Look at all that water in Brendan Hansen's hands. It looks just like cracked ice.Here is Lisa Dillman from the L.A. Times and this article is Gold! So much info about Santa Clara but I m going to focus on this revealing fact: Nike has given Brendan Hansen permission to experiment with any suit he wants. At Santa Clara he wore a Lzr, his next race a TYR.
Snippets from the L.A. Times as to why: "... So Hansen gave Speedo a test run in the final of the 200 breaststroke, which he won in 2 minutes 10.62 seconds. Peirsol did his experimenting under quieter circumstances. "I'm not going to lie to you, I did wear something this morning," Peirsol said. ..."
"... Hansen said Sunday he plans to also test TYR's high-tech offering. Peirsol said he would consider it too. ..."
"We want to exhaust every possible option that we have," Hansen said. "If I get on the blocks and if I swim against somebody with a TYR suit, I know I've worn that, and I know what that feels like. I don't want there to be any guesswork at all about what my competitors are wearing. ..."
". . . I'm really pleased with the Nike suit I wore in the 100, so that's up there. . . . That one feels most comfortable. The one I wore tonight worked really good as well. I don't want you to think that my time had anything to do with the suit that I'm wearing."
"... Hansen wants the suit issue off the table in the next two to three weeks. "I'll have to sit down and write down on a piece of paper which one I like better, which one is more comfortable," he said. "I don't want to be telling you guys 'I don't know what I'm wearing' two days before the trials...." [Link]
8 comments:
They can wear any suit they want, but at the end of the day, if they work for nike, their job is still to say that nike is best.
"I've tried everything, and nothing out there beats a nike."
Am I missing something? This seems like a marketing tactic in itself.
You know, I am cynical too. I admit it but what if Brendan Hansen sets a world record in a TYR? Or an Arena? Or in a blueseventy?
He certainly isn't going to swim and lose intentionally.
BTW, in my personal experience, what he says about the Nike fitting really well is true. And a full suit only cost me $165 too.
I think the LAZR may have peaked in terms of its competitive/ marketing/mystical edge. Several swimmers have now complained about how it's only good for a few wears and then it starts filling up with water, and the price tag is going to eventually turn off most (nonprofessional) swimmers. Now that FINA has approved a "body armor" type of suit, they will have to approve others as well, and it's only a question of time till another manufacturer comes up with an equally fast suit which doesn't wear out as quickly, and is maybe a tad cheaper.
PS -- That suit may already exist in the form of the Tyr Tracer Rise, though they seem to have shot themselves in the foot somewhat with this lawsuit.
I don't think the TYR lawsuit is bad thing. USA Swimming is a National Governing body (NGO) and they have no business, literally, endorsing suit brands or allowing their employees to do so in exchange for media deals and advertising fees.
They are a non-profit but they don't act like one.
I'm not saying the lawsuit is unjustified. Schubert obivously has a huge confict of interest. I'm saying that the fact that Tyr included Eric Vendt as one of its targets at a crucial stage of his preparation for Trials has resulted in a lot of ill will towards them. Again, I'm not even saying that Vendt didn't breach his contract; from what I know, he did. But public sentiment, unlike court cases, doesn't turn on the finer points of the law, and sentiment seems to have turned against Tyr.
TO BRENDAN HANSEN:
You left your medal on a plane and said (quote) “It might be up there with losing a kid.” Based on that comment I sincerely hope you will have the good sense to NEVER have children. However, given that you would make such a horrible comment, you obviously have no sense at all nor do you have any regard for people who HAVE lose a "kid."
My friend's daughter was killed in a car crash LAST NIGHT. Why don't you call him and tell him you can understand what it is like to "lose a kid" because leaving your silly medal on a plane is "right up there" with the death of a child.
My friend's late daughter's name was JENNIFER SPIEGEL. Does your damned medal have a name? Was it a young, smart, talented, and loved by hundreds of people? I think not.
I am certain that I am not the only person who is ashamed that you represent our country. You are a disgrace. You owe every parent on the planet an apology for comparing their CHILDREN to a useless piece of metal.
I am so sorry that the Jennifer Spiegel was taken away from you and her family. I don't know if Brendan Hansen will see your post but I think his comment; and I certainly can't speak for him, was more hyperbole than an actual comparison. I suspect he did not mean the 'death of a kid' is equal to losing your medals but rather temporarily misplacing them? i.e "I lost my kids", "I keep losing my kid."
I wish I could fix this terrible tragedy for you and I can only wish you the best. :-(
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