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?
More tech suit fallout:
Unbelievable news out of the NCAA today. Because of the effects of technical suits - suits which were not deemed to have an effect when they were reinstituted late last summer - the committee has moved to add 67 slots to the competitor caps.
www.collegeswimming.com/.../
This is just a one-time deal for 2009 because so many swimmers have achieved the cuts.
I remember back when the 2009 NCAA cuts were announced everyone was thinking all the A cuts looked ridiculously fast. Now, it turns out, they weren't fast enough!
Hi
Because I can
I do:
Wear a compression legskin (modesty layer)
wear a FSII
Duct tape across abbs and chest and quads on FSII
wear a sz 28 nero comp full over it all
(oh and BTW, viagra/cialis does work as a legal sports PED FWIW)
I wish all I could wear was a poly jammer
but the above is legal and I go from 59 to 56 per 100 yards
faster is good(er)
TP
with drug testing being conducted via the 'honour system, I fear that both my swim and tri fields of comp are not 100% level
oh well
Tom,
Are you serious? If so, are you a masters swimmer? How prevalent do you think this practice is? That's a lot of effort for a swim ... I don't think the compression legskin is acting as a modesty layer though. It's performance enhancing too.
I'm sorry, and this isn't directed at anyone in particular, but what is up with a modesty layer? COME ON. For most here, this is MASTERS. We're adults. The mere fact that most all of us run around in swimsuits daily (or try to) is there really a modesty issue?
IMHO, it's crap. Unless someone can show me a better reason than "feeling embarrassed."
Tom,
Are you serious? If so, are you a masters swimmer? How prevalent do you think this practice is? That's a lot of effort for a swim ... I don't think the compression legskin is acting as a modesty layer though. It's performance enhancing too.
Quite possibly, he is the same Tom Price who has won Ironman Canada twice, among other awesome achievements.
www.ironman.ca/history.php
If so... :bow:
Wetsuits are inherently bouyant, being constructed of various thicknesses of flexible closed cell foam.
Is it possible that tech suits, while not inherently bouyant, acheive some bouyancy by trapping air against the body at inward body contours, small and large?
Hi
Because I can
I do:
Wear a compression legskin (modesty layer)
wear a FSII
Duct tape across abbs and chest and quads on FSII
wear a sz 28 nero comp full over it all
(oh and BTW, viagra/cialis does work as a legal sports PED FWIW)
I wish all I could wear was a poly jammer
but the above is legal and I go from 59 to 56 per 100 yards
faster is good(er)
TP
with drug testing being conducted via the 'honour system, I fear that both my swim and tri fields of comp are not 100% level
oh well
I'm sorry, and this isn't directed at anyone in particular, but what is up with a modesty layer? COME ON. For most here, this is MASTERS. We're adults. The mere fact that most all of us run around in swimsuits daily (or try to) is there really a modesty issue?
IMHO, it's crap. Unless someone can show me a better reason than "feeling embarrassed."
For convenience: so I don't need to go to the locker room to take it off after the race.
For emergencies: in case the B70 rips badly just before the race, so I can strip it off quickly and still swim.
But don't sell modesty short, I'm sure the timers in Paul Smith's lane wished that he was wearing briefs when the seat of his B70 ripped at LCM nationals. :)
The buoyancy issue is one on which I think FINA is deliberately dragging their feet -- b/c legit suits are not supposed to be buoyant -- and in which the suit manufacturers are being coy.
Most swimmers feel some buoyancy with the suits, though it may be only temporary (as water displaces trapped air).
I'm sorry, and this isn't directed at anyone in particular, but what is up with a modesty layer?
Since you mentioned your girls, I guess it's my duty to mention the boys. Like yours, ours might hang a little lower when we age! I think wearing briefs under a full body suit can help keep the boys in place. The full body suits are sort of like a cheap hotel: no ball room. :banana:
I'm sorry, and this isn't directed at anyone in particular, but what is up with a modesty layer? COME ON. For most here, this is MASTERS. We're adults. The mere fact that most all of us run around in swimsuits daily (or try to) is there really a modesty issue?
IMHO, it's crap. Unless someone can show me a better reason than "feeling embarrassed."
Does that have something to do with the viagra/cialis ? :)
