Is the SPLITS essential to a competitive swimmer?

David: You better stay off those walls then! I'm so sorry about your marathon. Here you were trying to cross train and do something without walls and you were still stymied by the non-swimming hampstrings. Are you that guy doing all that fly in Terry's group? Do you have big strong shoulders from that heavy lifting job of yours? I'm thinking that might account for those healthy fly shoulders...

David: You better stay off those walls then! I'm so sorry about your marathon. Here you were trying to cross train and do something without walls and you were still stymied by the non-swimming hampstrings. Are you that guy doing all that fly in Terry's group? Do you have big strong shoulders from that heavy lifting job of yours? I'm thinking that might account for those healthy fly shoulders...