I started a similar poll before,but time has changed things and I thought since USMS is going to have to do something definitive so they should have some input from the forumites
The growth we have seen over the past couple of years in the sport of swimming has a lot to do with Michael Phelps of course, but also because of the new technology that the sport has allowed into its arena. I do think this HAS to come into consideration by our governing bodies to keep continued growth.
Where is the evidence that any (recent) increased popularity is due to the tech suits? As pro-suit proponents never cease to remind me, tech suits have been around for at least 10 years.
If you are saying that the recent spate of WRs is the reason for increased popularity, I'll have to disagree. As Shaq said on his show with Phelps -- which I thoroughly enjoyed -- such things result in "golf claps."
There is simply no way people will swim this well in season if they ban the suits - just for that reason, they should leave everything up to the swimmers ....
In-season wearing of tech suits is not enough, as I found out first hand: swimming well in-season is at least as much a function of training as the suit. Wearing a tech suit when I'm fatigued from training brings to mind the phrase "lipstick on a pig...!" :)
Nevertheless I take your meaning: I know you are a proponent of swimming fast in season (which basically means not swimming in meets when too tired, ie not getting too tired in-season). And throwing on a suit is like an instant shave: it is that much easier to get time close to season-ending times.
Of course, if it is that important to you, you can still shave for in-season meets. I've done it before, and I even like the after-effects of being (partially) shaved in practice for the ensuing weeks after the meet. It would be like wearing the suits in practice...but not as hard on the pocketbook.
But I also really like having significant drops at season-ending meets. If I go to the trouble of tapering and travelling to nationals I'd like to have more than a 0.5-1.0 sec drop in time. And maybe I'm too old-school, but I don't share your fondness for swimming too fast in-season. I like training hard during the season; I do this as much for the training as for the competition.
I've done it the other way (ie, fast in-season meets) before and it can come with the price of somewhat slower swimming at the big meet. But that's just me. Even at the elite level you see people all over the board on this: some who do well mostly at the big meets, when rested, and others who swim fast almost all the time.
The growth we have seen over the past couple of years in the sport of swimming has a lot to do with Michael Phelps of course, but also because of the new technology that the sport has allowed into its arena. I do think this HAS to come into consideration by our governing bodies to keep continued growth.
Where is the evidence that any (recent) increased popularity is due to the tech suits? As pro-suit proponents never cease to remind me, tech suits have been around for at least 10 years.
If you are saying that the recent spate of WRs is the reason for increased popularity, I'll have to disagree. As Shaq said on his show with Phelps -- which I thoroughly enjoyed -- such things result in "golf claps."
There is simply no way people will swim this well in season if they ban the suits - just for that reason, they should leave everything up to the swimmers ....
In-season wearing of tech suits is not enough, as I found out first hand: swimming well in-season is at least as much a function of training as the suit. Wearing a tech suit when I'm fatigued from training brings to mind the phrase "lipstick on a pig...!" :)
Nevertheless I take your meaning: I know you are a proponent of swimming fast in season (which basically means not swimming in meets when too tired, ie not getting too tired in-season). And throwing on a suit is like an instant shave: it is that much easier to get time close to season-ending times.
Of course, if it is that important to you, you can still shave for in-season meets. I've done it before, and I even like the after-effects of being (partially) shaved in practice for the ensuing weeks after the meet. It would be like wearing the suits in practice...but not as hard on the pocketbook.
But I also really like having significant drops at season-ending meets. If I go to the trouble of tapering and travelling to nationals I'd like to have more than a 0.5-1.0 sec drop in time. And maybe I'm too old-school, but I don't share your fondness for swimming too fast in-season. I like training hard during the season; I do this as much for the training as for the competition.
I've done it the other way (ie, fast in-season meets) before and it can come with the price of somewhat slower swimming at the big meet. But that's just me. Even at the elite level you see people all over the board on this: some who do well mostly at the big meets, when rested, and others who swim fast almost all the time.
