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?
Someone who doesn't prepare well, who doesn't put in the work, will not gain an advantage over someone who does by wearing a suit.
Of course, but what if both busted their hump? Then the guy wearing the fastest suit wins. How is this progress in the sport? Now, you could say that everyone has equal access to the suits, but that hasn't always been the case. An example on this board is Erik Hochstein who was unable to get a LZR suit when he was attempting to qualify for Olympic Trials while lots of other swimmers did have access to these suits.
It's not a bad thing to go faster. And the suits are fun!
I like using paddles in practice for the exact same reason: they're a crutch.
Someone who doesn't prepare well, who doesn't put in the work, will not gain an advantage over someone who does by wearing a suit.
Of course, but what if both busted their hump? Then the guy wearing the fastest suit wins. How is this progress in the sport? Now, you could say that everyone has equal access to the suits, but that hasn't always been the case. An example on this board is Erik Hochstein who was unable to get a LZR suit when he was attempting to qualify for Olympic Trials while lots of other swimmers did have access to these suits.
It's not a bad thing to go faster. And the suits are fun!
I like using paddles in practice for the exact same reason: they're a crutch.
