As for coverage, I don't mind jammers for meets. But I liked the coverage just to avoid having to shave down. Yes, I know the hair will stick through suits, but the drag is reduced considerably.
As someone who is somewhat hairy, though not as hairy as bearskin rug(mark gill) I like not having to waste time shaving. 20 mins to put on a suit vs. several hours trimming and then shaving? I will take the pain of a suit anyday
Yes, this seems like a legitimate gripe. My $0.02:
Bad Reasons
-- To lure elite swimmers to meets (see above).
-- Coverage for modest people. If this is truly an issue, I am perfectly okay with modifying the rules to allow men to swim in t-shirts and women to wear knee-high socks. I wonder how many people would really do this.
Good Reason
Allow tech suits in SCY to increase participation in and enjoyment of masters swimming. This covers a lot of ground, including shaving, modesty, and those who like their speed artificially enhanced.
I am perfectly willing to put aside my personal dislike of the suits and seriously consider voting in their favor if I am convinced -- by hard data, not anecdotal stories -- that their use would increase participation/enjoyment. I would also have to be convinced that this doesn't put us back on a slippery slope of advocating for their use in SCM and LCM, and that those who depend on USA-S meets for their times won't be too disadvantaged. (I JUST NOW entered a dual-sanction meet into the Meet Results Database; I know that such swimmers exist.)
As far as the logistics of supplying such suits: I wonder how much modification, if any, would be needed for current FINA-legal women's suits to be suitable for men. I don't believe Rob mentioned exactly what type of tech suits would be under consideration; I have my doubts that we'd go back to the impermeable days, and I think that "equal coverage" using current FINA-legal materials is the most likely thing to be passed (if anything does).
As for coverage, I don't mind jammers for meets. But I liked the coverage just to avoid having to shave down. Yes, I know the hair will stick through suits, but the drag is reduced considerably.
As someone who is somewhat hairy, though not as hairy as bearskin rug(mark gill) I like not having to waste time shaving. 20 mins to put on a suit vs. several hours trimming and then shaving? I will take the pain of a suit anyday
Yes, this seems like a legitimate gripe. My $0.02:
Bad Reasons
-- To lure elite swimmers to meets (see above).
-- Coverage for modest people. If this is truly an issue, I am perfectly okay with modifying the rules to allow men to swim in t-shirts and women to wear knee-high socks. I wonder how many people would really do this.
Good Reason
Allow tech suits in SCY to increase participation in and enjoyment of masters swimming. This covers a lot of ground, including shaving, modesty, and those who like their speed artificially enhanced.
I am perfectly willing to put aside my personal dislike of the suits and seriously consider voting in their favor if I am convinced -- by hard data, not anecdotal stories -- that their use would increase participation/enjoyment. I would also have to be convinced that this doesn't put us back on a slippery slope of advocating for their use in SCM and LCM, and that those who depend on USA-S meets for their times won't be too disadvantaged. (I JUST NOW entered a dual-sanction meet into the Meet Results Database; I know that such swimmers exist.)
As far as the logistics of supplying such suits: I wonder how much modification, if any, would be needed for current FINA-legal women's suits to be suitable for men. I don't believe Rob mentioned exactly what type of tech suits would be under consideration; I have my doubts that we'd go back to the impermeable days, and I think that "equal coverage" using current FINA-legal materials is the most likely thing to be passed (if anything does).
