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?
I'm curious if the ski industry had these same debates many years ago when racers were wearing more aerodynamic gear?
How about cyclists...should we get upset when TT racers in the tour have lighter bikes and more aerodynamic helmets?
The suits provide compression, reduce resistance and....I refuse to accept otherwise...a small amount of flotation. All of which we see in many other gravity based sports without all the hoopla.
The bigger issue really comes down to the have's vs. have not's...and this to me is a problem when we start talking about age group swimming, college swimming, etc.
For old, fat masters who have had (until recently) jobs and can usuaully pay and aren't competing to represent the US in next years world championships its just not really that big of deal in my opinion.
I'm curious if the ski industry had these same debates many years ago when racers were wearing more aerodynamic gear?
How about cyclists...should we get upset when TT racers in the tour have lighter bikes and more aerodynamic helmets?
The suits provide compression, reduce resistance and....I refuse to accept otherwise...a small amount of flotation. All of which we see in many other gravity based sports without all the hoopla.
The bigger issue really comes down to the have's vs. have not's...and this to me is a problem when we start talking about age group swimming, college swimming, etc.
For old, fat masters who have had (until recently) jobs and can usuaully pay and aren't competing to represent the US in next years world championships its just not really that big of deal in my opinion.
