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 ?
I think it's clear that most people have basically entrenched themselves into one position or the other on the tech suit issue. Very little said here will change minds. But if you think this is all a tempest in a teapot conjured up by nostalgists and luddites you're kidding yourself.
Keith, great post.
I am struggling with the suits on a personal level. On the one hand I recognize that I'm a "masters" swimmer and that at least for me this is a second career so to speak and not significant in my day to day life as was swimming 25 years ago.
Having said that I do take pride in my ability to "feel' subtle changes in my stroke...I have always been fascinated by the mechanics. There is no doubt to me that I swim faster...significantly faster in this 2nd generation of "fast" suits (the fastskins being the first for me). But i admit this with a degree of regret...in the past I knew when my failings as far as conditioning and technique lost races for me...now as they say take it out hard and the suit will get you home.
I have even recently taken to experimenting with a straight arm recovery knowing that combined with the new suits can generate..in some people..far more speed/power...which i found to be true inrecent work outs where I have been comparing time differneces...but I hate the stroke even though when combined with a B70 I'm .5 faster per 50.
So what to do? i don't know....I've always considered myself a "technical" swimmer...do I give that up for the "easy" way out to faster times with new improved suits and basterdized strokes?
I don't know yet...
Fortunately Jason Lezak, not contractually bound to a manufacturer did just that. He unequivocally thinks it's all a joke. He wants the Jaked banned.
Good for him, seriously. And as I stated before, FINA caused this mess. Period.
Do you think Spitz complained about the Faskskin? OK, bad example...
Change is part of life, and part of sports. You race whoever is there on a given day, not against athletes from the past or the future.
Is Eric Heiden less of a stud because he skated outdoors, versus an indoor, temp-controlled arena? His times have been obliterated, but no one is seriously suggesting he wasn't the greatest of his generation.
T swam her times in a now-outdated lycra suit. Does that mean some girl in a LZR swimming faster today is a better swimmer? Nope.
It's an easy target for a reason. What do you think about it?
I don't expect the LZR to be banned. Should it be? I don't know. I don't have a problem with suits that give an approximate similar advantage to each swimmer. If there's a sizable difference in how a suit impacts different people I think that's a problem. Past times or records can always be contextualized if necessary.
I don't know enough about the Jaked to opine, and have obviously never used it myself. I've never used a new LZR.
I have always thought it is an odd result that the B70 will be banned but the LZR would not. From most accounts, the LZR is a faster suit. So the most performance enhancing suit, owned by a monopolist company, will continue to be legal while a slightly less fast one from a fledgling reputable company is banned? And all because the LZR has slightly less impermeable material, especially on top? Some swimmers think that is actually preferable in terms of body position ...
I have heard, and feel myself, that the B70 has a slightly different effect for different people. How exactly do you think that manifests itself?
Myself, I think times can be contextualized. I don't anticipate sobbing at meets next year, as Ehoch and Jim Thornton have speculated some masters will. I also don't know why you'd have to ... won't there be new versions of B70, LZRs, Pro and other suits? Perhaps more will switch to LZRs for big meets only and use Pros or other tech more frequently? If people typically only care about their times at big taper meets (not me, but many), then I'm not sure there's that much need for disappointment and hand wringing.
Paul:
I don't know about this talk of bastardized strokes, Paul ... everyone does things differently. No right way to do things! As for the "take it out hard, the suit will get you home," nope, I have not experienced this phenomenon. I still die at the end of a 100 fly just as I always have and my split differential is still the same.
Compared to many other sports, sure, swimming isn't expensive , but I'd much rather spend my money on other things. I routinely spent much more money per year to allow my son to play hockey. I spent a couple thousand bucks on my latest road bike but if previous experience is any indication I will own it between ten and twenty years. How long would a tech suit last? How much would I really use it?
Unlike many swimmers here I don't travel great distances to compete. The thought of going to California for a meet? Preposterous! I see that long course nationals are in Indianapolis. Maybe. If I swam times that wouldn't embarass me on the national stage. I don't have any national qualifying times, so I'd be limited to swimming just three events. Kind of defeats the purpose of going unless it's right in my back yard. (Which I doubt it ever will be. Unless and until Chicago gets the 2016 Olympics I doubt it will ever have a natatorium suitable for hosting nationals.)
I pay team and gym fees which get me access to the pool several times a week and I pay for entry to a few meets or postal swims per year. Plus, when the weather is nice and the water temps have risen I can swim in Lake Michigan (priceless!). Relatively speaking, most tech suits are expensive compared to the other costs I incur for the sport.
Maybe if I won the lottery or suddenly started swimming a number of national qualifying times my perspective would change.
Skip
How much did you pay for your last pair of bike shorts?
If you don't want to pay for the "gear" that most competitive swimmers use for meets thats fine...but its kind of silly complaining about those expenses when you're more worried about being embarrased by your times than stepping up and racing more...IMHO.
Why not just congratulate someone for a job well done instead of try to bring them down?
Ok - let's leave anybody on this board out of it, because that was a very poor choice by myself. I congratulate all Masters swimmers on getting up to compete - no matter what the times are.
But - I don't believe in just congratulating Bousquet on swimming under 21 seconds in the 50m Free - like there is nothing else to talk about.
If FINA does a real check on these suits, the "party" will be over by the end of the year. Sure, all the competitions are fair (at least now they are -- unlike last year's Nationals), because we have equal access to the suits.
But right now, we are all trying to swim as fast as possible in suits that will be made illegal in 8 months ?
Either does posting the names of a bunch of Olympians and insinuating that just because they haven't spoken up publicly means they are OK with things.
On the assumption that you are referring to my posting, I'll take the high road and also assume that since some of the more recent swimming greats haven't "publicly" spoken out means that they're secure in their accomplishments, and that they recognize their achievements were made before the technological revolution made times relative.
Of course, maybe they really are all very upset, but only disclose this to the in-crowd. In private.
