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?
You cannot, I don't know, pay for dues for an elite club on the way to a swimmeet and suddenly drop 1-2% (or whatever amount you choose to believe). Better googles, better cap? Yeah, I suppose that is the same thing as a better suit, but the expenses are smaller and the improvements less dramatic.
Paying for elite clubs...what does it matter when the improvements come? Those with money have access to the means to swim faster than those without. Nothing new about that, and it isn't just swimming either.
Despite their small expense, goggles have a FAR bigger impact on performance than any tech suit. Try training without them and see.
I would guesstimate that non-turbulent lane-lines and better gutter systems have an impact AT LEAST comparable to any tech suit.
The point isn't about equity -- "someone bringing their own starting block" -- the point is that technological advances have always allowed improvements in times for reasons unrelated to talent/training.
This has been true for decades, not just recently. And renting these better pools is a major expense in the sport, so it isn't as if these advances all came as cheaply as goggles.
You cannot, I don't know, pay for dues for an elite club on the way to a swimmeet and suddenly drop 1-2% (or whatever amount you choose to believe). Better googles, better cap? Yeah, I suppose that is the same thing as a better suit, but the expenses are smaller and the improvements less dramatic.
Paying for elite clubs...what does it matter when the improvements come? Those with money have access to the means to swim faster than those without. Nothing new about that, and it isn't just swimming either.
Despite their small expense, goggles have a FAR bigger impact on performance than any tech suit. Try training without them and see.
I would guesstimate that non-turbulent lane-lines and better gutter systems have an impact AT LEAST comparable to any tech suit.
The point isn't about equity -- "someone bringing their own starting block" -- the point is that technological advances have always allowed improvements in times for reasons unrelated to talent/training.
This has been true for decades, not just recently. And renting these better pools is a major expense in the sport, so it isn't as if these advances all came as cheaply as goggles.
