Anyone going to start practicing in a in the big rubberband?
Former Member
Anyone out there going to start doing some pool practices in a wetsuit due to the new "proposed" rule change of allowing wetsuits in USMS open water swims? :frustrated:
The thought of practicing in a pool in a wetsuit absolutely makes me want to barf; however, I don't want to be penalized (and I've not yet learned to swim in one of these rubber bands) if this rule change goes through for next year.
Any thoughts on how to deal with the ridicule in practice?
The way things are going, I guess I had better learn to swim with fins as well. . .
Maybe with the approval of wetsuits and fins, the powers that be will approve swimming with paddles and buoys - then I'm in! :party2:
I'm thinking that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. :doh::doh::sad:
My educated guess is that once the wetsuits are allowed in OW championships, you will no longer see just the "slower" swimmers using them. You will see a trend towards the fastest swimmers using them.
Perhaps, but I don't think so. Big Shoulders and other races -- like this one -- have been allowing wetsuits for years. The fastest swimmers still mostly swim without them.
In fact, both those races allowed wetsuits even when they were national championships and somehow civilization marched on. (They got around the rules by starting the wetsuit-clad swimmers in a separate wave.)
There is one big difference between this rule and allowing suits like the LZR: there is a separate awards category for wetsuit-wearing swimmers. Given the distaste that most "real swimmers" have for wetsuits, why would that category suddenly become the more important one? The only reason I can see is to train for a triathlon.
My educated guess is that once the wetsuits are allowed in OW championships, you will no longer see just the "slower" swimmers using them. You will see a trend towards the fastest swimmers using them.
Perhaps, but I don't think so. Big Shoulders and other races -- like this one -- have been allowing wetsuits for years. The fastest swimmers still mostly swim without them.
In fact, both those races allowed wetsuits even when they were national championships and somehow civilization marched on. (They got around the rules by starting the wetsuit-clad swimmers in a separate wave.)
There is one big difference between this rule and allowing suits like the LZR: there is a separate awards category for wetsuit-wearing swimmers. Given the distaste that most "real swimmers" have for wetsuits, why would that category suddenly become the more important one? The only reason I can see is to train for a triathlon.
