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
This isn't the way a democracy works. Why should it be true of USMS?
When did USMS become a democracy? Didn't we already see the leaders decide not to follow H.O.D votes? Didn't the leaders of usms decide to not follow the rest of the aquatic nations by allowing suits to stay, even after our delegates said the suits rules should follow FINA rulings?
The leaders have decided to do what was best in their eyes, so why should they worry about the 85 or so percent that doesn't compete, when it comes to what suits should or shouldn't be worn in meets?
Personally, I think that after june 1, get rid of the bodysuits. I don't usms leaders really care that much about our various opinions. They will do what they think is best but if they do ask, the people who compete on a regular basis should be the one's they listen too on what should be legal for scy season.
Former Member
1) No shaving required.
2) See reason number 1.
Former Member
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.
Peter, I agree with most of your well thought out post. I take issue with comment about geek renting his shirt. Well, people who know geek wouldn't his cheeto stained shirt.
Secondly, breastrokers are not royality. They have to crawl their way across the pool. Flyers are the royality of the pool. They glide across the water.
Finally, some of us do really like each other in person. Why, I don't know. The forums are away of letting out our alter egos to vent stress from long work days/life.
You can't take too seriously the comments that people make on here. There are good topics for discussion, but don't get too caught up in how people actually intended for things to sound, it's hard to actually know. So, just shrug and go on.
Former Member
Well, people who know geek wouldn't his cheeto stained shirt.
Wookeroondoon (aka Lennie Small),
It is rare to find someone with the courage to post such a statement.
Your Pal
Former Member
It's nice to have a choice.
I believe that you can still find a wooden tennis racket or an old Schwinn bike on eBay.
Former Member
Here's my list:
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
The same points being argued over and over and over!
In masters it should be a personal choice.
Former Member
I don't think anyone actually read the list. We've been over this before, and that's a lot of bright blue Comic Sans.
Former Member
I hate that some people feel that they can wear tech suits in lieu of training.
The reality is that they cannot. So why does it bother you if they believe that?
I trained my ass off and set four personal bests in Atlanta wearing a Blue Seventy. My previous bests were also in a Blue Seventy.
Tech suits are not the province of top ten. They're for all.
True that.
Former Member
"Too much money" is a personal values statement, not a statement of fact.
Bill*,
Thinking that it's fine to buy your times, is a personal value statement.
Not being able to afford a fancy crutch is a fact for many.
Beats the false sense of moral superiority exhibited by those who rail against the suits.
I'm pretty sure that this qualifies a a whine.
Former Member
BTW, I have no problems with asterisks myself, though they seem impossibly administratively cumbersome to implement in retrospect.
Fort*
italics would work much better
