Masters Swimming: '2008 SPMA Short Course Meters Championships' are being held this weekend!

I can barely write and I can barely think right now for I swam at the 2008 SPMA Short Course Meters Championships and my brain is as tired as my arms.

Let me get this out of the way first: I did something really 'stoooopid' today that consequently had a official berate me over the PA system at the Belmont Plaza and it certainly wasn't fun.

I took a photo today of a friend on the blocks before a race and my flash went off as I took the the photo. I have been swimming for five years and I didn't know that swim start systems use a flash device for hearing impaired swimmers as a visual que to signal the start of the race.

What's ironic is that I am officially hearing impaired; (I can't hear out of my left ear), and so when the race official said no flash photography before the race start, I didn't hear him because I am HEARING IMPAIRED. So, if you were there, I was the guy that got screamed at during the womens 200 free! Also, if you are like me and didn't know about this rule or start technology for the hearing impaired - learn from my mistake.

You all are going to be seeing a lot of world record postings at Lane 9 News in the next couple of days for as many as 15 world records were set so far during this three day meet. The usual suspects too, Jenny Cook, Erik Hochstein, Jeff Cummings et al. Best part is that Jenny Cook and Erik Hochstein swim with SCAQ. I can't tell you how lucky I m to be able to swim and learn from them.

I am back tomorrow for two more events, the 100 free and and the 400 free relay. Today I swam the 200 free, the 50 free, a 200 free relay, and finally an 800 free relay.

Looking around the most preferred speedsuits were mostly older suits but for those wearing the most up to date technology, blueseventy was by far the most worn suit by masters swimmers. In one race I saw seven people on the blocks wearing the suit.

The least worn suit I saw today was the Speedo LZR: I saw only two swimmers wearing it. The buzz around the building regarding the lack of visibility was LZR longevity issues.

The Speedo Fastskin Pro II apparently is appreciated a heck of a lot more than the LZR at the masters level. People who could afford the LZR passed on it for the Fastskin Pro II. Apparently, for masters swimmers, masters swimmers want hydrophobic material and durability.

I saw three or four people wearing a TYR Tracer Light and I was one of them, a girl from San Diego set a world record in one; extraordinary swimmer too. I set a personal best in the 50-free with a time of 28.54. Then, completely exhausted I swam a 200-free in the evening in a time of 2:29.00 which was roughly the same time I swam in the morning when I was fresh.

I am wearing the Tracer again tomorrow in both the 100-free and the 400-free relay. and then I will write a review. So far I feel very positive about my $344.00 purchase but I wan to see if my personal best and swimming near my personal best in the 200 was a fluke.