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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Ah yes..the debate is getting juicey!!! Considering the locations of some of the swimmers and skill levels, it seems there is legitimate rationale for those who desire/need to wear a wetsuit just to be able to get into the open water.
For those of us who prefer to swim "naked" I guess we should be happy we have a place to swim in the open water where the temps don't immediately drive a hypothermia situation....
Well, it certainly isn't very warm where I live, and I'm always trying to find a way to get in the water before the end of June. Wetsuits don't come in any sizes that would fit my odd dimensions, and I'm not sure I want to spend so much money on something that I'd only use 3 or 4 times a season anyway. Also, after doing a Swimtrek tour where wetsuits were offered to anyone who needed one, I discovered that there's a bit of a learning curve to swimming in a full one - some of the people on the tour tried them and found them just too hard to get used to.
I've been experimenting with non-buoyant materials in an effort to get some earlier practice in. In 2005 I made a high-necked zipper back suit (like a water polo suit) out of Polartec Aquashell. Not entirely successful. It was suffocatingly tight going on dry, then bagged out about 2 sizes bigger when fully saturated. (Boy, did it get saturated!) Still, it did keep some warmth in, except for that icy stream pouring in through the zipper. (Note to self: remember to install a zipper shield next time :doh: ) This fall I made a "rash" shirt out of Chloroblock lined with a teflon coated lycra stuff called Darlexx. Again it bagged out a bit in the water, but that could have been the lack of a suitable pattern. With the teflon coating facing out, it may even have possiblities as a race suit. (Not that someone my size should ever go out in public apparently packaged in shiny white cling wrap! :shakeshead:) I may try again with the Aquashell, or get some very thin (1mm) neoprene and risk blowing the motor on my least favorite machine doing another zipperback suit.
I'm sure that wetsuit manufacturers, with their infinitely greater access to high-tech materials, could come up with a non-buoyant "warmsuit" if they really wanted to.
Ah yes..the debate is getting juicey!!! Considering the locations of some of the swimmers and skill levels, it seems there is legitimate rationale for those who desire/need to wear a wetsuit just to be able to get into the open water.
For those of us who prefer to swim "naked" I guess we should be happy we have a place to swim in the open water where the temps don't immediately drive a hypothermia situation....
Well, it certainly isn't very warm where I live, and I'm always trying to find a way to get in the water before the end of June. Wetsuits don't come in any sizes that would fit my odd dimensions, and I'm not sure I want to spend so much money on something that I'd only use 3 or 4 times a season anyway. Also, after doing a Swimtrek tour where wetsuits were offered to anyone who needed one, I discovered that there's a bit of a learning curve to swimming in a full one - some of the people on the tour tried them and found them just too hard to get used to.
I've been experimenting with non-buoyant materials in an effort to get some earlier practice in. In 2005 I made a high-necked zipper back suit (like a water polo suit) out of Polartec Aquashell. Not entirely successful. It was suffocatingly tight going on dry, then bagged out about 2 sizes bigger when fully saturated. (Boy, did it get saturated!) Still, it did keep some warmth in, except for that icy stream pouring in through the zipper. (Note to self: remember to install a zipper shield next time :doh: ) This fall I made a "rash" shirt out of Chloroblock lined with a teflon coated lycra stuff called Darlexx. Again it bagged out a bit in the water, but that could have been the lack of a suitable pattern. With the teflon coating facing out, it may even have possiblities as a race suit. (Not that someone my size should ever go out in public apparently packaged in shiny white cling wrap! :shakeshead:) I may try again with the Aquashell, or get some very thin (1mm) neoprene and risk blowing the motor on my least favorite machine doing another zipperback suit.
I'm sure that wetsuit manufacturers, with their infinitely greater access to high-tech materials, could come up with a non-buoyant "warmsuit" if they really wanted to.
