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?
Former Member
I looked at what I said. I never said that. I don't even know what wimming is.
But, thanks for the pedantic lecture on goggles.
Spend more money on your suit. You'll swim faster, that's what it's all about.
You may not have openly said it, but your statement definitly implied it. And your welcome for the lecture...glad to anytime.
You are buying speed.
You can't put a fart back, even if it really stinks.
If I'm buying speed, why bother to put the suit on at all? Just let it swim the race without my interference?
You say wimming didn't have a lot of gizmos and googahs before tech suits were invented
I looked at what I said. I never said that. I don't even know what wimming is.
But, thanks for the pedantic lecture on goggles.
Spend more money on your suit. You'll swim faster, that's what it's all about.
And there is the rub. You are buying speed. You have taken a sport that didn't have all the gizmos and googahs and turned it into NASCAR. Only the wealthy will own records.
What is done is done. You can't put a fart back, even if it really stinks.
So to make you happy, we should go back to the days of wool suits, no caps and no goggles? Take out the deep pools, high tech lane lines that cut down on waves and get rid of the starting blocks?
You say swimming didn't have a lot of gizmos and googahs before tech suits were invented...I say you are wrong.
Goggles are considered a far more radical invention than the high speed suits. Goggles have been credited for changing the sport in radical ways, from turns to length of training to how swimmers train and race. Guess we should get rid of those too.
I am starting to rember why I enjoyed the company of water polo players. None of those suit mops for them.
You are can always go back to water polo then.
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../19679.asp
Re-read the link you posted. They are not seeking to ban tech suits out right. They are seeking to limit the amount of skin they cover and they are asking for at least 12 months of study before a new suit si approved.
This is not seeking a total ban on all tech suits. I agree with Ande,Geek and Fort... let those of us that like tech suits spend our money on them that want too. If you or this or that person doesn't want to use them or believe in them, fine, but stop trying to push your beliefs about swimming on others.
Geek,
You must have only read the inflamatory portions of my posts on this subject. See my post on December 10th to show that I have been consistent that I think the tech suits are good for the sport. I think I mentioned it a few other times as well.
You and Ande just ticked me off with the "idiot" comments regarding non-tech suit wearers. I understand that you were probably trying to combat the lack of logic and swimming experience/expertise of the some of the posters. There is room for everyone in the sport and I really don't see that not wearing the suits is a substantial disadvantage for most masters swimmers, except at the highest levels of the sport. If you are out to compete once in while, not break records, and your training is not optimized, you hardly need a tech suit. I am a decent swimmer, but that is the category I belong in and most masters swimmers probably fall into this category. Everyone likes dropping time so I am sure there is an addictive quality to the suits for even average swimmers. Addiction to the sport is good and progress is good. Records are made to be broken.
I am done with this subject. Back to work. Yes, I do have a job and passed the substance abuse testing.
Preach
...inside a waterproof suit...
AND, having never worn one of these suits or even having held one, what makes you think you can say they are waterproof? They saturate just like any other piece of fabric (perhaps a bit slower).
