Yes - one more time it's about the suit:
Here is a comparison to 2004 and what it took to make top 16 (top 8 for the 400) over the first 7 events:
2004 listed first then 2008 then the approx. % drop
400 IM - 4:24.8 to 4:21.0 1.5%
100 Fly - 1:01.29 to 59.97 2%
400 Free - 3:55.0 to 3:51.4 1.6%
400 IM - 4:49.57 to 4:43.2 2.3%
100 Br - 1:04.0 to 1:02.36 2.5%
100 Bk - 1:04.12 to 1:02.31 2.6%
200 Free - 1:51.1 to 1:48.76 2.2%
Ok - to be fair, people are getting faster, but I would guess at least a 1.5% drop across the board for the suit -- that is net time !
Parents
Former Member
I can think of a lot of reasons a talented high school swimmer drops 16/100ths in a 50 at state champs vs. a few weeks prior. The suit could be one of them. But I'll bet the pool where TX states takes place is pretty nice, and I'll bet the crowd was really fired up which got him excited. I'm pretty sure he practiced starts and turns between the 19.65 and the 19.49--tiny RT and turn improvements can easily mean a .16 difference. I'm not saying it's not the suit; I'm saying there are other factors that everyone is suddenly ignoring. Suit or no suit--would anyone actually not expect him to improve that much in his key event at the biggest scy meet of the season?
I have seen Feigen swim many times although I didn't see his state swim. He is an exceptional sprinting talent. I suppose his legskin was part of this drop at the state meet. But more than anything I think he tapered for state. He was so far ahead of everyone else that he had no need to taper for regionals or districts before that.
The Texas state meet is always held at UT's TSC. Feigen's regional meet was the Palo Alto (Texas) Natatorium near San Antonio. It is a championship caliber pool that has held Toyota Grand Prix events.
I can think of a lot of reasons a talented high school swimmer drops 16/100ths in a 50 at state champs vs. a few weeks prior. The suit could be one of them. But I'll bet the pool where TX states takes place is pretty nice, and I'll bet the crowd was really fired up which got him excited. I'm pretty sure he practiced starts and turns between the 19.65 and the 19.49--tiny RT and turn improvements can easily mean a .16 difference. I'm not saying it's not the suit; I'm saying there are other factors that everyone is suddenly ignoring. Suit or no suit--would anyone actually not expect him to improve that much in his key event at the biggest scy meet of the season?
I have seen Feigen swim many times although I didn't see his state swim. He is an exceptional sprinting talent. I suppose his legskin was part of this drop at the state meet. But more than anything I think he tapered for state. He was so far ahead of everyone else that he had no need to taper for regionals or districts before that.
The Texas state meet is always held at UT's TSC. Feigen's regional meet was the Palo Alto (Texas) Natatorium near San Antonio. It is a championship caliber pool that has held Toyota Grand Prix events.
