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?
It's simply a mute point, just as many of us have pointed out here if your a top level athlete you don't show up to a major race not ready to race and not trying to make some purist statment by not using approved equipment...as Geek said I haven't seen to many steel TT bikes at the Tour de France with the riders complaining afterwards that they were cheated.
Exactly. If someone is fast, and has dedicated a lot of time and effort to training and competing in meets over many years, why isn't that person a "purist"? You can't be a purist if you like tech suits and technological advancement? You can only be a purist if you're almost naked?
Maybe some swim federations are pissed off at paying so many bonuses for WRs? If so, won't this level off?
The suits have brought increased excitement, exposure and revenue to the sport. I hope they're here to stay.
It's simply a mute point, just as many of us have pointed out here if your a top level athlete you don't show up to a major race not ready to race and not trying to make some purist statment by not using approved equipment...as Geek said I haven't seen to many steel TT bikes at the Tour de France with the riders complaining afterwards that they were cheated.
Exactly. If someone is fast, and has dedicated a lot of time and effort to training and competing in meets over many years, why isn't that person a "purist"? You can't be a purist if you like tech suits and technological advancement? You can only be a purist if you're almost naked?
Maybe some swim federations are pissed off at paying so many bonuses for WRs? If so, won't this level off?
The suits have brought increased excitement, exposure and revenue to the sport. I hope they're here to stay.
