Not in a pool. Maybe someone who is used to a wetsuit (I'm not since I don't train with one in a pool) could be faster in a pool, but I doubt elite swimmers would benefit at all. If you watch this race, do you think these guys would be faster with wetsuits?
www.flocasts.org/.../coverage.php
or how about this race?
www.flocasts.org/.../coverage.php
I think you're wrong. Faster swimmers are faster with wetsuits and slow swimmers are faster with wetsuits. There's a reason there's a rule against wearing suits that increase buoyancy.
IMO,
There is no way you could be faster in a pool with a wetsuit.....no way. Certainly not breastroke. Turns would be slower in sprints and you would overheat in distance. What possible pool event would it be fore?
You must have never used a wetsuit in a pool. Before the first big race of the year I will usually bring the wetsuit to the pool for a bit of a swim to make sure everything is still OK. The time differences are dramatic. My old suit was about 5 to 7 seconds per 100 lcm the new one is better material and newer design and is 10 - 12 seconds faster per 100.
In 78 degree water you can go about 15 minutes before you get hot (well I can anyway) and even after you get hot you're still faster.
All this applies to fs only.
All right, if you guys say so.
So what you are saying is that the underwater kick would be better and the propulsion from a massive kick would be greater with the wetsuit resulting in lower world record times in the 50 and 100 free.
If you watch this race, do you think these guys would be faster with wetsuits?]YES
or how about this race? And YES!
Former Member
There is one o.w. 1,000 meter race in nearby Brasilia, in July (alleged winter month) where the use of wetsuits is allowed. Most of the regular guys from the triathlon world who swim this distance and the 3,000 meter (same day) for fun or training, wear their expensive wetsuits. They gain about 2 minutes in the 1 k. I have a friend, who is slower than I, by about 2 minutes in the 1k who has a wetsuit and wears the darn thing and beats me in this one race out of five during the year. These races offer no money or prizes so the rules are easily made. The triathletes tell me the use or not of the suit is dependent on water temperature and the officials will see this before the race. Not the case for the alleged winter temperatures around here. I haven't worn any winter clothes in or outside the water for ages. Not even while on the motorcycle. Uhhhh, it is cold outside, 70 F, better get my winter clothes out. Shall I skip swimming? hehehe, billy fanstone
When I competed during high school (early 90's), every male wore substantially identical suits (bikini-style) and used substantially identical gear (goggles, caps). This fact set swimming apart from many other sports, where the equipment used plays an important part in determining outcome. Different tennis rackets, skis, golf clubs, bicycles, shoes, etc. impart advantages to those who can afford them.
When I win a race in my low-dollar jammer, at least I know I won based upon pure ability, rather than a technological advantage. If other swimmers would adopt this attitude, issues like "Wetsuits At Meets" would not exist and we would return to the pure compeition of swimming I used to admire.
I agree with this. I don't own any of the high-tech suits, nor a wetsuit, just plain old brief-type things and a few drag suits. On the rare occasion I actually swim in a meet, I may get a new suit and googles, splurging for what $40?
I miss the days of swimming being solely based on ability, rather than who can buy the best equipment. Obviously a male brief would never be seen as anything near a wetsuit.
FINA approves new swimsuit designs and materials. The FINA rule regarding approving new design, construction, or material for suits is GR 5 "Swimwear" on pages 85 & 86, specifically GR 5.5, "Before any swimsuit of new design, construction or material is used in competition, the manufacturer of such swimsuit must submit the swimsuit to FINA and obtain approval of FINA" (page 86, FINA Handbook 2005-2009). USA Swimming follows the FINA approvals/disapprovals of swimsuits and therefore, so does USMS. The buoyancy reference in USMS rule 102.15.9 would apply to wet suits. Wet suits clearly aid buoyancy. When FINA approved the first Fastskin, I recall that it created quite a bit of discussion over whether the Fastskin would aid buoyancy or not.
Kathy Casey, Chair
USMS Rules Committee
