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
Irrelevant? Hmmmm.
Anybody know if wetsuits will be allowed at the Olympics?
I'm not sure what we are arguing about anymore. This thread is so old anyway.
By irrelevant, I am referring to the results not the person. Right now, I don't believe any USMS or USS sanctioned swims allow a wetsuit to be considered for awards. So in most competitions I've seen, the fastest swimmers swim without one, making the results of the wetsuit division rather meaningless (if one is determined to derive some sort of self-worth out of the result and not simply for the sake of just finishing/competing--in which there is worth to the individual). By this I'm not suggesting that people that wear wetsuits are worthless (I am often seen costumed with neoprene in the spirit of competition). Swim with or without...it is all good.
I believe there is no way wetsuits are allowed at the Olympics (unless you are talking about triathlon).
So in the spirit of peace, love, and understanding (and Rodney King)--let's let this thread die again.:dedhorse::drown::snore:
Irrelevant? Hmmmm.
Anybody know if wetsuits will be allowed at the Olympics?
I'm not sure what we are arguing about anymore. This thread is so old anyway.
By irrelevant, I am referring to the results not the person. Right now, I don't believe any USMS or USS sanctioned swims allow a wetsuit to be considered for awards. So in most competitions I've seen, the fastest swimmers swim without one, making the results of the wetsuit division rather meaningless (if one is determined to derive some sort of self-worth out of the result and not simply for the sake of just finishing/competing--in which there is worth to the individual). By this I'm not suggesting that people that wear wetsuits are worthless (I am often seen costumed with neoprene in the spirit of competition). Swim with or without...it is all good.
I believe there is no way wetsuits are allowed at the Olympics (unless you are talking about triathlon).
So in the spirit of peace, love, and understanding (and Rodney King)--let's let this thread die again.:dedhorse::drown::snore:
