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
Parents
Former Member
We have to keep the suits going, otherwise we might as well close down the discussion board. They may make you about 2-3% faster but they easily generate 50% of the comments on the site ...
There is no way USMS can or should have a different rule than FINA. It's already bad enough our main championship is in yards :badday: --- there is an idea. We can allow anything for yards meets, because nobody outside the US really understands or cares and we follow FINA for the real swimming.
Not sure if FINA may allow the suits for Masters. I don't think it's the "it's just Masters" attitude. I think it goes more along the lines that the suits help people to swim closer to their former times - or for new swimmers, they just make them faster. 99% of Masters swimmers do not train at the maximum possible workload. It's some sort of trade-off > "I am swimming a great 100 Free, within 3 seconds of my all time best, based on training four 60 min workouts a week". You know that adding 4 more workouts + dryland would improve the times by another second or more, but you trade that for family, work and other interests. So the suits will cut that time by quite a bit and I think it will keep more swimmers in the sport.
I do think the current manufacturers would keep producing the current suits just for Masters - we would not get many new designs, but I think the Masters demand could be big enough for them.
I am back and forth personally - I don't like not having a true comparison to past times. I love being able to swim fast in season - I hate shaving - I like swimming close to PRs or setting PRs - even when I know about the benefit of the suit.
We have to keep the suits going, otherwise we might as well close down the discussion board. They may make you about 2-3% faster but they easily generate 50% of the comments on the site ...
There is no way USMS can or should have a different rule than FINA. It's already bad enough our main championship is in yards :badday: --- there is an idea. We can allow anything for yards meets, because nobody outside the US really understands or cares and we follow FINA for the real swimming.
Not sure if FINA may allow the suits for Masters. I don't think it's the "it's just Masters" attitude. I think it goes more along the lines that the suits help people to swim closer to their former times - or for new swimmers, they just make them faster. 99% of Masters swimmers do not train at the maximum possible workload. It's some sort of trade-off > "I am swimming a great 100 Free, within 3 seconds of my all time best, based on training four 60 min workouts a week". You know that adding 4 more workouts + dryland would improve the times by another second or more, but you trade that for family, work and other interests. So the suits will cut that time by quite a bit and I think it will keep more swimmers in the sport.
I do think the current manufacturers would keep producing the current suits just for Masters - we would not get many new designs, but I think the Masters demand could be big enough for them.
I am back and forth personally - I don't like not having a true comparison to past times. I love being able to swim fast in season - I hate shaving - I like swimming close to PRs or setting PRs - even when I know about the benefit of the suit.
