I think we can all be certain that the suits are here to stay -- love them, hate them, it does not really matter -- Speedo, TYR and the others will not allow the suits to all over sudden disappear.
But, we as Masters swimmers have to make a decision about our own reasoning to compete -- why do we compete in swim meets ?
There are many reasons - social, participating in a sport beats the hell out of watching one on TV and so on --- but for me, 2 of the main reasons are the competition aspects. We obviously compete against other swimmers --- but more than maybe many other sports, we compete against ourselves. I can tell you my best 100 Free from every season over the last 30 years (10 of which I did not compete).
I have used most of the suits and did very well -- I set some personal bests and also achieved some record swims, but I have no idea how my times really compare to other seasons. I can keep telling myself that all that speedwork and lifting paid off - but I just don't know.
I like to give a golf comparison -- let's say you have a home course and you always shoot in the low 90s going from the Blue Tees --- well guess what, if you are going from the white tees you will probably average high 80s and going from the red you may get down to the mid to low 80s. But you are not a better player because of it. The LZR seems to be the "white tees" and the new Jaked suit may be the "red tees".
I think we really have to make a decision now to what matters more -- your personal records and history of swimming or the competition against other swimmers ? For me, this may change from meet to meet - but I must be able to stay honest with myself and be able to compare my times -- I do not want to be cheating myself.
Old generations suits (Fastskin Pro) only for: all major Masters meets (individual swims) except for Worlds. That means, I am ok to lose a few places in a meet, in order to know what my time really means. I could just go really old school -- but I think the older generation suits are pretty equal to shaving -- and they allow you to be "shaved" and swim fast in season, which is a huge plus.
LZR / Blue70 for: relays, Worlds and maybe some USS meets, if I am going for a time standard. I want to give any relay my fastest time possible - I swimming Worlds to win the title, so if others use the suits, I will have to do the same - if I go to USS meets, I may use them to get into the finals or to make a time standard for a big meet.
It may take some adjustments - but I think it will work --
Who is with me ?
Parents
Former Member
hmmm -- I am just trying to cope with what's been going on --- here are few quotes from Swim News coaches:
"A lot of harm has already been done. We can go back if there is a strong will. But the damage is done. I hope coaches are moved to take a stand. I'm tired, disappointed for my swimmers. I don't recognise some swimmers. One is disillusioned. And what's it all for? A swimmer you coach for 10 years, that gets up at six every day to swim, who swims 10,000km a year, does five hours of weights a week. All that reduced to nothing by a suit? Marvelous." - Denis Auguin, coach to Alan Bernard, the first sub-47 man.
"These types of materials favour lesser swimmers. The apearance of new suits last year accelerated things. On the other hand the finishing places were the same ... The swimmer who was 18th or 40th before was not 2nd or 3rd," said Auguin, who has obviously forgotten some results: such as an Italian women's 4x200m free team the fastest European quartet, inside 7:50. Never before. Not even close. The examples are legion, and many of them can be found among those who wore the LZR, not just the suits that came to the fore in time for the Rijeka riot.
Today," he adds, "I'm tired, disappointed for my swimmers. I don't recognise some swimmers. One is disillusioned. And what's it all for? A swimmer you coach for 10 years, that gets up at six every day to swim, who swims 10,000km a year, does five hours of weights a week. All that reduced to nothing by a suit? Marvelous."
Meanwhile, make way for our 16-year-old hero of the day. Yannick Agnel, coached by Fabrice Pellerin in Nice and a French junior champion, stands tall not only because he is 2m from the soles of his feet to his crown: in Montpellier he showed up at his blocks in briefs, just missed his 200m free best, with a 1:51.02 effort and said: "I've always swum in briefs and I see no reason to change that. I wanted to show that you can do honorable times without a supersonic suit."
A sign of the times: before he stepped up to his blocks an official asked him if he would be wearing something below his bodysuit. He said he would be wearing nothing under his briefs. After his race, he said that he had no regrets even though he missed his best by about half a second. "I'm staying pure ... a wildcard for the future. There is something important at stake. When I reach a barrier, perhaps it is that that will drive me to find the missing tenths or seconds." In other words, not simply by donning the latest supersuit.
Bravo! Yannick Agnel. A boy who in speaking to L'Equipe proved himself to be more of a man than those coaches who are still happy to seek plaudits for pupils whose performances relied on a prop and more of a man than those who govern the sport of swimming and who have not yet shown that they have truly understood the crisis nor found the courage of the convictions that they ought to have - let alone come anywhere close to expressing them publicly, as they should have done in order to preserve the special nature of the sport that they are supposed to be guardians of.
hmmm -- I am just trying to cope with what's been going on --- here are few quotes from Swim News coaches:
"A lot of harm has already been done. We can go back if there is a strong will. But the damage is done. I hope coaches are moved to take a stand. I'm tired, disappointed for my swimmers. I don't recognise some swimmers. One is disillusioned. And what's it all for? A swimmer you coach for 10 years, that gets up at six every day to swim, who swims 10,000km a year, does five hours of weights a week. All that reduced to nothing by a suit? Marvelous." - Denis Auguin, coach to Alan Bernard, the first sub-47 man.
"These types of materials favour lesser swimmers. The apearance of new suits last year accelerated things. On the other hand the finishing places were the same ... The swimmer who was 18th or 40th before was not 2nd or 3rd," said Auguin, who has obviously forgotten some results: such as an Italian women's 4x200m free team the fastest European quartet, inside 7:50. Never before. Not even close. The examples are legion, and many of them can be found among those who wore the LZR, not just the suits that came to the fore in time for the Rijeka riot.
Today," he adds, "I'm tired, disappointed for my swimmers. I don't recognise some swimmers. One is disillusioned. And what's it all for? A swimmer you coach for 10 years, that gets up at six every day to swim, who swims 10,000km a year, does five hours of weights a week. All that reduced to nothing by a suit? Marvelous."
Meanwhile, make way for our 16-year-old hero of the day. Yannick Agnel, coached by Fabrice Pellerin in Nice and a French junior champion, stands tall not only because he is 2m from the soles of his feet to his crown: in Montpellier he showed up at his blocks in briefs, just missed his 200m free best, with a 1:51.02 effort and said: "I've always swum in briefs and I see no reason to change that. I wanted to show that you can do honorable times without a supersonic suit."
A sign of the times: before he stepped up to his blocks an official asked him if he would be wearing something below his bodysuit. He said he would be wearing nothing under his briefs. After his race, he said that he had no regrets even though he missed his best by about half a second. "I'm staying pure ... a wildcard for the future. There is something important at stake. When I reach a barrier, perhaps it is that that will drive me to find the missing tenths or seconds." In other words, not simply by donning the latest supersuit.
Bravo! Yannick Agnel. A boy who in speaking to L'Equipe proved himself to be more of a man than those coaches who are still happy to seek plaudits for pupils whose performances relied on a prop and more of a man than those who govern the sport of swimming and who have not yet shown that they have truly understood the crisis nor found the courage of the convictions that they ought to have - let alone come anywhere close to expressing them publicly, as they should have done in order to preserve the special nature of the sport that they are supposed to be guardians of.
