Tried my new wetsuit out at the Y. Water temp around 80. Works very well, but too
warm to do much of a workout. Question: What water temp would be the line for wetsuit
or no wetsuit? Is there a temp set by the event?
shoes are more analogous to goggles than to wetsuits since
both shoes and goggles 1) are worn to a prevent physical harm
that cannot be mitigated by training and 2) are worn even though
they carry competitive disadvantages, such as time lost during
T1 and T2 to put on shoes, and a loss (?) of stream line in the
case of goggles. goggles also correct vision.
I have stopped wearing goggles in the salt water if my swim is 2 miles or less. I find I can sight and navigate better. I tend to swim in clean waters though. One less thing to worry about. My main peeve with the wetsuits is taking them off.
All I'm saying is that they allow swimmers to "swim" in conditions they are not trained for.
Let's not start down the road of requiring a qualifying swim in similar conditions to make sure they've trained properly (although it is the only way to really know). While fear keeps many out of OW races, there are always a few swimmers who are not ready for the conditions of the race, surf or weather with or without a wetsuit. I think people use them to overcome the cold (skinny triathletes), or in many cases, just the fear of the cold. I think the real danger is a swimmer panicing while swimming in close quarters in a group - particularly at the start and turn buoys.
I think everyone can be taught to float on their back with or without a wetsuit - maybe that should be checked before each race. Imagine seeing 100 people floating on their backs before the start of a 1 mile OW swim. It might draw more spectators than the race itself. (Maybe we should do a "flash mob" float in the La Jolla Cove on a hot summer weekend.)
fwiw, feeding can also be couched as a crutch.
It could, but it would be sort of ridiculous. Reminds me of an argument someone made - I forget where - that the escort boat is an artificial aid in marathon swimming, and that true marathon swimmers should navigate themselves.
An interesting concept... but I seem to recall, the only guy who ever tried that in the English Channel washed ashore in Belgium a few days later.
Beware of the false equivalence.
I guess it depends how you define the sport - how you conceive of the meaningful challenges.
In triathlon, withstanding cold water is not considered a meaningful criterion of excellence - so wetsuits are allowed. (Kinda laughable that they drew the line with the De Soto suits, though. If 3mm is fair, what's "unfair" about 5mm?)
In marathon swimming, cold-water tolerance is - and always has been - part of the game. A fundamental part. Being able to swim without eating is not a fundamental part of the game. Being able to navigate by the sun, moon, and wave direction is not a fundamental part of the game. Ergo, wetsuits aren't equivalent to feeding and escort boats.
I'm fairly certain if Trudy Ederle (the subject of geog's articles) were alive today, she'd tell us her decision to not eat was a personal preference, and she certainly wouldn't expect future competitors in the swim-later-to-be-known-as the "Ederle Swim" to also refrain from eating. On the other hand, if you asked her thoughts on the idea of people in wetsuits breaking her record, she'd say, "F*ck those guys." Or something to that effect.
Open water swimming (as distinguished from marathon swimming) is a bit of a gray area, because OWS events are often organized by the same people who organize triathlons. In such events, triathlon rules tend to prevail. Which sucks, but I guess it's better than having no event.
Bottom line: If you allow people the use of performance-enhancing devices, they will be used. In deciding which devices to allow, and which to ban, it helps to consult the history and spirit of the sport. Does the device conflict with this history and spirit in a fundamental way?
I dislike the word because it can connote backwardness, narrow-mindedness, and intolerance... but yes, that's at least part of it.
I am not a traditionalist in most aspects of my life, but in sports I think it often makes sense.
Should we allow aluminum bats in major league baseball?
Should we lower the rim to 8 feet in basketball?
I would certainly benefit from a paddles-and-buoy event in pool swimming, but I'd never seriously argue for the establishment of one.
If "tradition" is good enough for Kevin Murphy and Nick Adams (CS&PF), Mike Read and Julie Bradshaw (CSA), Forrest Nelson and Carol Sing (CCSF), Morty Berger (MIMS & Ederle), Phil Rush (Cook Strait), etc. etc. -- and all those who came before them - then it's good enough for me.
Looks like a crutch... walks like a crutch... smells like a cr[]tch....
fwiw, feeding can also be couched as a crutch. it has been
demonstrated to be unnecessary even in long (21 mile) swims:
"... did not touch food or drink throughout the long
swim, but had a light breakfast of canteloupe, cereal,
toast and coffee one hour before starting."
"... ruddy of cheek, bright of eye and full of life ...
gave not the least sign of the great ordeal she had
gone through. She would not even rest on the trip
up the bay and spent most of the time chatting and
enjoying another meal of cold food."
it is not even necessary in order break records:
"... broken the record for the swim ... by seven
minutes and 30 seconds ... in far harsher conditions"
sources:
, : www.nycswim.org/.../ArticleTemplate.aspx
: p137 in www.amazon.com/.../0786440287
But no one is arguing to change anything.
...
Every open water swim I do that allows wetsuits either (1) renders the wearer ineligible for an award or (2) has separate divisions.
I'm not talking about short-distance OW races with separate categories. I'm talking about marathon swimming (in particular, solo marathon swimming). Your confusion of the two seems to indicate you have no idea what you're talking about with regard to the latter.
I guess I just am not sure why people who only do OW swimming care what people who do tris wear in the water
I don't.
On this basis neoprene caps should be allowed. I'm sure Ederle and others would have used them if they were available, and would find it comical that they are banned by all channel associations.
The Farallon Islands organization allows them. Based on your description of the research, it sounds like their performance benefit over the course of a channel swim is possibly non-existent? Anyone attempting the Farallons has probably trained away the first-immersion shock anyway...
in your original post, that qualification would have gone a long way
Hmm. I'd put it this way: They are a crutch regardless of distance. In short-distance OW races with separate categories, the distinction is self-evident. However, in solo marathon swims it can prove tempting to "make up your own rules" and then elide this fact when reporting to the media your unprecedented feat of "marathon swimming."
