Shark,
1.Your logic about rules is amusing. I suppose your one of those people who thinks Mark McGuire's use of Andro is justified since the "rules" didn't technically ban it at the time he was actually using it..... :-)
2.Changing or finding loopholes in the rules to make the sport faster doesn't make the sport faster.
3.Note..... pool technology has not advanced that much since the mid 1970s. The best pool features were adopted after the 1972 Munich facility (leave it to German engineering). The Texas Swimming center for example incoporated many of these basic design elements. Indy also has these design features..... over flow gutters, wider lanes, 8.5 foot depths, reduced current jets .... These pool design concepts have not changed in over 30 years. Also keep in mind that great swims can be achieved in average to poor facilities when the swimmer is way far out front of the pack in smooth water. e.g. Sippy Woodheads WR in the Woodlands, TX.... Jonty Skinner's 100M free WR. Clear smooth water in the end is basically just that..... clear smooth water.
4.Looks like these blocks will make it into the sport sooner or later. Sideways foot pressure compared to the conventional two-foot up front start is superior for leverage and reaction time. I have no problem using new innovations, but don't put the new records down in the books without an asterisk next to them.
That's just a lie and a disgrace to the former holder.
John Smith
1. I am not well versed in the "Andro" controversy. The rules are in place to try to level the playing field. If you aren't going to accept the rules of anything, then why play the game. Finding a legal way around the rules is just smart. I'm sure their are plenty of attorneys out there that can second that.
2. How do you figure that finding a loophole isn't going to make you faster? Finding a loophole that you can use to make you faster is going to make you faster. Case in point: In the 70's, Ray Bussard developed the stand up backstroke start because the rules didn't say anything about the toes being completely under the water = faster times. He also read that in backstroke the clause of: "past vertical towards the ***" meant that you could go at least to vertical, which allowed for the initial role over backstroke turn that changed backstroke forever. Another: before it was banned, the running relay start of the late '80s (which was the beginning of the step in relay start.) I could go on, but time does not allow.
3. The argument that you present means that everyone that ever broke a record after 1970 should have an asterisk next to their name due to the new pool technology.
4. As I have mentioned before on this forum, I feel for all of the IM and Backstrokers who lost their records when the complete role over turn was accepted into the rules.
The rules change. Read your rule book, find a loophole, get faster and make changes. Don't penalize someone because they are smarter and faster than the rest.
Shark,
1.Your logic about rules is amusing. I suppose your one of those people who thinks Mark McGuire's use of Andro is justified since the "rules" didn't technically ban it at the time he was actually using it..... :-)
2.Changing or finding loopholes in the rules to make the sport faster doesn't make the sport faster.
3.Note..... pool technology has not advanced that much since the mid 1970s. The best pool features were adopted after the 1972 Munich facility (leave it to German engineering). The Texas Swimming center for example incoporated many of these basic design elements. Indy also has these design features..... over flow gutters, wider lanes, 8.5 foot depths, reduced current jets .... These pool design concepts have not changed in over 30 years. Also keep in mind that great swims can be achieved in average to poor facilities when the swimmer is way far out front of the pack in smooth water. e.g. Sippy Woodheads WR in the Woodlands, TX.... Jonty Skinner's 100M free WR. Clear smooth water in the end is basically just that..... clear smooth water.
4.Looks like these blocks will make it into the sport sooner or later. Sideways foot pressure compared to the conventional two-foot up front start is superior for leverage and reaction time. I have no problem using new innovations, but don't put the new records down in the books without an asterisk next to them.
That's just a lie and a disgrace to the former holder.
John Smith
1. I am not well versed in the "Andro" controversy. The rules are in place to try to level the playing field. If you aren't going to accept the rules of anything, then why play the game. Finding a legal way around the rules is just smart. I'm sure their are plenty of attorneys out there that can second that.
2. How do you figure that finding a loophole isn't going to make you faster? Finding a loophole that you can use to make you faster is going to make you faster. Case in point: In the 70's, Ray Bussard developed the stand up backstroke start because the rules didn't say anything about the toes being completely under the water = faster times. He also read that in backstroke the clause of: "past vertical towards the ***" meant that you could go at least to vertical, which allowed for the initial role over backstroke turn that changed backstroke forever. Another: before it was banned, the running relay start of the late '80s (which was the beginning of the step in relay start.) I could go on, but time does not allow.
3. The argument that you present means that everyone that ever broke a record after 1970 should have an asterisk next to their name due to the new pool technology.
4. As I have mentioned before on this forum, I feel for all of the IM and Backstrokers who lost their records when the complete role over turn was accepted into the rules.
The rules change. Read your rule book, find a loophole, get faster and make changes. Don't penalize someone because they are smarter and faster than the rest.
