Just When The LZR Thought It Was Safe
Craig Lord
May 26, 2009
Just when the LZR-crew thought it was safe to get back in the water, blueseventy suits, the Jaked01, the arena X-Glide and other apparel that pumps performance past the natural state of the swimmer may yet be resurrected - unmodified.
After complaints from blueseventy that tests conducted by Prof Jan-Anders Manson and team in Lausanne were not sufficient to judge a suit under the terms of the Dubai Charter, new tests are being carried out and by Friday this week the world of swimming and the Rome 2009 form guide may have shifted once more. If uncertainty ruled the swimming world just two weeks ago, the relative certainty of a published list of approved suits for the rest of 2009 is set to be short-lived.
Blueseventy, omitted from the list of approved suits last week, has had a chat with FINA and has called for its suits be retested when stretched on a swimmer because the Dubai Charter mentions "when in use" in relation to the air-trapping properties of suits. When in use, suits are stretched.
A source confirmed to SwimNews that Prof Manson is now, somewhat tardily, restesting suits in a stretched position. Suit makers are confident that this time round, their surfboards will make it back into the race pool.
If they do, the credibility of the independent testing process - which between five and three months ago was made aware on several occasions from different experts of the need to test fabric in conditions that replicated those in play when a swimmer is racing - and the FINA executive will reach an all-time low.
While the retesting of unmodified suits that did not make it on to the approved list a week ago may be fair, the entire first round of the "independent testing regime" will have been a vast waste of time, money and energy. The whole point of the testing was to identify and eliminate performance enhancement. As things are, the testing process looks like a half-way house, with the LZR still in the water but the 100% and almost 100% non-textile suits gone.
If the latter make it back to the race pool, the world of swimming will know that FINA gave Prof Manson the wrong brief and charges of incompetence are likely to be legion, given the criticism already flowing from the decisions made a week ago and the lack of any decision that rids the sport of its fast-suits crisis.
A senior source said: "It looks like being a lively session at FINA on Friday. One way or another, this summer may be lost in terms of hoping that we will get back to fair sport that no-one can argue with. The good news for 2010 is that what's happened of late has made a lot of people in FINA quite angry and ready to say 'enough', suits must be textile and they must be permeable. That means that all current suits likely to be worn in Rome will have to go."
June 19 is the date by which a final list with the decisions on modified suits resubmitted for testing after having failed the first round will be complete. Only then, one month before the world championships opens in Rome, will swimmers, coaches and teams know which suit will be in fashion for the race pool for this season - and this season only (perhaps).
from www.swimnews.com/.../6885
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Former Member
Putting aside the B70 then, you feel like your SCY 2008 rankings went up because of the FS II?! I'm not buying that. I'm sure all your competitors were wearing FS IIs or Pros by then. TRUE! Rankings are a reflection of many factors. Which is why I then look at my own personal times. When I bought, I dropped!
For me, as I've said before, comparing times in a poly practice suit and a tech suit is irrelevant and like comparing apples and oranges.
For me, the reason I wanted to swim some events at a meet in a poly was b/c I really believed that I was swimming much faster now as compared to when I was a kid. (I really believed this when I hit some fast-ish times in tech suits.) I found my hypothesis to be far from true! What a rude awakening! :D In comparing poly-adult times to poly-kid times - I'm the same or much slower! So, it's just something for me to consider before I start claiming that I'm training faster, better, stronger - which I would have claimed a while back after hitting some decent tech-suit times.
And no one is wearing a practice suit at a taper meet or other meet where they want their times to "count." Rankings virtually always reflect tech suit usage.
First statement is not true. I swam Nationals in a $30 Dolphin suit (sorry, I didn't know any better). And there are two gals on my masters team who swam in polys and not only received #1 in the nation rankings but also broke the national records - yes, in the younger 18-24 age group. But yes to your second statement. I agree on the "virtually always." But I can almost always come up with an exception to the rule! :D
I know some think improved times only reflect B70 use, and I don't feel like arguing about that anymore.) Moreover, almost all of my competitors were wearing B70s or LZRs, so the tech suit playing field was theoretically even. If that playing field is even, doesn't a ranking change necessarily reflect something else? Could be anything such as the factors Chris mentioned above, obviously. Absolutely! Which is why I look at other factors in addition to Top 10. As we well know, some great swims can be thrown out or never even counted.
If you are just racing yourself, and don't care about your competition, wear the same suit always. Then you'll have a somewhat better comparison. I think most of us are doing some combination of racing ourselves vs. our competition.
I have almost never seen myself on video. However, I am always quite aware of the numerous mistakes I make in races. This is an incredible talent to have. I thought I was Michael Phelps in my races until I saw some of them. Ugh!!! For the most part, what I think I'm doing is not reality. I think many swimmers have this issue.
Putting aside the B70 then, you feel like your SCY 2008 rankings went up because of the FS II?! I'm not buying that. I'm sure all your competitors were wearing FS IIs or Pros by then. TRUE! Rankings are a reflection of many factors. Which is why I then look at my own personal times. When I bought, I dropped!
For me, as I've said before, comparing times in a poly practice suit and a tech suit is irrelevant and like comparing apples and oranges.
For me, the reason I wanted to swim some events at a meet in a poly was b/c I really believed that I was swimming much faster now as compared to when I was a kid. (I really believed this when I hit some fast-ish times in tech suits.) I found my hypothesis to be far from true! What a rude awakening! :D In comparing poly-adult times to poly-kid times - I'm the same or much slower! So, it's just something for me to consider before I start claiming that I'm training faster, better, stronger - which I would have claimed a while back after hitting some decent tech-suit times.
And no one is wearing a practice suit at a taper meet or other meet where they want their times to "count." Rankings virtually always reflect tech suit usage.
First statement is not true. I swam Nationals in a $30 Dolphin suit (sorry, I didn't know any better). And there are two gals on my masters team who swam in polys and not only received #1 in the nation rankings but also broke the national records - yes, in the younger 18-24 age group. But yes to your second statement. I agree on the "virtually always." But I can almost always come up with an exception to the rule! :D
I know some think improved times only reflect B70 use, and I don't feel like arguing about that anymore.) Moreover, almost all of my competitors were wearing B70s or LZRs, so the tech suit playing field was theoretically even. If that playing field is even, doesn't a ranking change necessarily reflect something else? Could be anything such as the factors Chris mentioned above, obviously. Absolutely! Which is why I look at other factors in addition to Top 10. As we well know, some great swims can be thrown out or never even counted.
If you are just racing yourself, and don't care about your competition, wear the same suit always. Then you'll have a somewhat better comparison. I think most of us are doing some combination of racing ourselves vs. our competition.
I have almost never seen myself on video. However, I am always quite aware of the numerous mistakes I make in races. This is an incredible talent to have. I thought I was Michael Phelps in my races until I saw some of them. Ugh!!! For the most part, what I think I'm doing is not reality. I think many swimmers have this issue.
