It seems to me like the swimsuit situation has gotten a bit out of hand. Prices are high; LZRs are unavailable; swimskins are legal for USMS pool meets... the list continues.
With the fabrics, I think we can all agree neoprene should remain illegal for pool meets. But beyond that, who's to say what is and what isn't? It will be tough with all the new technology, and as we're seeing today with Speedo and BlueSeventy being FINA sponsors, it will be tough to knock the gift horse in the mouth.
Most of these new suits are body suits. Why not try to limit the effect a suit has on a performance by limiting the amount of suit that can affect performance? It is a stretch to get back to "briefs" and "recordbreakers," as already, women have a fabric advantage. But why not put a limit on the total amount of fabric that can be used, or the total amount of acceptable body coverage?
Small step to take, and in the end, to make the genders fair, we probably wouldn't lose much suit. But I think it is rediculous to see people completely covered at the pool. Their swims should be all about them - not what they and their suit can accomplish.
I am sympathetic to the proposal partly because I do worry what expensive, short-lived and fragile tech suits do to the sport at the age group level. (As an aside, I have hope for the swimskins, I've examined some at the local tri store and they seem to me far sturdier than the fastskins).
In terms of impact on performance, perhaps a useful parallel would be changes in the rules in backstroke (allowing no-touch flip turns) and breaststroke that improved speed. I'm much more familiar with backstroke, of course...when the rule was passed, my times immediately dropped significantly; I once estimated that it was almost half a second per turn. (And at the end of a 200, when tired...those old turns took a LOT more effort!) Records fell, everyone's expectations had to undergo some modification and then life went on.
It can be argued that the tech suits are a little different since doing a different turn or stroke is (a) free and (b) a skill that the swimmer has to master, not something that depends on someone else (like Speedo or NASA engineers).
No question about the first part, but swimming with these suits also demands some changes in behavior and skill on the part of the swimmer. It isn't as much fun to learn, IMO, but what can you do, life isn't always perfect.
I am sympathetic to the proposal partly because I do worry what expensive, short-lived and fragile tech suits do to the sport at the age group level. (As an aside, I have hope for the swimskins, I've examined some at the local tri store and they seem to me far sturdier than the fastskins).
In terms of impact on performance, perhaps a useful parallel would be changes in the rules in backstroke (allowing no-touch flip turns) and breaststroke that improved speed. I'm much more familiar with backstroke, of course...when the rule was passed, my times immediately dropped significantly; I once estimated that it was almost half a second per turn. (And at the end of a 200, when tired...those old turns took a LOT more effort!) Records fell, everyone's expectations had to undergo some modification and then life went on.
It can be argued that the tech suits are a little different since doing a different turn or stroke is (a) free and (b) a skill that the swimmer has to master, not something that depends on someone else (like Speedo or NASA engineers).
No question about the first part, but swimming with these suits also demands some changes in behavior and skill on the part of the swimmer. It isn't as much fun to learn, IMO, but what can you do, life isn't always perfect.
