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
I'm a mediocre masters swimmer who has only done a few meets over the past couple of years. I'm hoping to do more, though. If the technology is available, heck, use it! I don't see anything wrong with that. However, my only gripe is that it does make it tougher to get national qualifying times. Let's face it; the people wearing the very high-tech suits are not my competition. However, the top 10 will be wearing the suits, and thus the qualifying times will drop significantly; there will obviously more of a drop from year to year than before. I just swam my first national qualifying time in the 1650 (yes, I know it's the easiest event to qualify for), but I doubt my time will hold up for 2010 Nationals in Atlanta. It's unfortunate for people like me, but hey, only because I'm unwilling to shell out the bucks for a suit and/or look silly wearing one because of my lack of speed.
I'm a mediocre masters swimmer who has only done a few meets over the past couple of years. I'm hoping to do more, though. If the technology is available, heck, use it! I don't see anything wrong with that. However, my only gripe is that it does make it tougher to get national qualifying times. Let's face it; the people wearing the very high-tech suits are not my competition. However, the top 10 will be wearing the suits, and thus the qualifying times will drop significantly; there will obviously more of a drop from year to year than before. I just swam my first national qualifying time in the 1650 (yes, I know it's the easiest event to qualify for), but I doubt my time will hold up for 2010 Nationals in Atlanta. It's unfortunate for people like me, but hey, only because I'm unwilling to shell out the bucks for a suit and/or look silly wearing one because of my lack of speed.
