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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If there were a type of wetsuit that offered warmth without added bouyancy, I wouldn't have a problem with other people wearing them. (I seem to be part polar bear, myself.) I know the added bouyancy is an unfair advantage, because a fellow that I was faster than in the pool in club training sessions suddenly became a lot faster than me in Thursday night lake swims when he put on his wetsuit.
If there were a type of wetsuit that offered warmth without added bouyancy, I wouldn't have a problem with other people wearing them. (I seem to be part polar bear, myself.) I know the added bouyancy is an unfair advantage, because a fellow that I was faster than in the pool in club training sessions suddenly became a lot faster than me in Thursday night lake swims when he put on his wetsuit.
