The two people I personally know who care most about the FINA suit change rulings are Leslie The Fortress Livingston. For all I know, you may well care about this even more than we do, but I don't know you, or if I do, you have not made clear your miseries about the suit changes.
In any event, I have been arguing to Leslie that I think the new rules will have a much greater effect on men than women, who get to continue to wear what is basically pretty dab nab near to an original textile tech suit (whereas we are back to the old jammer or briefs of the Mark Spitz era.)
Now that data from this year and last year has begun filtering in, I stand by this, but with less assurance than I once did.
In any event, here -- gleaned from the event rankings part of USMS --are the results from the 800 LCM free in my age group and Leslie's former age group from last summer.
Both include worlds and nationals times. The results are eye-opening. This year's winning time would have placed 10th last year in the men.
This year's winning time for women would have placed 3rd last year for women.
I know this is not even close to an apples-to-apples comparison, but it does suggest that our little flowers, once again, are proving to be the chief beneficiaries of about just every possible advantage that exists in the 21st Century!
*#* *Name Age Time* Club *Meet
*1* *Wood, Larry W 56 *10:16.54* TXLA *USMS 2010 Summer National Championships
*2* *Guadagni, Peter M 55 *10:22.64* WCM *USMS 2010 Summer National Championships
*3* *Martin, Jack R 59 *10:25.41* 1776 *USMS 2010 Summer National Championships
*4* *Wasserman, Neil R 55 *10:41.26* O*H* *Cleveland State University LCM
*5* *Hale, Dave 55 *10:52.61* SRM *Pacific Masters Long Course Championships
*6* *Wright, Robert E 56 *10:55.70* DOC *34th Lakeside Masters Long Course Invitational
*7* *Thompson, Frank L 59 *11:04.24* MICH *34th Lakeside Masters Long Course Invitational
*8* *Penn, William J 59 *11:06.07* PNA *2010 Northwest Zone LCM
*9* *Ditolla, Robert J 56 *11:08.65* ARIZ *2010 AZ Masters LCM State Championship
*10* *Leonard, Dan P 56 *11:10.48* SCAQ *FAST Masters LCM Regional and Zone Championships
*#* *Name Age Time* Club *Meet
*1* *Mann, Michael T 55 *9:00.09* CMS *Conejo Simi Aquatics LCM Regional and Zone Champs
*2* *Townsend, R Scott 56 *9:42.16* LVM *Conejo Simi Aquatics LCM Regional and Zone Champs
*3* *Gandee, Brad 55 *9:57.82* GMUP *2009 USMS National Long Course Championships
*4* *Wood, Larry W 55 *10:00.88* TXLA *South Central Zone Long Course Championships
*5* *Clemmons, Jim 59 *10:02.32* MAM *2009 Pacific Masters Long Course Swimming Championships
*6* *Bell, Alan 59 *10:03.20* PNA *Gil Young Memorial LCM Meet/Northwest Zone Long Course Meters Meet
*7* *Dodson, Phil L 56 *10:04.87* IM *2009 USMS National Long Course Championships
*8* *Martin, Jack R 58 *10:11.61* 1776 *2009 USMS National Long Course Championships
*9* *Penn, William J 58 *10:16.08* PNA *Gil Young Memorial LCM Meet/Northwest Zone Long Course Meters Meet
*10* *Nunnelly, John N 56 *10:18.04* NEM *Bay State Games
#* *Name Age Time* Club *Meet
*1* *Krattli, Caroline 48 *10:15.24* SDSM *USMS 2010 Summer National Championships
*2* *Welting, Laureen K 45 *10:17.33* TOC *USMS 2010 Summer National Championships
*3* *Dantzler, Amy L 46 *10:21.02* WH2O *FAST Masters LCM Regional and Zone Championships
*4* *Bennett, Ellen K 47 *10:27.32* SYSM *Bumpy Jones International Classic & Dixie Zone LCM Championships
*5* *Matherne, Susan K 48 *10:30.59* RICE *FCST Luck of the Draw
*6* *Parker Palace, Kelly 49 *10:31.27* UNAT *2010 New England LMSC LCM Championships
*7* *Shuck, Susie 45 *10:32.32* ISF *34th Lakeside Masters Long Course Invitational
*8* *Ramnath, Fernette P 45 *10:34.02* SYSM *USMS 2010 Summer National Championships
*9* *Milanese, Barbara A 48 *10:42.63* GOLD *5th Annual June Krauser Summer Splash
*10* *Schickore, Jutta 46 *10:51.33* DOC *34th Lakeside Masters Long Course Invitational
*#* *Name Age Time* Club *Meet
*1* *Curran, Margee M 48 *9:47.56* WCM *2009 Pacific Masters Long Course Swimming Championships
*2* *Elias-Williams, Maria L 45 *10:00.40* GSMS *2009 USMS National Long Course Championships
*3* *Petersen, Charlotte 45 *10:18.31* SPM *2009 St. Pete Masters Long Course Swimming Championships
*4* *Swanson, Vibeke L 48 *10:38.78* 1776 *2009 Merryman LCM Swim Meet
*5* *Castro, Leticia 49 *11:03.98* GOLD *JK Summer Splash-Dixie Zone Championship
*6* *Fitzgerald, Kimberly H 49 *11:09.58* WMAC *Wisconsin Badger State Games
*7* *Ciampa, Cindy 49 *11:15.52* SKY *2009 SwimLouisville.com Masters Invitational
*8* *Gregory, Ellen D 45 *11:21.90* ISF *2009 USMS National Long Course Championships
*9* *DeLozier, Anna R 46 *11:23.77* ARIZ *Arizona Long Course State Meet
*10* *Uecker, Anne 49 *11:30.50* MESC *NE LCM Championship
While his sentiment definitely seems like sour grapes to me and so I hesitate to endorse it, it is undeniably true that there are fewer female masters competitors than male for all but the very youngest age groups.
Well, you know what they say. The sourest grapes make the sweetest wine.
Or is it the bitterest?
It is very hard to stay up with conventional sayings, especially when you make them up yourself.
Two additional notes:
1) It seems ironic that you, Mr. Stevenson, would cite Michael Ross as the dominator of all males. Is he not, coincidentally, the one who may have bumped off some of your former records, eh?
There is just a snifter her of a sour grape calling another grape acid, tart, bitter, acerbic, vinegary, dry, tangy, acrid. Perhaps I am just imagining things!
2) I did find another example, albeit one that on its surface seems to refute my hypothesis, i.e., Girls Get Everything! Again, it is a comparison of times in my age group and Leslie's age group. In this case, we have two world record holders both swimming the 50 breaststroke:
Event 37 Women 45-49 50 LC Meter Breaststroke
==================================================================
NATL: N 33.98 8/5/2007 CAROLINE KRATTLI
WORLD: W 33.98 8/5/2007 CAROLINE KRATTLI, USA
Name Age Team Seed Finals
==================================================================
1 Krattli, Caroline 48 SDSM 34.66 36.13
Caroline was 2.15 seconds slower this year.
Event 38 Men 55-59 50 LC Meter Breaststroke
==================================================================
NATL: N 32.44 8/7/2009 JACK GROSELLE
WORLD: W 31.05 9/16/2009 WALTER KUSCH, GER
Name Age Team Seed Finals
==================================================================
1 Groselle, Jack R 56 O*H* 32.44 33.66
Jack was 1.22 seconds slower this year.
On the surface, it seems like in this one instance, the GIRL DID NOT GET EVERYTHING. However, if you look below the surface, you will see that Jack's world record was set last year; Caroline's was set three years ago, when there weren't even B70s.
(I have no idea what she was wearing, but Jack did seem to have a neoprene suit of some sort at Indy last year.)
The grapes continue to develop an ever more deliciously acrid tang. When Leslie beats me in the 50 free at Colony Zones, I dare say they will be ripe for the making of poisonous wine!
While his sentiment definitely seems like sour grapes to me and so I hesitate to endorse it, it is undeniably true that there are fewer female masters competitors than male for all but the very youngest age groups.
Well, you know what they say. The sourest grapes make the sweetest wine.
Or is it the bitterest?
It is very hard to stay up with conventional sayings, especially when you make them up yourself.
Two additional notes:
1) It seems ironic that you, Mr. Stevenson, would cite Michael Ross as the dominator of all males. Is he not, coincidentally, the one who may have bumped off some of your former records, eh?
There is just a snifter her of a sour grape calling another grape acid, tart, bitter, acerbic, vinegary, dry, tangy, acrid. Perhaps I am just imagining things!
2) I did find another example, albeit one that on its surface seems to refute my hypothesis, i.e., Girls Get Everything! Again, it is a comparison of times in my age group and Leslie's age group. In this case, we have two world record holders both swimming the 50 breaststroke:
Event 37 Women 45-49 50 LC Meter Breaststroke
==================================================================
NATL: N 33.98 8/5/2007 CAROLINE KRATTLI
WORLD: W 33.98 8/5/2007 CAROLINE KRATTLI, USA
Name Age Team Seed Finals
==================================================================
1 Krattli, Caroline 48 SDSM 34.66 36.13
Caroline was 2.15 seconds slower this year.
Event 38 Men 55-59 50 LC Meter Breaststroke
==================================================================
NATL: N 32.44 8/7/2009 JACK GROSELLE
WORLD: W 31.05 9/16/2009 WALTER KUSCH, GER
Name Age Team Seed Finals
==================================================================
1 Groselle, Jack R 56 O*H* 32.44 33.66
Jack was 1.22 seconds slower this year.
On the surface, it seems like in this one instance, the GIRL DID NOT GET EVERYTHING. However, if you look below the surface, you will see that Jack's world record was set last year; Caroline's was set three years ago, when there weren't even B70s.
(I have no idea what she was wearing, but Jack did seem to have a neoprene suit of some sort at Indy last year.)
The grapes continue to develop an ever more deliciously acrid tang. When Leslie beats me in the 50 free at Colony Zones, I dare say they will be ripe for the making of poisonous wine!
