Read the article "What's Up with the Suits?" by John Leonard at the following site:
http://www.swimmingcoach.org/
Now note that he sat on the FINA "Commission for Swimwear Approval" that produced the current fiasco:
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../21315.asp
My prediction, FWIW, is that post 01-01-2010, men will be back into FS Pro Jammers (read" paper suits), and women into traditional tanks. Isn't that the only way to be "pure" and eliminate compression, buoyancy, air-trapping, drag reduction, etc?
Perhaps we should also get rid of goggles and silicone caps, since they also represent technological breaks with the past.
While I am happy to race in any type of suit, as long as it is a level playing field (and I consider LZR, B70, Jaked, AquaZone, Tracer Rise, Powerskin, etc to be level enough), I am nauseated by the "purist" argument that swimming has become all about the suits. It has not. Everyone has access to a LZR, or a B70, or ... So it is still racing, only in different equipment. Yes, a less-fit swimmer with poor technique may be aided more by the suits than a fit swimmer with good technique. But certainly not enough to beat the latter.
The purist argument is based on the dramatic drops in times achieved with the new suits. So what? Does the fact that Bousquet and cohorts are setting records minimize Biondi's accmplishments; or Popov's/Jager's/Thorpe's/Salinkov's/Spitz's? Of course not.:bitching:
Somebody find a way to get rid of FINA, please. And mute Craig Lord, while you're at it...:bitching:
The thing is with the rash of new suits--that haven't necessarily been available to everyone--over the past year or two, we really have no idea how much is due to the suits and how much is due to other factors. When someone breaks a world record I'd rather the first thought that crosses most peoples' minds is "wow, what a great swim!" rather than "what suit were they wearing?" I think ideally we should eliminate tech suits, but I'm happy with clearly defined rules for suits.
The thing is with the rash of new suits--that haven't necessarily been available to everyone--over the past year or two, we really have no idea how much is due to the suits and how much is due to other factors. When someone breaks a world record I'd rather the first thought that crosses most peoples' minds is "wow, what a great swim!" rather than "what suit were they wearing?" I think ideally we should eliminate tech suits, but I'm happy with clearly defined rules for suits.
