OK - the "Suits" started the whole thing, so you can say that FINA and the manufacturers are responsible for the entire mess. But, there are ways to handle a situation without creating this silly mess. If you ever read Swimnews, the author Craig Lord, basically makes the suits out to be the devil and he is the Spanish inquisition. Why can't they just voice their opinion and then move on for the good of the sport.
Most main stream journallists have no idea about suits, records and all of that - they take their stories from the coaches and swimmers. The more the coaches and swimmers complain the worse the public, non-swimming perception will be - it's that simple. How about just saying - "I would prefer for the suits to changed - but Worlds are swimmer against swimmer - everybody can wear whatever suit they want and they are all available. In the end it comes down to the swimmer not the suit."
Michael Phelps was not world athlete of the year in 2008, not just because of the suits, but because of all the talk about them !
L'Equipe is now banning any record note in their newspaper and I am sure the coverage of Worlds will be terrible. Well - they are French, but it's still a big blow to the sport.
I don't read speed skaters complaining about a new track being the fastest in the world - they can only set records in certain places. I don't see the track cyclists making a huge affair out of a new faster cycling track that allows athletes to blow away all the records. I did not see the outrage when they changed the backstroke turn rule - how much is that in a 200 back ? About a second ? How much faster is allowing a dolphin kick off the wall in *** ? How much faster is allowing in regular Breaststroke to put your head underwater ??
I think there has to be a way to discuss it and not make it take over the sport -- by the way, I am actually against the suits, I would love for them to go back to regular suits. But at the same time, I also embrace new technology, I have a Blue 70 and a LZR.
I've got the solution. FINA should throw out the "permeability" and "no air trapping" requirements. Everyone seems to agree that air trapping occurs in most suits and the permeability requirement is already subsumed by the "buoyancy" and "thickness" standards. Instead, FINA should mandate a "durability" requirement for tech suits. Yes, it's a bit amorphous, but I'm sure all the creative thinkers out there could come up with some standards and enforcement procedures (e.g., suits cannot have notoriously faulty zippers and must last more than 5 swims before stretching or ripping). Then, the escalating cost issues would be mitigated somewhat, the suit manufacturers wouldn't benefit from planned obsolescence, suits would be usable instead of disposable, and the sport could advance technologically without sending us back a century to tanks and briefs. I'd much rather see FINA wring its hands over enforcing durability than regress, give up entirely on suit regulation, or continue to dwell on permeability.
I've got the solution. FINA should throw out the "permeability" and "no air trapping" requirements. Everyone seems to agree that air trapping occurs in most suits and the permeability requirement is already subsumed by the "buoyancy" and "thickness" standards. Instead, FINA should mandate a "durability" requirement for tech suits. Yes, it's a bit amorphous, but I'm sure all the creative thinkers out there could come up with some standards and enforcement procedures (e.g., suits cannot have notoriously faulty zippers and must last more than 5 swims before stretching or ripping). Then, the escalating cost issues would be mitigated somewhat, the suit manufacturers wouldn't benefit from planned obsolescence, suits would be usable instead of disposable, and the sport could advance technologically without sending us back a century to tanks and briefs. I'd much rather see FINA wring its hands over enforcing durability than regress, give up entirely on suit regulation, or continue to dwell on permeability.
