One Man's Suit Rant

I do not have strong feelings either way about the tech suit phenomenon. I enjoy racing, and as long I am as "well-equipped" as my competitors, I don't mind if we race in Weismuller wool suits, 1980s paper suits, or BlueSeventies. When the FINA announcement came down in mid May with a list of approved suits, I thought it would made sense to quickly pick up an "approved" suit in time for LCM nationals in August. I thought there would be some sort of appeals process for the makers of unapproved suits, but I expected the FINA bureaucracy to drag it out for weeks and months - with the possible outcome being "nothing's changed" - and the existing supply of approved suits disappearing into the clutches of masters floaters across the country. So the "approved" suit purchase was my back-up plan, and maybe more. Since I despise Speedo, I began to look at some of the alternatives to the L(o)Z(e)R. Well, the TYR Tracer Rise is apparently not available to mortals like me; the approved Jaked likewise. The Arena Powerskin Revolution? Nope. So I ended up ordering the Rocket Science suit - apparently just like a banned B70, but different enough (WTF?) to be approved... According to the RS rep, the reason is that the fabric that underlies the neoprene coating is "different". The suit arrives today - we shall see. Now, FINA are stating that some or all of the unapproved suits may yet still be permitted for this summer season (i.e. WC's in Rome). But, they say, beginning in 2010 all this tech suit advancement will come to an end, and we will go back to the good old days, when it was about the swimmer and not the suit. While I call BS on that premise to begin with, what does it mean for a swimmer who is considering where to spend his hard-earned suit dollars? On an approved suit that may well be banned in 5 months? Or wait until late 2009 for a new list of approved suits, and then hope that the manufacturer (who thinks any company other than Speedo will have a suit ready?) can produce a few hundred thousand before March? I am pissed. :bitching: I have always had an intense dislike for the IOC/FINA/FIFA bureaucrats, but I think that the swimming federation now has lost all credibility with its athletes, its coaches (maybe with the exception of Schubert), and with its fans. Time to have a revolt. YMMV.