Since there has been observation on this forum that most younger female (not male) swimmers at Nationals wore non-tech suits (the 18-24 and 25-29 groups), I'm curious as to why.
Anyone of that younger group look at this board and care to post reasons? Cost? Controversy over "authenticity" of times when fastest suits are banned? Desire to look hot for guys, as one poster suggests?
Your post makes sense I'm no "pup" but I'm too thrifty for a tech suit at this point. I'd rather spend that money on many other things. That said, I don't think of wearing a regular suit as "adding" time to my swims. I think I'm choosing not to subtract as much time by wearing a tech suit. There's a difference.
Thanks Amy -
I respect your choice and am happy that at least you have a choice.
And all the young pups in their decisions regarding purchasing a costly tech-suit or in choosing not to wear one at all as well.
As far as adding vs. subtracting time?
I don't have a column on my best times list to show what suit I was wearing at the time.
These are simply my best times.
Next year, when the approved suits are listed, I'll wear whatever I have that is legal or change it up.
But the best times I will try to improve on are already set. My goal will be to transcend my swimming from 2009.
It took me quite awhile to get myself into a tech-suit.
When I did, it was only because I was given an extra, unused, last year's model from our senior age-group team stash.
At World's in Perth, a girlfriend of mine shared her FSPro with me since it no longer fit her.
Fort kept encouraging me to buy a B70, but I had to really save up for that one!
I have to laugh WITH the young pups who are denied because of the cost of a tech suit... Because seriously?
As a swim coach, life is very similar to going to college and being a struggling starving student!
But its' totally worth it :)
Contrary to what many believe, most coaches buy their equipment and suits.
Also had to laugh about the earlier thread discussing sharing suits.
I always bring my extra suits to the big meets in case there is a swimmer I find who might enjoy trying one out.
I think an old tech-suit is better than no tech suit.
And it is the only opportunity many of these girls have had to try one out.
Every single girl I have loaned a suit to or convinced to buy one has said, "Why did I wait so long?"
Kind of like the words you hear when someone gets glasses and improves their eyesight.
Ha Ha... I know - I know,
"There's a difference"
:)
You see gentlemen, it's those "cute and charming" little comments that just make me smile, and not get divorced!
I contend that if men COULD multi-task in a productive way (which does NOT include ignoring your wife, you weenie!) that our society could probably evolve another 200 years in just a day!
Karen, alas I think our respective genders are somewhat the product of our respective hormonal milieu in the womb. A greater proportion of testosterone during critical periods of development seems to lengthen and thin the corpus collosum, which serves as the major connecting cable of sorts, between the two brain hemispheres in men. Women tend to have shorter, fatter corpus collosi. Thus the theory is that you can better integrate your thinking, multiprocess, and benefit from "intuition"--which is really a kind of global processing of information that comes up with the right answser but can sometimes be hard to explain logically where that right answer came from.
We males, on the other hand, are (or so the theory goes) able to focus a lot of attention, almost obsessively so, on one thing at a time. Your husband may not be great at doing all kinds of projects simultaneously, but I am willing to bet that if he starts something, he probably will stay at it much longer than you would feel comfortable doing so, and keep at it till it's done.
One of the theories for why autism strikes so many more boys than girls is actually that the brains of people with the disorder are supermasculinized, cognitively speaking. Asperger's kids, for instance, get so obsessed by a single topic they learn everything there is to learn about it, while ignoring everything else.
Women are very good at reading people's faces and emotions; men much less so; autistic people not at all.
Interestingly, the psychiatrist who came up with this testosterone in the womb theory of autism is the brother of the guy who played Borat. Can't remember the doctor's first name, but he is a Baron-Cohen, too.
In summary: if you have sons, and feel sympathy for how their brains are constructed, try to see that your husband's brain is constructed similarly, and cut him some slack!
Interesting.
I do get the whole "we're different" thing, however I do think man has a pretty good grasp on free choice. I've noted that usually when something is important, and multi-tasking is indeed involved, it does get done (again, only using my hubby as an example).
Guys CAN multi-task if it's important enough to them, I guess is my point. The problem lies, therein, are the same things important to men and women?
(Perhaps we should take this to the NSR thread?)
Back at least somewhat toward the topic . . . at Clovis, like-minded lascivious Cro-Magnon cave dwellers and I voted Nike tanks as the best suit cut for young pups. I'm guessing the suits are as fast as any other non-tech tank, but the cuts were superior -- at least in the criteria that mattered to us.
B70s can be quite flattering as well, especially when the viewer of the B70-clad subject is lost in the fog of a good endorphin buzz.
I said productive, not reproductive!
Now be a good weenie and just rest quietly on this little bun. Can I get you some ketchup?
(I guess we all know that Phelps can multi task)
:lmao:
Karen- you just don't get it...we can multi-non-task, cheerfully ignoring our various tasks while basking in our testosterone induced fog while we go on doing whatever we feel like doing. Women are envious of our ability to be oblivious of that which is needful to be done, so they seek to shatter our serenity.
They are very good at that.
It's a good point - I think some of us still live with the "old way of thinking". You trained hard all season - most in season races did not really matter, because you can't swim fast unshaved and untapered. I remember doing long workouts right before big dual meets. You often see kids wear drag suits in small meets.
I agree, and I think we still have a tendency to almost not want to swim too fast in season. It's sort of like we've let the genie out of the bottle too soon! It's sort of a silly way of thinking, but I know I expect to swim much faster at my taper meet and if I don't it's sort of a letdown even if the time is good.
I think that as a "pup" you are trained to go fast no matter what. I remember some of my best high school in-season meets were done not ONLY wearing lycra suits but also after some tough workouts (for some reason, my coach thought that we were slacking off....)
I, personally, would much rather see a tech suit than a non-tech suit. As my mom would say, "it leaves more to the imagination" :D
