Well, Joel of the 17th Man got to wear one and he swam a 48.08 in the 100 SCY butterfly in a sectional held at Buffalo Breath Aquatics Center in Utah. (I think it's a Mormon church school pool in some rural part of Utah?)
Nonetheless, I am surprised he didn't get disqualified since the suit has not received FINA approval nor has anyone heard of it.
I got an email an hour ago that a website is going live between now and the weekend with details about the suit and an announcement that they will be sponsoring Joel McKenna, not as a masters swimmer, but as a potential Olympian!
Joel said this about the suit, "...It's like wearing "leather water!" - He said the the science is there and he pointed me to this New Scientist article regarding the material:
"...This fine layer of air ensures that water never comes into contact with the polyester fabric. It can be submerged in water for two months and still remain dry to the touch, says Seeger.
In addition, the plastron layer can also reduce drag when moving from water by up to 20% according to preliminary experiments conducted by Seeger. "This could be very interesting for athletic swimwear applications," he suggests, raising the possibility of future swimsuits that never get wet..."
[Link]
6 comments:
It wasn't a church pool it was a Mormon Temple Pool.
What an amazing way to start April. Congrats, Joel! And great reporting, Tony! ;-)
> sectional held at Buffalo Breath
> Aquatics Center....
I'm not surprised that he did so well -- Buffalo Breath Aquatics Center (we just used to call it B-Back) has a great pool. Incredibly fast, but not well-known outside of upstate Utah.
I'm not sure about those suits though. Looks like they bunch up a lot around the ankles. I might spring for one, though, if Splish starts making them in any of their cool patterns.
Damn-- so that makes Joel McKenna the first sponsored swim blogger. My campaign with to get TYR on board is already a failure.
Congrats to the 17th man!
I hope they get a sleeveless version of that suit out that I can get my hands on before nationals!
There's no way that thing is going to be legal next year... but MAN... that's SO cool. Also, a GREAT swim.
That's the problem with some of these suits if you're in the market right now... the Blue70 will last forever if taken care of (forever being a few seasons). Trouble is, if you guy one now, it's usefulness will outlive it's legalness (if that's a word, but you get my drift).
Looks like the Splish would last as long as the Blue70, so if anyone can get one... SWIM IN A LOT before 2010. :)
Post a Comment