This new thread occurred to me while reading posts comparing Spitz to Phelps, as well as reflecting upon mortality considering heart attacks etc. In swimming we immortalize individuals or teams for various feats or contributions, but do little to preserve a feeling for subsequent generations of enthusiasts about what it was like to train and compete 'back in the day'. Just what day am I talking about? Exactly: there have been many 'days' or more properly 'eras' that can be narrowly characterized by differences in equipment, distances swum and trained, coaching methods or more widely by larger factors: world war, global depression, racial segregation, inequality of the sexes. All of these can contribute to very different experiences than what are common today to the younger swimmer; hence, 'what was it like'. I visualize a thread that continues to be added to as new people read it and remember their own experiences. As well, experience can vary with national origin, not just era. There have already been posts on this topic scattered in various threads, please feel free to copy or quote material from them to here.
Please remember that this is not about how fast a particular swimmer was, but about the conditions that defined competitive swimming of that day.
We also have a priceless resource out there: aging swimmers in their 80's or 90's who may be less likely to read or hear of this thread; why not ask them for some of their memories or impressions and pass them on to us, while we still can?
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2) Polyester suits.
I bought an ugly Speedo Endurance suit off a clearance rack last summer. I had not bought a swimming suit in 20 years, had not heard of Endurance, and had no clue what I was getting. And the suit will. not. die!
You might want to try Tyr Durafast suits. They are polyester but don't have the scratchiness quality of some of the other polyester products. They last forever--the stitching in the seams wears out long before the fabric. And they don't have the tendency that Lycra has to become form-fitting and shrink-wrapping, which is either obscene or delightful, depending on the form-fitted and shrink-wrapped. Ask your teammates which category you fall into.
Oh, I'm quite happy with the Speedo Endurance. But had I known that it would last forever, I would have bought a pretty one.
And, couldbebetterfly, go ahead and laugh. It is funny.
2) Polyester suits.
I bought an ugly Speedo Endurance suit off a clearance rack last summer. I had not bought a swimming suit in 20 years, had not heard of Endurance, and had no clue what I was getting. And the suit will. not. die!
You might want to try Tyr Durafast suits. They are polyester but don't have the scratchiness quality of some of the other polyester products. They last forever--the stitching in the seams wears out long before the fabric. And they don't have the tendency that Lycra has to become form-fitting and shrink-wrapping, which is either obscene or delightful, depending on the form-fitted and shrink-wrapped. Ask your teammates which category you fall into.
Oh, I'm quite happy with the Speedo Endurance. But had I known that it would last forever, I would have bought a pretty one.
And, couldbebetterfly, go ahead and laugh. It is funny.
