Geek,
I could care less if the sport changes stroke rules for turns, underwater kicking, full body suit technology etc..... but when it comes to records, they are established to show accomplished feats given certain rules and standards. If you train harder, longer, smarter .... whatever.... and beat a record you certainly deserve the record.
If you put on a full body suit, fail to touch the wall on a backstroke turn, swim underwater dolphin kick a quarter or more of your race, do a dolphin kick on your pull out and start the race with a leg up via the block itself ....... well..... it just gets to be a bit of a joke after a while.
All this combined with the Roger Clemons/Marion Jones/Tour de France drug era in sports...... I suppose I'm supposed to think of this aspect as a positive change as well?
You wonder why we are old and "crotchety"..... how can you stop from rolling your eyes about much of this crap.
Now having said that..... are Micheal Phelps, Ian Crocker, Lochte, Coughlin etc... faster than most of the best swimmers in the last 25 years without all these changes..... absolutely. They are phenomenal in their respective events. We will never, however, know exactly how much better due to these rule changes. May I point out to you the superimposed video of Jim Mongtomery's WR 100m free with Vandenhoogenband's swim. The actual swimming portion of the race between the walls showed that Peter didn't beat Jim by that much.
John Smith
Yes, I do wonder that. Of course, I also wonder that given this level of outrage over sports related issues, how angry must you be over the seemingly endless list of messes our great country has found itself in. My point being, new starting blocks should really be the least of any Americans worries right now.
Geek,
I could care less if the sport changes stroke rules for turns, underwater kicking, full body suit technology etc..... but when it comes to records, they are established to show accomplished feats given certain rules and standards. If you train harder, longer, smarter .... whatever.... and beat a record you certainly deserve the record.
If you put on a full body suit, fail to touch the wall on a backstroke turn, swim underwater dolphin kick a quarter or more of your race, do a dolphin kick on your pull out and start the race with a leg up via the block itself ....... well..... it just gets to be a bit of a joke after a while.
All this combined with the Roger Clemons/Marion Jones/Tour de France drug era in sports...... I suppose I'm supposed to think of this aspect as a positive change as well?
You wonder why we are old and "crotchety"..... how can you stop from rolling your eyes about much of this crap.
Now having said that..... are Micheal Phelps, Ian Crocker, Lochte, Coughlin etc... faster than most of the best swimmers in the last 25 years without all these changes..... absolutely. They are phenomenal in their respective events. We will never, however, know exactly how much better due to these rule changes. May I point out to you the superimposed video of Jim Mongtomery's WR 100m free with Vandenhoogenband's swim. The actual swimming portion of the race between the walls showed that Peter didn't beat Jim by that much.
John Smith
Yes, I do wonder that. Of course, I also wonder that given this level of outrage over sports related issues, how angry must you be over the seemingly endless list of messes our great country has found itself in. My point being, new starting blocks should really be the least of any Americans worries right now.
