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?
Question to ponder: If it didn't make a difference why is every college in the country knocking down B70's door trying to get their team this suit?
It's like "the Emperor's new clothes"? Or maybe just rumors and innuendos?
Overrated in my opinion. Everyone (but me) should not buy them.
Dolphin 2- I'm not making any kind of a judgment here, but I am wondering why are you opposed to the companies making money who make the suits? Who should make the money? While our country is obviously heading toward socialism (which I find terrifying) it's not here yet.
I don't know what you do for a living, if anything, but I dare say that not too many people go to work every day out of the goodness of their hearts, they do it for a paycheck. Why would companies who make suits be any different?
I said there were "flaws", but I know myself and my teammates, who I am "secretly" experimenting on, and the suit does make a difference. I can only speak to my experience. I should not make generalizations, I guess, about the suit. But if I had to pick a camp to navigate towards it would be the one that says the suit does make a difference, vs. it doesn't really make a difference. (Please keep in mind I am also in the camp that you need to put in the work to get the results, as the suit can't swim by itself!).
Question to ponder: If it didn't make a difference why is every college in the country knocking down B70's door trying to get their team this suit? They are back ordered until March. The ONLY place I've seen to get one on-line is from Australia! And it costs over $500!! And I'll also say that college coaches feel that the playing field becomes level when both teams do have the B70. Just what I've heard...
Trip trap...
Karen,
There are some serious flaws in your hypothesis there. Case in point, I am a HORRBILE workout swimmer. Most of the folks who compete on the team can regularly beat me like a drum in practice but I'm consistently faster than them in meets.
Forgot the smilies
:thhbbb: :afraid: :thhbbb: :afraid: :thhbbb:
Hey Midas-
Sorry I missed you at USF. I made it just in time only for the last 3 events. Kids had basketball and the Chinese New Year parade was NOT a help getting to the City that day!
I can prove, with my own experience, that the suit does make a difference. I have also been conducting experiments on my own teammates (don't tell them ; ]). I've noticed that some who beat me in meets wearing the B70 (and I don't) can't/don't beat me in practice. Of course this opens up a whole load of possibilities: they didn't have a good workout, they did wts before practice, etc. But I've noticed over a period of time that my research is holding, and the suit does make a difference.
Trip trap... over the bridge I go!
The suits have brought increased excitement, exposure and revenue to the sport. I hope they're here to stay.
Not that I generally disagree with what you are staying (I own a B70 and am not ashamed of it) but you could make the same argument for steroids' impact on baseball. Just because a thing brings excitement, exposure and revenue to a sport doesn't make it "right".
I'm frankly not convinced that the suits have that great of an impact on performance (over shaving down). It's almost impossible to prove this, right? A myriad of factors are probably responsible for the huge number of records that fell last year (such as the confluence of recent improvements in training and technique coupled with the fact that everybody was training to peak last year for the Olympics, not to mention the explosion of "professional" swimmers). I don't think the suits deserve all, or even much, of the credit.
Trip trap trip trap trip trap...
That's a good point, and I kind of alluded to it. All of the times, at all levels, will most likely drop due to the advantage of the suit, however these times will all "plateau" again, until the next technological development.
Watch out for trolls!
Trip trap trip trap...
