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
ok, i have to weigh in.
first, i can't believe that ande would set out to offend anyone. he is nicer than me by a fair margin and exponentially nicer than geek.
i might argue semantics here and say that i can have an anchor strapped to my ass and still swim as fast as i can.
i still wonder how the pros outnumbered the cons by about 10 for months and now that margin is double.
have some people reregistered on the forum just to tilt the scale of this poll? if thats the case (i suspect it is) then that is the real story here.... and i think it might expose the dark side of masters swimming (i do love a good conspiracy theory)
I just don't get the idea of how using a tech suit for racing in swimming is any kind of athletic achievement anyway. :confused:
That's because you've never been on a swim team, never been in a meet, never competed in swimming of any sort, never worn a fast suit, despite telling us you had at one point, never been around a club team, never been on or around a USMS team. Other than that, you are fully credentialed to speak on swimming.
I just don't get the idea of how using a tech suit for racing in swimming is any kind of athletic achievement anyway. :confused:
If you really want to be in a "racey" sport, then get into NASCAR. But if you want to race in swimming, then just be a good swimmer.
Nut job.
How's that for nicey mcnice, Tim?
I do propose an improvement. If we could raise the material up a bit, say to just below the nose, it would solve most people's problems.
2 POINTS!!!!!!!!!! :rofl:
1. at what point do the tech suits become unreasonable?
They become unreasonable when they exceed the price you are willing to pay for them. And, then, as now, it's an individual decision.
pot stirring time:
two more topics for poll/discussion relating to this subject.
1. at what point do the tech suits become unreasonable?
a- $500 suit = (-).5 sec pre 100 yds
b- $1,000 suit = (-)1 second per 100 yds
c- $5,000 suit = (-) 2 seconds per 100 yards
you get the idea. so i would love to hear from the pro suits here.
2. how many folks on this forum in favor of the tech suits are in fact not paying for them? come on.... full disclosure here.
1- a is about the limit for me this year, it would have been a little more several years ago but then again, I paid only $290 of my B70
2 - I definately pay for mine.
Hey Chaos
The point that tech suits become unreasonable is when a person's credit card debt gets so large they go belly up buying them, can't make their rent or mortgage payments or car payments, wind up living on the street, and eating at a soup kitchen. :badday:
And most of the middle class is about two months from being in that prediament.
Dolphin 2
And yet that is a decision that every individual must make for themselves and not have self-appointed protectors, such as yourself, make for them.
Hmm, I would think that a $3000 mortgage payment would be more of a factor. But that's just me. Using that figure I could buy 2 suits a month, pay my mortgage and still have enough left to buy groceries.
What if the manufacturer deems you not worthy of purchasing their suit, and decides to sell or give fastest suit to your competitor?
Interesting hypothetical. But that's all it is.
Once again, you open your mouth and prove you don't know anything about competive swimming or kids.
Yea, the suits aren't easy to get on, no one has argued that point. But every kid that I have coached and swim with at practice, LOVES getting the tech suits.
They look forward to the championship meets where their coaches allow them to wear their tech suits.
Kids don't view the suits a hassle to race in, the look forward to the meets where they are able to wear them. They love the feeling of diving in with the tech suits on and RACING with them.
The tech suits makes things better because the kids love to get them and race in them.
Hey Thewookie
I just don't get the idea of how using a tech suit for racing in swimming is any kind of athletic achievement anyway. :confused:
If all you want to do is just swim for the thrill of racing, the most effective way to increase your speed is to increase your propulsion -and this can be done by simply putting on a set of paddles and flippers. They aren't as gimmicky as an expensive "tech suit", but they definitely make swimming more racey. :blah:
If you really want to be in a "racey" sport, then get into NASCAR. But if you want to race in swimming, then just be a good swimmer. :agree:
Dolphin 2
what about part 2 of that .......at what point does the tech suit time advantage become unreasonable? 1 sec/100yd? 2 sec/100yd? etc. i don't expect there to be a universal agreement on this but i am curious to know what everyone thinks about this?
To me, it's irrelevant. If you want the speed and can afford it, buy it.
