Take a look at the press release posted on swiminfo.com: www.swiminfo.com/.../6949.asp
Here's a quote that bothers me:
By strategically increasing the surface area, TYR has increased his/her ability to pull without increasing any resistance through the recovery. Just think of it as ascending an aquatic ladder.
Should these be allowed? I would guess that they are o.k. as far as current rules read, but I don't like it. I think these sleeves amount to an aid, sort of like wearing paddles. I guess the question is: what constitutes a swimsuit? Obviously caps are o.k., so you can't argue that it must be one piece.
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by aquageek
Let's be clear - a swimsuit does not enhance performance, it limits the impact of drag. Therefore, the suit acts more like skin, not a performance booster. That is grossly different than a ski jumping suit that traps air and contributes to lift. I'm not aware of any suit that increases performance, humans increase performance.
I quite agree and thanks for summarizing so well the crux of the matter. These suits no more improve performance than lane lines. Better suits reduce drag, state-of-the-art lane lines reduce turbulence.
Worries that some kind of 'attachments' or 'wonder fabric' will provide a real competitive advantage are misplaced until someone can provide real scientific evidence and at that point I suspect that such "proprietary" technology will be banned by FINA.
Don't get me wrong there are good reasons to use these suits. One, it makes us less than svelte masters look like we're hydrodynamic and two, it greatly limits body areas that need to be shaved and therfore no "stubbles" that grow back in areas that do not enhance our spousal approval ratings.
Originally posted by aquageek
Let's be clear - a swimsuit does not enhance performance, it limits the impact of drag. Therefore, the suit acts more like skin, not a performance booster. That is grossly different than a ski jumping suit that traps air and contributes to lift. I'm not aware of any suit that increases performance, humans increase performance.
I quite agree and thanks for summarizing so well the crux of the matter. These suits no more improve performance than lane lines. Better suits reduce drag, state-of-the-art lane lines reduce turbulence.
Worries that some kind of 'attachments' or 'wonder fabric' will provide a real competitive advantage are misplaced until someone can provide real scientific evidence and at that point I suspect that such "proprietary" technology will be banned by FINA.
Don't get me wrong there are good reasons to use these suits. One, it makes us less than svelte masters look like we're hydrodynamic and two, it greatly limits body areas that need to be shaved and therfore no "stubbles" that grow back in areas that do not enhance our spousal approval ratings.
