USA Swimming proposes rule limiting suits

Oh geez, call the whaaaambulance! We, who have so much, should not be forced to suffer for those who have less. Our having is proof of our virtue and light and tech suits are our just reward. My money, my choice. You go save the world, that's not my gig.

What is the point of these rules? Is it because some can't afford the new suits? Why penalize those of us who can? This is playing to the lowest common denominator. The hell with these people.

Hey Aquageek - no one is saying you can't spend the money for those suits for your kids if you want to. They just can't use them in USA-S sanctioned meets. So please go ahead and buy those suits. Your kids can wear them when they train or when they want to swim fast in the lake or ocean. Who are you to tell USA-S what they allow in their sanctioned competition? I believe there are sound reasons to carefully manage the cost to participate in the sport of swimming. If a kid is .05 away from a AAA time - tough. They didn't make it. Aquageek - you - the least apologetic person here - should appreciate that the child can get over it. They didn't make it. They should have swum faster. As long as they weren't disadvantaged versus other kids - it was fair. USA-S has programs to assist families who have financial difficulty. Unless they want to extend this program to equipment like suits - I say outlaw the advanced ($$$) suits for younger kids. 12 year olds that are super fast and capable of national meets (like Jr. Nationals) have clearly made a different kind of commitment to the sport and should be allowed to wear whatever they want in national competitions.

Hey Aquageek Yep - It's been a while since I've posted anything on the USMS board, but I’m back again. Just like earthquakes in California: Just because there haven’t been any lately doesn’t mean they’re gone. And I'm not gone either!!! As for your comment about my credentials regarding swimming, I don't need to actually swim on a competitive basis to know what the abilities of the so called "tech suits" really are. Swimming is based on the principles of physics (mainly hydrodamics) and bio-mechanics which have been studied for decades and the results can be comprehended by anyone who has a knowledge of these sciences. With the exception of the "Girdling" effect (body compression), there is nothing about a tech suit that could increase the swimmer's ability. As I've said before, the main problem faced in increasing swimming speed is getting more propulsion -not less drag. So instead of focusing on the properties of the suit, why aren't they focusing on the hands and the feet and accordingly just use paddles and flippers to gain more propulsion? Prior to the 1990's, FINA rules were very restrictive about any devices or substances that could be construed as aiding the swimmers ability. So why did FINA do a flip-flop and become so permissive about the use of these suits? :confused: This suit technology stuff reeks of a "Fifth Avenue" style marketing campaign on the part of the suit makers (who are also clothing manufacturers) and their strategy seems to be the use competitive swim wear as a form of fashion modleing. Considering all the $$$ involved, FINA seems to be more than willing to go along with it. Dolphin 2 Dolphin 2 - you really don't know what you're talking about. Sure swimming biomechanics have been studied for decades. Doc Counsilman was one of the pioneers. But guess what - some of his conclusions have been proven wrong. Doc thought sculling was a major factor in propulsion. But it has since been proven wrong. So the studies will continue - and new things will be learned. Let's also recognize that a human body is a complex moving part - not like a submarine. The body position changes differently for different people in different phases of the stroke. Bodies have different shapes. So I think the science is very immature today. No doubt there is hype about the suits. Probably too much. I have said here that they don't seem to have produced the claimed 2% gain for elite swimmers. But the effect may be larger for us less advanced athletes. But I now have a B70. I have raced in it once. The results unfortunately can't be compared to any recent swims because the race was SCM - a course I rarely swim. But I wore the suit in practice and my stroke count went down by 1 or 2 for every 25 yd. length of freestyle. Absolutely noticable. My 25 yd. sprints in practice that day were consistently .5 secs or more faster than normal.

Hey AquageekDolphin 2 Glad your back,but you are WRONG.The search for less drag is part of the on going improvement in swimming technique.As heard one coach say"the three most important principals in swimming are 1)streamline,2)streamline,3)streamline. Practically no one disputes that swimming shaved is faster than not,these new fabrics take that one step further with less resistance than skin.It is unclear how much effect muscle compression has,but it seems to have a significant amount.

The point is to try to keep the financial side of Age Group swimming in check. We nearly voted on this in New England, but learned that it was pending nationally, so we waited. The coaches are making lots of noise because there are lots and lots of parents out there of very young swimmers who are insisting on buying little Johnny or Jenny the latest LZR suit for hundreds and hundreds of dollars. 10-year-old Johnny doesn't need that suit. It's a waste of money. The kids at that level of competition are seeing the kid in the next lane wearing the suit, and then they want one. The important part is that it's for age group swimming only. For 12-year-old swimmers who are swimming at the "Senior" or "Open" speed at the LSC level, and going to LSC Senior meets, etc... they have a higher understanding of what's going on, and nobody is objecting to those kids wearing the expensive suits, because there is the belief that they understand the cost/benefit equation better. -Rick

And there it is, the fear of being left behind. Life isn't fair and sports have never been fair. Tech suits are here to stay despite the fear of success by the losers. What you conveniently fail to recognize is two things. First, USAS is composed of its members who are allowed to have opinions and, second, over time the price of suits will fall and become more affordable. I will agree to osterber's excellent points, yours are ludicrous. Osterber's points are of course good ones. I agree with him. A really fast young kid will have plenty of opportunity to compete at unclassified meets. I didn't say the suits should go. But there are good reasons for young kids to not use them. I'd rather see more kids join the sport at a young age - and it will help if their parents don't have to worry about spending $500 or more per year. If the suits get cheaper - then the issue of cost goes away. I hope they do get cheaper. Of course USA-S has members with opinions. But the members don't make the rules. It ain't a democracy.

Effective January 1, 2009 at all North Texas Swimming, age-group defined, sanctioned meets: Swimsuits worn by females for all 14 & Under defined competitions shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor past the hip. Swimsuits worn by males for all 14 & Under defined competitions shall not extend above the hips nor below the knees. Interesting - the LSC is imposing a higher age limit with an earlier effective date (assuming PK's date above is accurate). And the girls can't wear the short leg suits either! JOs are a 14 & U defined competition. Not too many tank suits on the 13-14 year olds I've seen, except maybe in evilstroke.

The decision on how I spend my money for my kids really isn't your decision Rick, or anyone else's. I don't see the point of legislating how I chose to spend my fitness dollars. Any sane person realizes it is silly to buy one of these suits for a young kid but that doesn't mean we need bans or regulations regarding it.

... For 12-year-old swimmers who are swimming at the "Senior" or "Open" speed at the LSC level, and going to LSC Senior meets, etc... they have a higher understanding of what's going on, and nobody is objecting to those kids wearing the expensive suits, because there is the belief that they understand the cost/benefit equation better. Isn't this more about winning at any cost than "cost/benefit equations"? I think the whole thing is getting kind of ridiculous... will we next rule that age-groupers can not use the latest cap technology, or goggle technology because some other kids can't afford them? Once we allow something, trying to dis-allow it is reactive, somewhat futile, and unfair to those who have the means.