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?
Here's where I stand on the tech suit issue:
1) Disqualify swimmers who wear 2 or more suits
Specify in the offical swimming rules that wearing more than one suit in a race results in disqualification. Enforce it at meets. Unfortunately this will probably mean no training suit under a tech suit, though I don't have a problem with swimmers wearing a brief. It might be reasonable to allow this for modesty reasons as well.
In super elite meets when swimmers place high or break records, two officials should follow the swimmer to the locker room where the swimmer strips and submits their suit for inspection and approval. (Drug testing officials show up unannounced and are required to observe athletes produce a specimen for drug testing, suit testing seems reasonable)
2) Require Suit limitations in summer league meets, age group meets (12 or 14 and under) and high school meets
Let's keep swimming affordable for parents and level the playing field for young swimmers or we might lose generations of future swimmers to more affordable sports.
Draw the line somewhere reasonable: maybe jammers for boys and traditional suits for girls.
The idea is to keep expensive suits out of age group and high school swimming. Make age group swimming about the swimmer not which suit daddy can afford.
These are tough economic times, parents shouldn't have to shell out $300, $400 and $500 for fragile suits for growing children.
3) allow tech suits for elite swimmers and masters swimmers
allow tech suits when swimmers reach a certain level of excellence.
sectionals, junior nationals, nationals & NCAA
Require that suits must be on the market for anyone to buy months before competitions, disallow custom made suits
allow elite and masters swimmers to wear the following kinds of suits
+ shoulder to ankle,
+ shoulder to knee,
+ leg skins,
+ jammers, and
+ traditional suits
disallow suits that cover arms
allow blue seventy Nero Comps, Speedo LZRs, Tyr Tracer Rise, and similar suits made by other providers
4) Beef up FINAs suit testing and approval process
Here's where I stand on the tech suit issue:
1) Disqualify swimmers who wear 2 or more suits
Specify in the offical swimming rules that wearing more than one suit in a race results in disqualification. Enforce it at meets. Unfortunately this will probably mean no training suit under a tech suit, though I don't have a problem with swimmers wearing a brief. It might be reasonable to allow this for modesty reasons as well.
In super elite meets when swimmers place high or break records, two officials should follow the swimmer to the locker room where the swimmer strips and submits their suit for inspection and approval. (Drug testing officials show up unannounced and are required to observe athletes produce a specimen for drug testing, suit testing seems reasonable)
2) Require Suit limitations in summer league meets, age group meets (12 or 14 and under) and high school meets
Let's keep swimming affordable for parents and level the playing field for young swimmers or we might lose generations of future swimmers to more affordable sports.
Draw the line somewhere reasonable: maybe jammers for boys and traditional suits for girls.
The idea is to keep expensive suits out of age group and high school swimming. Make age group swimming about the swimmer not which suit daddy can afford.
These are tough economic times, parents shouldn't have to shell out $300, $400 and $500 for fragile suits for growing children.
3) allow tech suits for elite swimmers and masters swimmers
allow tech suits when swimmers reach a certain level of excellence.
sectionals, junior nationals, nationals & NCAA
Require that suits must be on the market for anyone to buy months before competitions, disallow custom made suits
allow elite and masters swimmers to wear the following kinds of suits
+ shoulder to ankle,
+ shoulder to knee,
+ leg skins,
+ jammers, and
+ traditional suits
disallow suits that cover arms
allow blue seventy Nero Comps, Speedo LZRs, Tyr Tracer Rise, and similar suits made by other providers
4) Beef up FINAs suit testing and approval process
