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
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.
Ehoch,
Interesting statements about US short course swimming.
Yes.... I suppose all these student athletes from around the world coming to the US dont' care or understand these foolish old American pools. They have no desire to emphasize speed work, walls and turns.
Here's one for you to chew on. Short course yards swimming (especially the NCAAs) is the core and backbone for the majority successes of US swimming dominance in the sprint events and relays at the Olympics and World Games for the last 6 decades. It's a phenomenon that Europeans have little experience with (unless of course they came to the US for their education). De-emphasizing the short course nationals for USA Swimming as was recently done by moving it in the calendar year has actually hurts US sprinters.
Short Course is great for masters swimmers who don't have time to train that much.
Well I swam in one meet this year and that was last week. EVERYONE had on a body suit, except for me and a few others. I won't ever wear one of those things unless FINA says ok to the USMS group since I started the masters thing for the first time in 11 years. I don't think I will make any top ten national times due to the bulk of swimmers wearing the suits for one last hurrah. That's totally fine with me. Masters swimming should be about the fun. I hope FINA allows us to use them but in the interim, I will stay jammer bound.
Atlanta will be the time to make this whole thing rest once and for all. Should be interesting to see the reaction of swimmers once they've touched the wall without the suits on. I tend to think the results will be rather startling. :afraid:
Atlanta will be the time to make this whole thing rest once and for all. Should be interesting to see the reaction of swimmers once they've touched the wall without the suits on. I tend to think the results will be rather startling. :afraid:
Yes, that is exactly what we need in Masters swimming--a good dose of reality.
some would say one-handed turns or flip turns in *** are merely future variations of what has already happened to the sport. Do you think it was a poor path for FINA to allow a dolphin kick on a pullout? We don't touch the wall on back turns anymore and now there is a ridiculous track and field mechanism working its way onto the blocks.
And to date the elites and masters have gone lock-step on every change. Why be different now?
John - I did mention USMS and not US or college swimming - we as Masters swimmers should see the light and finally agree that the metric system is better - even if it would mean that those silly Euros got it right.
Short course yards swimming (especially the NCAAs) is the core and backbone for the majority successes of US swimming dominance in the sprint events and relays at the Olympics and World Games for the last 6 decades.
I would disagree in a big way -- let's say the NCAAs would be Long-course meters for the next 20 years (I know that's not possible - but just go with it) - do you really think that would be a bad thing for US success in the Olympics ??? How would the training change at Texas and Auburn ?
Also - what dominance in the sprint events are you talking about ? The US is simply larger - that is the reason for the success, a bigger pool of swimmers. You should compare the US to Western Europe and see what happens to the dominance.
Going from SCY to LCM is already a brutal transition. If SCY were 'anything goes' for tech suits & LCM conform to new FINA standards the relationship between the two courses would resemble that between miniature golf and regular golf.
And to date the elites and masters have gone lock-step on every change. Why be different now?
Because it is just Masters swimming. Because FINA doesn't care. Because nobody in the world outside of Masters swimming will care one way or the other. Why are Masters world records recognized for arbitrary five year age groups?
FINA has ruled that they are banned as of Jan 1 at the urging of USA Swimming.
From the top: FINA is made up of about 200 swimming federations. The governing federation for the United States is United States Aquatic Sports, two of it is members are USA Swimming and US Masters Swimming. (When the Masters nationals are held next year in Puerto Rico, we will be in the swimming federation of Puerto Rico) Every four years FINA has a congress or legislative body that makes the rules for swimming. Any federation may submit legislation for the congress to consider.
US Aquatic Sports submitted a proposed rule about the length of men's suits and women's suits. It was voted on by the congress and accepted.IT WAS OUR FEDERATION THAT PROPOSED THE RULE!!
You can yell and scream about FINA, but it was our friends in Colorado Springs that pushed the issue.
US Masters swimming is part of FINA, I can see no set of circumstances where we will leave it. It is in our interest to be part of the world governing body for aquatic sports. The US does have an affect upon the rule making body and other federations look to the US to see what is happening here. And the followed our lead when the vote came on the swimming suit.
A new FINA Masters Committee was appointed and Nancy Ridout is again on the committee. It will be interesting to see what happens with regards to the rule on swim suits. Personally, I like the B70 and hope that we can continue to compete in the long suits.
To have two sets of rules for FINA distances regarding suits would be a nightmare for the records and tabulations committee as well as the meet ref who has to sign off on any records. (what suit was that person wearing?) We will have to see what happens with regards to the SCY rules about swim suits.
-michael
