isn't to try to eliminate the risk by adding more toys...
They already have retractable wedges - IUPUI has them, for example - but I imagine they're much more expensive than alternatives.
I just don't see why they were necessary in the first place. Yes, backstroke starts have evolved a bit in the past decade or so, but IMO the solution to more swimmers adopting a higher risk/higher reward technique like modern backstroke starts isn't to try to eliminate the risk by adding more toys...
