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?
the most obvious and simplist solution is just to go back to the Mark Spitz days in the 1970s when plain old $20 briefs were the standard uniform and the only variables were the individual athlete’s body characteristics.
Can we wear goggles? Do we have to grow mustaches? Women too? And what about the music? Do we have to like disco?
Personally, the competitive aspects of masters swimming became much, much more fun for me after I wore my first body suit (a borrowed Speedo Aquablade kneeskin.)
I don't know about most masters, but these ever evolving suits have allowed me to swim times in my 50s that I am not sure I ever made in my teens and 20s. I don't compare myself to today's phenoms. This would only lead to dispiriting thoughts like:
Amaury Leveaux SC 100m free 44.94 Yeah! He beat me by LESS THAN 15 seconds!!!
I do compare myself to myself, however, and when old Jim can beat young Jim, there is a certain motivational factor involved, a "Take that, Reaper!" kind of cockiness that seems to me more than worth the cost of a suit. For what it's worth, the suit I most recently swam in costs $56 on the internet--a discontinued Tyr kneeskin. Eventually, today's B70 will be discontinued (or our masters discount will prove significant), and I might enjoy another slight bump in performance.
If these suits lead to self-delusion that keeps you competing and feeling self confident, I say what's the problem with that? Think of them as *** implant equivalents for aging male swimmers! Or *** implant over-comers for aging female swimmers with actual *** implants.
Plus i really don't want to grow a mustache. It's too cold, and when your exhalations freeze, it looks kind of disgusting.
the most obvious and simplist solution is just to go back to the Mark Spitz days in the 1970s when plain old $20 briefs were the standard uniform and the only variables were the individual athlete’s body characteristics.
Can we wear goggles? Do we have to grow mustaches? Women too? And what about the music? Do we have to like disco?
Personally, the competitive aspects of masters swimming became much, much more fun for me after I wore my first body suit (a borrowed Speedo Aquablade kneeskin.)
I don't know about most masters, but these ever evolving suits have allowed me to swim times in my 50s that I am not sure I ever made in my teens and 20s. I don't compare myself to today's phenoms. This would only lead to dispiriting thoughts like:
Amaury Leveaux SC 100m free 44.94 Yeah! He beat me by LESS THAN 15 seconds!!!
I do compare myself to myself, however, and when old Jim can beat young Jim, there is a certain motivational factor involved, a "Take that, Reaper!" kind of cockiness that seems to me more than worth the cost of a suit. For what it's worth, the suit I most recently swam in costs $56 on the internet--a discontinued Tyr kneeskin. Eventually, today's B70 will be discontinued (or our masters discount will prove significant), and I might enjoy another slight bump in performance.
If these suits lead to self-delusion that keeps you competing and feeling self confident, I say what's the problem with that? Think of them as *** implant equivalents for aging male swimmers! Or *** implant over-comers for aging female swimmers with actual *** implants.
Plus i really don't want to grow a mustache. It's too cold, and when your exhalations freeze, it looks kind of disgusting.
