www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../19679.asp
The most substantial change, of course, is that suits would no longer be allowed to extend past the knee.
My personal opinion is this is sort of an arbitrary change. What really should be changed--if anything--is what types of materials are allowed and maybe testing protocol to approve a suit. I don't really think requiring suits to end at the knees would affect much.
Hofffam, I wouldn't necessarily call a parent buying a tech suit (not talking B70 or LZR here) a "spendy parent." Way too pejorative. I think Geek, despite his newly civil mode, would still call this remark ludicrous.
Anyone care to venture a guess how much I've already spent this year on my 8 and 6 year old getting them ready for their little weekend ski team? Before even a single flake has flown? And my little dears are not at all serious about it -- we only run one pair of skis each, don't own a portable tuning bench, don't travel to races, and I refuse to buy them downhill suits as the aerodynamic advantages seem lost on me while they travel aimlessly through the gates at a pace equal roughly to the brisk walk of an aquarobe.
Let's just say I could buy them each a B70 practice suit, a race LZR, a fresh pair of goggles for each race, and several new smoothskin caps with their names and "The Next HoffPhelps" emblazoned on them and still come out ahead.
Any parent of a kid who plays hockey, or travel soccer or lacrosse, or high level baseball, tennis, golf, or pretty much any sport which uses any equipment at all, will likely have the same sad tale to tell. In the continuum of the cost of sports with I suppose yacht racing, polo, and international dressage at one end and cross country running at the other, swimming is a lot closer to the cheap end, even with the tech suits factored in.
But my Little Dears each seem to enjoy skiing -- and swimming. I enjoy skiing with them, and the team teaches them good fundamentals, gets us to the mountain every Saturday, and helps them get their little kid ya yas out and sleep at night, which come to think of it are similar to the reasons the older one started swim team this year. And most important, it isn't an effing video game simulation of a real sport, it's actually getting away from the giant screen and out into the (gasp) real world doing (oh the horror) real things. And so The Darling Wife and I will make what we deem to be reasonable, judicious parental decisions regarding their gear after considering each Little Dear's respective enthusiasm for the respective sport requiring an investment in equipment.
That said, I'm perfectly OK with a ban on the speed suits for 12 and unders. Just one less decision to hassle over. I wish the ski powers that be would follow what I understand to be Canada's lead and ban the downhill suits for the little ones.
And I agree swimming has got to be one of the cheapes sports out there.
I was under this misconception for a while as well. If you sit down and add up the gear, the dues, the meet fees, the travel costs, the team parties, the required suits and tshirts, it isn't nearly as cheap as you want to believe.
I will agree by no means is it cheap. i should have said least expensive.....
as most other teams have dues also travel expenses parties shirts etc... your down to the gear cost though if you find the right team, sometimes you luck out and equipment is provided.... but yes its still not "cheap"
Ill try to pick my words better next time.:)
Least expensive?! Not a chance ... between my kid's swimming bill and my own swimming bill ... that's a lot of cash.
If you want cheap, run.
I've heard that in terms of kids' sports that hockey is the mother-scratcher of all the expensive sports. Another thing with swimming is that if you kid is year round you also probably get rooked into a summer league team. That's another pool and more dues, not to mention 14 hour swim meets twice a week in 104 degree weather.
Hey Lump
I'll second that! :bouncing:
As I've (and others have) said over and over 'til we're blue in the face, this "suit technology" stuff is a bunch of nonsensical marketing gimmickry cooked up by Speedo, Nike, Arena and others. :bitching:
FINA's rules regarding suits should just go back to the plain old briefs like Mark Spitz and others wore in the 1970s.
End of discussion -period. :applaud:
Dolphin 2
If you don't compete or hardly swim, then why do you care what suits people wear?
I don't want to go back to the days of the plain speedo briefs. And you are wrong...the suits do help you swim faster...having used a number of different styles, I will say they do cut down on drag...which cuts down on resistance...which allows one to swim faster. But to know this...one has to actually get in a pool and SWIM.
I was at the same SWIM event with Geek and heard the same statement about the suits from a HIGH LEVEL coach about the benefits of the suits.
Crap...I am agreeing with Geek...you don't know what you are talking about.
LOL, i just had to drop my .02 in on this, as in any sport there is technology that can help you go faster, farther hit harder etc etc etc... Just let the organization ban it or not. If its banned too bad if its not there are plenty of ways to pay for it. I personally had to grow up like many others selling all kinds of stuff to pay for my activities, and if little johnny wants a tech suit, he can go sell subs, fudge, flowers and more if he does not have the money.
I have no problem with tech suits, or even plain briefs. The rules are the rules and play outside of them and its cheating.
And I agree swimming has got to be one of the cheapes sports out there. all you need is a suit, maybe a a few... but you can get grab bag for practice then maybe one or two good suits for your races.
Though my personal favorite is still the team suit, when I swam as an age grouper it was all but required at meets that EVERYONE wore the same suit, as the same for most teams in the area.
Swim fast.
I was under this misconception for a while as well. If you sit down and add up the gear, the dues, the meet fees, the travel costs, the team parties, the required suits and tshirts, it isn't nearly as cheap as you want to believe.
I will agree by no means is it cheap. i should have said least expensive.....
as most other teams have dues also travel expenses parties shirts etc... your down to the gear cost though if you find the right team, sometimes you luck out and equipment is provided.... but yes its still not "cheap"
Ill try to pick my words better next time.:)
My point was that the individual USA-S member doesn't get to vote. The LSCs do this via an established process. My family has been part of USA-S for almost ten years and I don't remember ever being asked for my opinion on any topic by either the South Texas LSC or USA Swimming itself.
I bet nobody called you up this week to ask you if you were for or against a bailout of the US Big Three automakers, either, did they?
I can't tell from the South Texas LSC web site if there are meetings that are more regular than their House of Delegates meetings. I would assume that you could attend the House of Delegates meetings and raise questions.
Here in New England, we have monthly Executive Board meetings. Our meetings are all open to the membership. (I.e., USA Swimming LSC members who are not Board members have voice but no vote.)
So I would encourage you to get involved locally. USA Swimming published all of the proposed business from their Convention ahead of the convention. Here in New England, we discussed the proposed legislation at the Board Meeting just before the election, so that our delegates to the Convention could act on our behalf. The fact that we were discussing the USA Swimming proposed legislation at our Board meeting was published to our membership before our Board meeting, so that anyone who wanted to could show up and raise an issue or an opinion.
If you want to have a say... all you gotta do is show up usually.
-Rick
Of course USA-S has members with opinions. But the members don't make the rules. It ain't a democracy.
Um, actually, they do. It's not a pure democracy, but it certainly is a republic. At the convention each year, the LSCs all send their members of the House of Delegates. Those LSC representatives are generally elected from within the membership of each LSC.
-Rick
