Should we "ban" the LZR Racer from Nationals ?

The Olympics recognize the principal that a suit has to be available to everyone or to no one. Presuming the suits actually do make you faster it seems quite reasonable that the winner should not be determined by who has the best connections. In reality, it isn't available to "everyone" with a $550 price tag. Perhaps Olympians, but not all masters swimmers.

I would think that Masters swimming should be even more about fairness than the rest of the sport - we should know better. For what it's worth - I would be able to get one - so maybe I should ... Isn't Masters swimming "less fair" as there is ZERO drug testing in Masters? This thread has convinced me to get a LZR. Yippee.

First of all I put "ban" in quotation marks in the title. I am well aware that we will not have a USMS rule put in place. This would have been a self-imposed guidance. Second - I think the argument here is very logical -- it's about as logical as making it mandatory for the manufacturers to make the suit available to all swimmers at Trials or the Olympics. I would think that Masters swimming should be even more about fairness than the rest of the sport - we should know better. For what it's worth - I would be able to get one - so maybe I should ... If you are who I think you are, you have nothing but number one swims in your master's history. Aging up this year, you should not have a problem even competing in my old woolie. Maybe you could loan me your LZR. I have no shame!

Not sure if it's the suit, the Olympic year, or a combo of both - but I do get the impression that the LZR racer is the fastest suit out there. It's not yet available, but I am sure some people will pull some strings and show up with the suit in Austin. I think we should all agree to ban the suit from Austin and spread the word to everybody. I know it's not binding - but I think we are all "old enough" to work on the honor system. Any thoughts ? I EMPHATICALLY AGREE. Rulebook states that "The swimsuits worn for competition shall... conform to the current concept of the appropriate. If the suit is not available to the general public, I'd say the suit would not "conform to the current concept" of the appropriate and it should not be on any of us at Nationals.

I have gotten dozens of emails from Swimming World Magazine announcing new WRs in the last week, with swims from the European Champs and now the Aussie trials. The way it looks today, by the close of the Olympics, I would not be surprised to see a "2008" next to all of the LCM World Records. Aside from the first year swimming happened or folks started keeping track, this will be unprecedented. Most of these swims (I see someone got one in an Arena suit) are happening in a LZR. Something is up. I would hate for Speedo and Fina to re-investigate this suit and find, after the Olympics, that the suit does not conform to rules after all. Scandal!!!

So, Art, does that mean that you are training in your wool suit? Are you swimming in a pool with no lane lines? That was a silly waste of time; I trained in one with no lane lines. Are you riding a 40 pound road bike? What golf clubs and tennis rackets are you using? If you were really consistent, you (or anyone who complains about the changes in swimming) would use the original equipment for any sport that has ever been invented. No real point in comparing how you are doing in the present state of any sport to the way it was years ago.. I train in the same suit (breif) with the same line lines and other than my goggles being Tyr rather than the old Speedo, not much has changed since I first started swimming competitevly in 1979 at age 11. I'm no Luddite, I like my Ipod, my duo-core PC, my LCD TV and my cell phone. At the same time I'm honest about my motiviation to swim and to compete. If I swim faster because of my training regimen and technique improvements, I feel I have acheived something. If I was to swim faster because I put on a new swim suit, I really haven't acheived anything. Sure the clock says I took less time for me to finish the race than the last time I swam it, but I have achieved nothing. I am not denigrating the forward movement of technology and how it might improve swimming. I'm not saying ban the suit. If you want to spend the money, go for it. What I am saying is for me, the journey is much more satisfying than the destination.

In terms of the elite swimmers. Speedo has had tables at the Grand Prix meets that have allowed various swimmers to "check out" the suits and race in them. I can all but guarantee that Speedo will provide a suit to whomever wants one at trials - they did this in 00 with the Fastskin I and in 04 with the Fastskin II. I cannot believe people are whinning about fair or unfair. When on Earth has life ever been fair? There is a huge range amongst us (and the elites) in terms or practice facilities, coaches, time spent, money spent, etc. Life is NOT fair. If people get their hands on these elusive suits prior to Austin and wear them there then good for them. I'd love to see the suit in person. I highly doubt that any of those people are then going to beat me by a tenth or two and that will then seriously change my life. I will be going for best times regardless and if I achieve those and beat others in the process great, if not fine.

Oh Leslie, I think your top event in the future will be the 50brst...you wait and see...

The title of the thread is 'Should we "ban" the LZR Racer from Nationals ?' which I think could reasonably be interpreted as asking whether there should be a "rule" against using it when it isn't generally available. FINA thinks so and requires manufacturers to make their suits generally available if they are to be used in the Olympics at least. I'm not familiar with the specifics of the rule or whether it would apply at all to USMS Nationals but I think the principle is sound. I think there should be a rule/ban because it creates an unjustified and easily remedied unlevel playing field. Perhaps it is not practical to put such a rule in place at this point in time. So far you haven't clearly explained why you think unfair is okay other than that there are other things that are also unfair. By that logic we might as well get rid of the rules that try to enforce fairness, but I think not. I would like to see this rule. Not doubting you, just curious. I looked earlier but could not find anything about suits in their rules.

. . . couple that with a LZR and some juice and forget it. I think that when my hubby takes one look at me in a LZR and juiced, he'd say, "Forget it!" as well! :roids::lmao: