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?
The high school question is an interesting one. When I swam as a senior I was less than a second away from breaking our high school record for the 100yd fly. Is $300-500 bucks for a swim suit worth a high school record, a 1st or 2nd place finish at state finals vs. 2nd or 3rd? Do college recruiters today take note of weather a swimmer is using a tech suit vs. briefs or jammers?
Let's say a swimmer can swim a 100yd free in :45.00 in a pair of jammers. What would the improvement be if they were to wear a tech suit? And also, is there any empirical data to support any time drops, or are there too many variables? Will a suit help a less conditioned swimmer drop more time than a more conditioned one?
Random cheerleader emoticon:cheerleader:
The high school question is an interesting one. When I swam as a senior I was less than a second away from breaking our high school record for the 100yd fly. Is $300-500 bucks for a swim suit worth a high school record, a 1st or 2nd place finish at state finals vs. 2nd or 3rd? Do college recruiters today take note of weather a swimmer is using a tech suit vs. briefs or jammers?
Let's say a swimmer can swim a 100yd free in :45.00 in a pair of jammers. What would the improvement be if they were to wear a tech suit? And also, is there any empirical data to support any time drops, or are there too many variables? Will a suit help a less conditioned swimmer drop more time than a more conditioned one?
Random cheerleader emoticon:cheerleader: