From Swimnews

He is such an ass. Did you see his comment about serious swimmers doing it for "vanity" reasons. Is he nuts? This obviously isn't official. But perhaps it indicates that FINA is inclined to say it's new "rules do not apply to masters" on June 19? But then FINA is pretty much admitting this is an 'economic' issue not a performance enhancing one in direct contrast to what they have been harping on up to this point.

I skimmed through the article, and my first thought was this: if masters allows suits that FINA does not, it will marginalize masters. Rightly or wrongly, it will make any times seem suspect. It will be the equivalent of allowing the Sr. Golf Tour players use clubs that aren't legal for the regular tour. To me, one of the best aspects of competing in masters swimming is that there is a seemless shift from 6 and unders to 80 and overs--a sense that in the bell shaped curve of life time performance, we may peak at a certain age, but the sport itself is a constant. I don't know. I guess I'd rather we abide by FINA standards even if it means surrendering some of the easy speed that the best technological suits can offer. I'd rather swimming stay one sport and not bifurcate into a normal and "handicapped" division. When Rich Abrams can break 50 in the 100 freestyle at age 65, that means something to every swimmer, regardless of age. But if younger swimmers are thinking he's done it via rules that don't apply to them, it cheapens his considerable glory. I say: keep it one sport.

My 6 pack has become a keg.

As much of a pain everyone seems to think Mr. Lord is, I agree with his general thesis. We should abide by Fina rules regarding technical suits. If we allow B70 outlawed swim suits, what rule exactly stops me from wearing a wetsuit at the next competition? I also agree with Mr. Lord that FINA seems to be making it up as they go along. They don't seem to know their own bylaws and rulebook. And by the by, the FINA bylaws and rulebook used to be on the fina website but now seem to be gone, anyone know if they are still on the web somewhere?

I think one of the reasons that masters doesn't test for drugs is that some swimmers (older males) are on hormone replacement therapy for medical reasons. Granted, Androgrel massaged into the shoulder shouldn't elevate your testosterone levels the way doping with heavy duty anabolic steroids do, but my understanding is that some substances banned for Olympic competition can become medical necessities (well, maybe not necessities exactly, but enhancements) with advancing age. Maybe because there is virtually no financial incentive, and not a whole lot of glory incentive either, I find it hard to imagine there is rampant doping going on in our ranks. If there is, I say: people this driven to win are suffering enough with OCD. They are already getting punished by their own brains. Suits, on the other hand, are a different matter. A decade or two ago, the tennis industry introduced these oversized tennis balls that were easier to see, a bit slower on the courts, and easier to hit. The idea was that it might behoove the game for older players. The concept, as far as I can see, never caught on. The reason: It's NOT tennis anymore! It's a big slow ball batting sport with racquets. I loved the B70, but I want masters swimming to remain swimming. I don't want it to become a big body boating for old people sealed into neoprene kayaks sport. That, to me, is NOT swimming anymore!

But, Jim, we already do not test for drugs. Don't you think that the elite swimmers would be aware of that? Wouldn't that cheapen master's records in their eyes? We who would believe that our ranks are 'clean' may also fall victim to letters of financial gain from oversees. By the way, it's Abrahams, not Abrams... I don't know, Allen, your keg looked pretty well contained to me at Fresno. We also do not verify qualifying times on entries to Nationals. It's basically an honor system.

And by the by, the FINA bylaws and rulebook used to be on the fina website but now seem to be gone, anyone know if they are still on the web somewhere? Click on Directory in the lefthand side list and a link will drop down for "Rules and Regulations."

Probably because Craig Lord has never had any fun himself, in the pool or out!

LOL! Time to Choose Your Weapon: Elite or Master I Read as: Time to Choose Your Weapon: Elite or SUCK

I'm starting to get the feeling that SwimNews has figured out how to turn crazy talk into traffic. This article smells like "flame bait" to me. He's trying to start an argument where everyone has to go look at his article in order to have an opinion. By pushing all of our buttons he's attempting to shake up the whole online masters community to boost his numbers. On the connection to FINA and Masters, I don't think FINA said yeah do whatever you want... I think USMS said call us when you make an actual decision. He's just trying to make it more exciting and incendiary.