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 see no good from the suits and the people who wear them don't have a reason why they are good for swimming either. When everyone drops a similar percentage of their time at the same time for the same reason that is not training related what's the good coming from it? You aren't swimming any better than you would without the suit although your times might be faster. One of the nice things about swimming is (was) being able to have a level playing field without expensive equipment playing a factor.
Hopefully FINA will go along with the suggestions of USA swimming, AU swimming and their European counterparts and the current generation of suits will be banned and the hopefully USMS will follow.
Huh?
Tech suits have brought a lot of attention to and publicity for swimming. It's in the news more as a result. And new technology is exciting. Why should swimming be staid and dull? And how do you know all of the improvements were exactly the same and purely reflected tech suit use? I think not, and I know in my lowly masters case that's not true.
What "level playing field" is it that you speak of? Don't see it. They're dozens of other inequalities in terms of coaching, training, time, injuries, pool availability, massage/chiro money, etc. They've been listed before on another anti-tech suit thread.
And what ban are you speaking of? USA Swimming is not seeking to ban the current generation of tech suits. They're seeking to limit the use for kids under 12 and to ban wearing more than one suit. So I've no idea what "ban" you refer to. These suits are here to stay. There will just be some reasonable limits put on them for growing kiddies and to prevent people going hog wild with B210s. Most tech suit fans seem to agree that one suit is enough. Better stick to the bike.
I see no good from the suits and the people who wear them don't have a reason why they are good for swimming either. When everyone drops a similar percentage of their time at the same time for the same reason that is not training related what's the good coming from it? You aren't swimming any better than you would without the suit although your times might be faster. One of the nice things about swimming is (was) being able to have a level playing field without expensive equipment playing a factor.
Hopefully FINA will go along with the suggestions of USA swimming, AU swimming and their European counterparts and the current generation of suits will be banned and the hopefully USMS will follow.
Huh?
Tech suits have brought a lot of attention to and publicity for swimming. It's in the news more as a result. And new technology is exciting. Why should swimming be staid and dull? And how do you know all of the improvements were exactly the same and purely reflected tech suit use? I think not, and I know in my lowly masters case that's not true.
What "level playing field" is it that you speak of? Don't see it. They're dozens of other inequalities in terms of coaching, training, time, injuries, pool availability, massage/chiro money, etc. They've been listed before on another anti-tech suit thread.
And what ban are you speaking of? USA Swimming is not seeking to ban the current generation of tech suits. They're seeking to limit the use for kids under 12 and to ban wearing more than one suit. So I've no idea what "ban" you refer to. These suits are here to stay. There will just be some reasonable limits put on them for growing kiddies and to prevent people going hog wild with B210s. Most tech suit fans seem to agree that one suit is enough. Better stick to the bike.
