Any winning swimmers in non-tech suits?

Ugh. Oh well. I guess if I ever get to a competitive level, I will have to get with the times. Can anyone recommend a suit that is competitive that is not controversial and not terribly expensive (ie: $100 or less) ?

Anyone can swim faster through the use of paddles and flippers than by wearing a tech suit so why not allow them (and a bunch of other aids like snorkels and buoyancy enhancers) too? Dolphin 2 Would you PLEASE give this a rest. Get some new points or go play with an elevator or do something else other than dredge up the same comment over and over and over and over again.

I found this interesting. www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../21308.asp

As many have stated before, any record set by the use of a tech suit -or any other mechanical aid for that matter- are really moot. Anyone can swim faster through the use of paddles and flippers than by wearing a tech suit so why not allow them (and a bunch of other aids like snorkels and buoyancy enhancers) too? If FINA keeps allowing swimming to become more and more mechanized, winning and setting records won't mean jack. :2cents: Dolphin 2

To make the Olympic team, you have to finish in the top 2 at the Olympic Trials and that is much harder (in most events) then making an Olympic final. The 400 IM at trails was so difficult that a 4:09 400 IMer elected not to swim the race because he did not think that he could crack the top 2. That is considerably faster than the 4:13 that was 8th at the Olympics. I'll admit that it is conjecture on my part to assume Vendt would have done the race if Phelps were in a speedo, but isn't conjecture what forums are all about! It would be dumb to suggest that Phelps couldn't make the Olympic team if he were to only wear an FSPro jammer, as he has put up times in that suit that would have qualified him. By non-tech suit, I was thinking "speedo brief." I think his best shot would have been the 800 free relay....

It would be dumb to suggest that Phelps couldn't make the Olympic team if he were to only wear an FSPro jammer, as he has put up times in that suit that would have qualified him. By non-tech suit, I was thinking "speedo brief." I think his best shot would have been the 800 free relay.... Well, I have a hard time thinking that jammers are "technical suits" since I see 8-yo summer league swimmers in them. Maybe not FS-Pros, but those are virtually old-style paper suits in fancy glossing. But even granting that point... The second place finisher in the 200 fly at US Trials was 1:53.86. I don't know what the 3rd place finisher was, but we are talking almost 2 seconds here. So you essentially think a jammer has a 1 second/100 advantage over a brief. We'll just have to disagree about that.

Thanks for the suit info Chris. I was actually looking at the FS-Pro Jammer. I dont know if I would feel comfortable racing with my entire leg covered. Fabric/technology aside, is a jammer better for racing than a brief of the same material? The handful of times I've been on the Top Ten lists have been with a pair of jammers. I've tried the legskins and decided that I like jammers better. Maybe because I prefer the feel of the water? Legskins feel like teflon leotards. (And so far the legskin times are on par with the jammer results, but that may be because they're both not full suits.) As far as trying a full suit, maybe one day. My friend borrowed one at our last meet and he had a big breakthrough in his 200 free. It was convincing evidence that the suit had everything to do with his best time. Perhaps both mentally and physically. He purchased one straight away.

I don't think that Phelps would win a single gold medal without a tech suit, in fact I don't think he would make the Olympic team. But either way that is just an opinion so I won't try to convice you! However, in comparison to the competition, Phelps best event is the 200 free. The #2 in the wold swimmer in the 200 free, Park Tae-wan is 1.83% slower than Phelps (1:42.96 / 1:44.85). IN the 400 IM Laszlo Cseh is only 0.95% slower (4:03.84 vs 4:06.16). I think Phelps 2nd best event is the 200 IM; his best is a little more than 1% faster than Lochte's best. Not even make the Olympic team? No way. Heck, he set the 200 fly WR the summer before -- the one he barely broke at the Olympics (though his goggles filled up) -- using jammers (which I don't consider true "technical suits.") I don't think anyone else in the world has gone that fast yet. Here is a video of the swim YouTube - 200M Butterfly Melbourne Phelps According to this blog, the effect of the tech suits on men averages in the neighborhood of 1.5-2.0%, to put the numbers you gave into some context.

Well, I have a hard time thinking that jammers are "technical suits" since I see 8-yo summer league swimmers in them. Maybe not FS-Pros, but those are virtually old-style paper suits in fancy glossing. But even granting that point... Chris, I was going to wear a FS Pro for the first time tomorrow. . . But would you say my Full skin FS II would be faster?!

Phelps could have gone 10 seconds slower in the 400 IM and still been in the top 8 at the Olympics. I just can not buy the a suit (no matter how advanced) would account for 2.5 seconds per 100!! In fact, Phelps 400 IM time from 2002 would have still placed in the top 8 of the finals at the 2008 Olympics. I assume he was in a generation 1 "tech suit", so not exactly a brief but not a LZR by any means either! Is someone out there willing to tell me that a swim suit has accounted for over a 9 second time drop between 2002 and 2008? I don't think so!