The open water discussion has been a little boring lately so time to add some controversy. The above quote was affixed to a plaque my swimmers gave me when I retired as Head Coach of the University of Denver Masters Swim Team. Yes, they knew where I stood on the subject. Others share my view. In my day job as a stock broker I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal “Wimp or Triathlete, You Probably Like That New Wetsuit" by Kevin Helliker, published on September 24, 1999. In it were several memorable quotes on the subject. "How pathetic, says Betsy Brennan a Lake Michigan swimmer" "When I see people in wetsuits, I think: wimp." Another Chicagoan Ted Erikson, who did a double crossing of the English Channel without a wetsuit, said on the increasingly use of wetsuit by swimmers in Lake Michigan. "I ask them, 'Why don't you just get a boat? Boats have heaters.”:D
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As much as I am against the use of wetsuits, they do have a place in the sport. Namely, when a race is for charity, I think it helps get more people involved and allows more money to be raised. Furthermore, there are people who would not be able to participate without a wetsuit due to extremely low body fat, etc. It would be nice, however, if wetsuit swimmers had a time handicap to level the playing field for competition. They did that at last years' Rainbow Channel Challenge (NJ) and it seemed to work fairly well -- at least I didn't hear anyone complaining too loudly.
In an era when The Shrub and his cronies are trying to relax environmental regulations, I'd prefer to have as many people as possible with a vested interest in keeping our waterways clean.
As much as I am against the use of wetsuits, they do have a place in the sport. Namely, when a race is for charity, I think it helps get more people involved and allows more money to be raised. Furthermore, there are people who would not be able to participate without a wetsuit due to extremely low body fat, etc. It would be nice, however, if wetsuit swimmers had a time handicap to level the playing field for competition. They did that at last years' Rainbow Channel Challenge (NJ) and it seemed to work fairly well -- at least I didn't hear anyone complaining too loudly.
In an era when The Shrub and his cronies are trying to relax environmental regulations, I'd prefer to have as many people as possible with a vested interest in keeping our waterways clean.
