Should USMS follow "suit" ?

I'm sure everyone knows that FINA Masters rules have differences from FINA rules. We could petition that the suit rule be different as well. I don't think that USMS would do well to have a different suit rule from FINA Masters. I'm a bit torn about the whole issue. Of course I'm unhappy with NBC, FINA, Phelps, and Bowman being hypocritical about suits this year "ruining the sport" versus their stand in 2008 about Speedo's (and Michael's) LZR. I feel the part of the new Bowman-Phelps FINA rule to disallow full body suits is strange. Of course it fits that fact that Phelps seems to prefer leggings. Masters swimmers will rarely if ever have professionals or those on teams that provide suits. The Masters swimmers will generally have to buy the suits themselves. Having expensive swim suits that allow swimmers perform faster furthers the division into haves (and willing to spend) and have-nots (or not willing to spend). I (a male) bought a full body suit 10 years ago or so. I can't say how much it improved my times, but it did give some advantages. (1) For nationals, I no longer had to shave my torso. (2) It streamlined or compressed the extra fat that older swimmers tend to have. I would miss being able to swim in a full-body suit. The new rules have "SHAPE – For men, the swimsuit shall not extend above the navel nor below the knee, and for women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor extend below knee. Furthermore, no zippers or other fastening system is allowed." A suggestion for FINA -- you might consider this full coverage Phelps Rule: For men, the swimsuit shall extend to at least the top of the hips and not extend above the navel nor below the knee...

But I think they shoula allow legs versions of whatever permeable textile suit they come up with - maybe something in a worsted wool. Worsted wool, huh? OK, you can wear legs in worsted wool. I think I'll stick to briefs in that case :)

I vote against the suits, even though I wore a Tyr Tracer Rise at Nationals and placed in three events. Of course all my competitors were also wearing tech suits, so it was necessary. And the suit is already falling apart after one meet. That's an expensive meet for me: hotel room for four days and a suit that cost twice as much as the hotel. I'll bring up the dreaded words: Corporate Sponsorship. Now that Blue Seventy has become a major sponsor of USMS, is that going to affect decisions about what suits are legal?

I vote against the suits, even though I wore a Tyr Tracer Rise at Nationals and placed in three events. Of course all my competitors were also wearing tech suits, so it was necessary. And the suit is already falling apart after one meet. That's an expensive meet for me: hotel room for four days and a suit that cost twice as much as the hotel. I'll bring up the dreaded words: Corporate Sponsorship. Now that Blue Seventy has become a major sponsor of USMS, is that going to affect decisions about what suits are legal? Good question. It's my understanding that USA Swimming was pushing for the suit coverage limitations and they are sponsored by Speedo, so who knows.

And the suit is already falling apart after one meet. That's an expensive meet for me: hotel room for four days and a suit that cost twice as much as the hotel. One of the disadvantages of "textile" suits.

One of the disadvantages of "textile" suits. Oops, my bad. I was thinking of a different suit and launched my comment too soon. Sounds similar to a B70 Nero in construction so what's the issue, Jeremy?

Hi Jeremy, I meant the issue of "where is it falling apart"? I'm kinda tracking which suits have what type of problems and you're the first to chime in with a Tyr Tracer Rise. The "plastic" is separating from the backing at the seams. There are also little cracks in the plastic at various parts of the suit.

Has USMS put out anything on the suit issue since FINA's last statement? If not, wonder when we will hear something from them. Perhaps USMS is waiting for FINA to make a(nother) statement about the applicability of its ban to masters?

Perhaps USMS is waiting for FINA to make a(nother) statement about the applicability of its ban to masters? Exactly. Kathy Casey posted this over on the Nationals forum: Regarding the FINA swimsuit rules, the FINA Executive Director and one of the FINA Masters Technical Commission members said those were not meant for Masters. However, we are waiting to hear an official statement from the FINA Masters Technical Committee as a whole about how these swimwear rules impact Masters. __________________ Kathy Casey I think USMS should do what the NCAA just did: Screw FINA, and adopt its own rule. With the possible exception of the permeability standard (who cares whether jammers are permeable anyway?) the NCAA rule looks pretty easy to implement and judge. At this point, I no longer care what rule USMS adopts, but I see no reason to wait around while FINA stumbles and bumbles along.

I know that I am not supposed to tout my blog on this thread, so I will not include a link. However, if there is ONE blog that FINA officials absolutely should read before issuing their final declarations regarding masters swimmers and body suits, it is today's posting: FINA's Body Suit Ban: Unintended Consequences