if it takes a tech suit to make swimming "more interesting" for you, might i suggest you wear said tech suit more often... to the supermarket... church... starbucks... etc.
that would make things more interesting for the rest of us too.
This has given me an interesting idea for a photo shoot.
"Not for nothin" as they say - although I'm not sure who they actually are, all-americanaquatics.com is having a men's FS-Pro blowout (among other suits) - $49.95 - so buy them so you can wear them to church, the supermarket, the sunday supper social, and when doing yard work. Swimoutlet.com will match the price as long as they have the size and color in stock. I'm sure they have some similar deals for the ladies.
Could be a new weight loss fad...sweat off those pounds while doing yard work!!!
if it takes a tech suit to make swimming "more interesting" for you, might i suggest you wear said tech suit more often... to the supermarket... church... starbucks... etc.
that would make things more interesting for the rest of us too.
I think Wookie and I are gonna wear our tech suits and mug you while you are on one of your 4 day swims. We'll jump out from behind a rock or a fish or something, be on alert!
True story: a triathlon friend of mine qualified for the biathlon (run-bike-run) world championships, or some such. Since he was "representing the US" in some sense, he had to wear their get-up. The "uniform" was a tri-kini made of the FS-II material.
Now, first of all, I think tri-kins are pretty darn funny-looking. But neither one of us could figure out why it had to be made of a swimming "high-tech" material for an event in which no one was swimming. He claimed it was pretty godawful-uncomfortable to ride in, too.
The only thing we could figure is that Speedo ponied up some money to be the team sponsor.
These FSII suits, or their material, have also been used in Olympic Bobsledding.
www.usatoday.com/.../2005-11-30-speedo-usat_x.htm
Count me out.
I am shocked. :)
At least we can agree on the 14 and unders! It also seems like a mostly unnecessary cost for many college programs that are already struggling to stay afloat. It has to be difficult for the governing bodies of swimming to draw a line on their use and the extra burden of approving and testing must have been too much. That is why it seems crazy for masters swimming to allow them any further unless you just say absolutely anything goes as long as it is one suit. Plus, you have limited availability issues going forward as well for masters unless you happen to be buds with Roque or something.
I did enjoy watching the most elite swimmers compete in tech suits because the times broke many of the barriers I never thought I would see broken in my lifetime. However, I hated the constant whining about which suit was faster and that some swimmers/college teams were stuck with sponsors that did not have the fastest suits. In that sense it seemed to take some of the human element out of the sport which I thought was bad and the general public seemed to pick-up on.
I completely understand Wookie's hair argument. The only reason I tried the tech suits originally was because I didn't want to shave down for Worlds at Stanford.
Hopefully, USMS doesn't lose too many competitors due to the change. I hope everyone just looks at the lack of a tech suit as another challenge.
Tim
cool... but don't forget the cap and goggles
Not out of a pool I'm not. It's 95 degrees out here. My brain would bake and my eyeballs would boil. Yuck! :cool:
Shallow? Not my intent. Passionate about your swmiming, sure. Which isn't a bad thing, of course.
So passionate pro techies like myself are, ipso facto, flip floppers who readily switch their positions to suit their personal/financial circumstances and passionate anti-techies are unalterably steadfast and unimpeachable in their defense of "plain" swimming?
And y'all wonder why you're referred to as Purists? :)
ever a purist; never a puritan!
(did you just say y'all?)
Wanted to lighten things up. Channeling Geekity.
Purist, puritan -- the connotation is the same. Pro techies are frequently accused of being somewhat (no drama intended, can't think of a better phrase) morally bankrupt.
Let's see, we're accused of being expedient flip floppers (a new one), fatties, cheaters, buying times, needing asterisks, slapping on suits to compensate for lack of training, refusing to lose weight when we can just don a cheatin' rubber suit instead, wanting an unfair edge, exploiting our ability to afford suits, being overly competitive, ruining the sport ... all while wearing a perfectly legal suit worn by many competitors. Anything I missed?
