With all due respect to Ande, who tried to get me to buy a tech suit at Nationals (Ande, thanks for the compliment when you guessed my size, but I would wear a 36 in a tech suit, not a 26.), I respectfully submit my top ten reasons for hating tech suits:
1. $$$ Too expensive. I feel my money was better spent at The Athlete Village, having a video analysis done of my breaststroke. Implementing the tips I picked up from the online coach will help me to swim faster faster than a tech suit.
2. Struggle to put on. In the time it took a couple of gals in the locker room at Nationals to get their suit half-way on, I was out of my street clothes, into my Speedo Endurance suit, and had my bag unpacked and into the locker. And, I had expended a lot less energy than they did. I would rather spend my energy in the pool… :D
3. Too fragile. See Allen Stark’s post about his tech suit blowout- right before his event. I would be steaming big time if I had spent a heap of $ on a tech suit, then have it rip on me. :bitching:
Speaking of steaming…
4. The heat factor. I have heat intolerance medical issues (I love the heat mentally; my body hates it in a serious way), so being encased in a tech suit would exasperate the situation and possibly negate any gain I had made wearing the suit anyway. I was in Sunday’s last event (200 breaststroke) and was wasted by that point, after spending three days in the heat and humidity. :badday:
5. I want an apples-to-apples comparison of my times. I (barely) beat my seed times in two of my events and dropped my time about 2 seconds in another. If I had worn a tech suit and improved my times even more, would that have been a fair comparison- or would it have been the suit? I think a tech suit would have provided a false sense of success and an inaccurate indication as to my level of improvement since my previous meet. Then, post-tech suit, if my times got worse how would I feel then? I wonder how many of the swimmers will feel when they see (possibly) seconds being added back on to their times, post-tech suit? A false sense of success followed by huge disappointment is going to play on many minds, I’m sure. :confused:
6. Wearing a tech suit only exposes the arms and feet. I like to FEEL of the water with more than that. :agree:
7. Claustrophobic; too confining. I love summer, because I get to live in shorts and t-shirts. The less on me the better; it's more comfortable. :)
8. My current ranking #130 of 266 in the 50 breaststroke doesn’t put me in a position to be winning any medals or awards. Where would a tech suit put me in the rankings? #125? #120?? Even #100? Big deal! :rolleyes:
9. Personally, modesty isn’t an issue. At 48, I’m comfortable in my 5’71/2, 123lb. frame. And, I was comfortable in my not-as-fit 150lb pound frame, when I spent six months in Australia, back in 1984, where I spent some of the time relaxing on their nude beaches. Why? Because Aussies are comfortable in their skin and not hung up on their bodies like Americans are. Nude and topless beaches are common in Australia and you will see bodies of all shapes and sizes there. And, nobody cares. :)
Speaking of bodies…
10. Visualize Mark Spitz…1972 Olympics… in a Speedo… :D I was only 10 years old, but, believe me, my eyes were GLUED to the TV- and not necessarily only while he was swimming. Need I say more? Not all Masters swimmers look as good as Mark Spitz in a Speedo, but I saw PLENTY of AARP eligible swimmers out of their tech suits at Nationals that had absolutely stunning bodies- male and female! And, for those who weren’t? So what???
That concludes my :2cents: on the subject!
Former Member
Every member, whether they compete or not, should have a voice. Isn't that what USMS is all about?! Or is it about the few who come on here and talk the most?:bolt:
not always...
Former Member
One of the questions we should be trying to answer is this:
If, like Dave Barra said in another post that there are 50,000 members in USMS (Someone know the real #?) and only 2,000 show up at Nationals... why aren't the other 48,000 people, or at least a good portion of them coming to Nationals?
*cough*all that money and only be allowed 3 events because they're slow*cough*
Former Member
Talk about pot stirring, fat boy ... :rolleyes:
*GASP*
:angel:
Former Member
*cough*all that money and only be allowed 3 events because they're slow*cough*
Now that's funny!!!
Former Member
Looks more like you are the one who got offended...even posted your message twice to make sure it got on there...obsess much?
If you think you can offend me...you're a little simple minded...
It got posted twice because I hit the button twice. Offended? Me? Naw. You don't know what offends me. I am sure you were offended by your response with all of the "!!!" you used to describe yourself.
Former Member
Well, that wouldn't be any fun on a discussion forum!
This would get really boring if we all agreed on everything or even worse, if we were all nice to each other.
It's mor enjoyable to be rude, snarly, unpleasant, etc, the way Geek and I use to be to each other. Dang it, I knew we shouldn't have friended each other on facebook. Dang
Former Member
Wookie,
Here is the outline for our next chapter. I'll need your great mind to sort out any of the problems.
The talking donkey, and Bill* sheepishly leave the cold, cold Cowboy Mountain after a night of frisky cowboy antics. They stumble across an overturned station wagon. No one is around and our two hero's duds are kind of icky so they "borrow" what clothes they can find.
Bill* picks the big red nose ball, big floppy shoes, green wig, polka-dot puffy pants and striped shirt. There was a weatherman's chart but he wisely decided to toss it.
The talking donkey puts on a little bowler hat and they plod across the desert to central California.
Along the way they decide to change their names. The talking donkey thinks Lennie Small is a good name. Bill* says,"Well, I'd better be George Milton then."
They are going to Salinas California, the land of opportunity.
Elaine- what typically happens with these 'hot' topics in the forums is that people often react to a post without reading carefully and fire a salvo without rereading their own post. I've done it. There is a lot of history between many posters resulting in pointed remarks that could seem hurtful but are part of an evolved dialogue between the posters.
99% of the posters are actually lovely people who would give fellow swimmers the shirt off their back if you needed it (well, actually Geek would rent it to you).
Keep up your posting and realize that breastrokers are the royalty of these forums and that entails a certain noblesse oblige towards ignoring the jealous nattering of the practitioners of the lesser strokes.
Well stated, Peter...and it'd be cheap rent on the part of Geek.
A false sense of success followed by huge disappointment is going to play on many minds, I’m sure.
Beats the false sense of moral superiority exhibited by those who rail against the suits.
