If the full body rubber suits do end up getting banned, why should USMS follow their lead on this issue? (i.e. assuming the suits would continue to be manufactured).
Isn't Masters mostly for each individual to pursue what they want and the level they want out of the sport?
If the full body suit is preferred by many USMS participants, why not satisfy the base by keeping it available?
What's really the point of forcing old USMS swimmers out of their girdles if FINA bans them?
John Smith
If/when FINA gets rid of them (and unlike Tim L, I think the rubber suits will soon be gone for good), I think that for all practical purposes they will be gone from masters competitions once the current stock gets used up, though that may take some time.
The cynical part of me just thinks that for FINA going backwards will be very painful for the sport. What do you do with the records set in the rubber suits or I guess any tech suit? Now that they are going back to the mid-90s, do you set the world records to only include swims in jammers or less to be standing world records? If you keep the current world records are you willing to have the next world championship and Olympics with maybe only a handful of world records and will that have a negative effect on participation in the sport? How will some swimmers feel about continuing swimming if their times increase a lot? How will sponsorships be impacted? TV ratings for the Olympics? All these things are painful and sources of conflict and FINA seems to like to avoid that at all costs so my guess is they are going to flip-flop on this issue again. FINA obviously listened to the purists for their current decision, but now they will have to listen to the realists who will emphasize that you can't go backwards.
The thing with FINA is that you can't rely on them being consistent or well reasoned even after it appears they have made a decision.
However, I think it would be very interesting to go back to jammers to determine the real benefit of the tech suits and who benefited the most.
Tim
If/when FINA gets rid of them (and unlike Tim L, I think the rubber suits will soon be gone for good), I think that for all practical purposes they will be gone from masters competitions once the current stock gets used up, though that may take some time.
The cynical part of me just thinks that for FINA going backwards will be very painful for the sport. What do you do with the records set in the rubber suits or I guess any tech suit? Now that they are going back to the mid-90s, do you set the world records to only include swims in jammers or less to be standing world records? If you keep the current world records are you willing to have the next world championship and Olympics with maybe only a handful of world records and will that have a negative effect on participation in the sport? How will some swimmers feel about continuing swimming if their times increase a lot? How will sponsorships be impacted? TV ratings for the Olympics? All these things are painful and sources of conflict and FINA seems to like to avoid that at all costs so my guess is they are going to flip-flop on this issue again. FINA obviously listened to the purists for their current decision, but now they will have to listen to the realists who will emphasize that you can't go backwards.
The thing with FINA is that you can't rely on them being consistent or well reasoned even after it appears they have made a decision.
However, I think it would be very interesting to go back to jammers to determine the real benefit of the tech suits and who benefited the most.
Tim
