I am just back from the SPMA meet where all the top finisher were wearing the latest generation tech suits,mostly B-70s(or were named Jeff Commings.)I have here to for been in favor of the suits,but now I am not so sure.First,they eliminate the old bench marks.I went my fastest 100m BR in 5 yr in my LZR,but it was only .3 sec faster than I did untapered 5 wk earlier in my first swim in the LZR.So was my swim good or not,I'm not sure.Also,instead of focusing on technique or pace I found myself ruminating over aspects of the suits,how many more swims did the suit have,is it the right size,was the reason I didn't get better results from my B-70 because it was too big?etc.The B-70 has somewhat mitigated the "too expensive,not durable" problem,but for how long.
Lets say a company comes up with a suit that is much faster,say 4 sec/100.Further that it is very expensive(say $1000) lasts 4 swims and is very hard to make so that quantities are always limited and the fastest way to get one is to bid up to $3000 on ebay. Now lets say your nemesis has one,or that getting one is your best chance to get TT or AA or a ZR or WR,or that your child is close to making JO cuts,or finally beating his/her nemesis etc. Is it worth it and where does it stop?
Parents
Former Member
It's still (wo)man going through the water. Suits don't swim your race for you. And they don't do the training that goes into the racing.
Hey The Fortress
You're missing my point. Fastest will still be the fastest. So ceteris paribus it is just a waste of $ and efort to delude people into thinking they are faster than they are sans suits.
Now wearing one to hide your hairy back, spare tyre or embarrassing tattoo that's another matter. I know why I wore mine last weekend...b/c I was tired and need every bit of help...it was a crutch.
It's man and technology...not man. Sorry I didn't get the PC lecture at school so for me "Man" includes both sexes when used to refer to the human race. This is what PC does, it infers negative connotations into everyday words that are not really there.
I's totally irrelevant to someone at eh foot of the masters food chain like me anyhow. If I'm racing a gridge though, I expect the other guy to be wearing the same level of tech as me. If that means they leave the body balloon in the bag then so be it.
It's still (wo)man going through the water. Suits don't swim your race for you. And they don't do the training that goes into the racing.
Hey The Fortress
You're missing my point. Fastest will still be the fastest. So ceteris paribus it is just a waste of $ and efort to delude people into thinking they are faster than they are sans suits.
Now wearing one to hide your hairy back, spare tyre or embarrassing tattoo that's another matter. I know why I wore mine last weekend...b/c I was tired and need every bit of help...it was a crutch.
It's man and technology...not man. Sorry I didn't get the PC lecture at school so for me "Man" includes both sexes when used to refer to the human race. This is what PC does, it infers negative connotations into everyday words that are not really there.
I's totally irrelevant to someone at eh foot of the masters food chain like me anyhow. If I'm racing a gridge though, I expect the other guy to be wearing the same level of tech as me. If that means they leave the body balloon in the bag then so be it.
