Why FINA changed it's mind regarding speedsuits!

Suit makers like Diana, Jaked, blueseventy, TYR and many others were rattled both ethically and financially by FINA's "approved suit list." None of the above manufacturers violated any stated rule within the context of the "FINA Dubai charter" yet each manufacturer was denied access to the market and consequently had their products labeled as "tech-dope" and other nasty names by "respected" journalists which has hurt their brands.

One American coach connected to FINA accused the newer suit makers; and we know which suit makers he meant, of only being in it for the "quick buck." When people in position of authority say these unwarranted comments, it hurts swimming and these sort of comments hurt manufacturers.

blueseventy decided to be the point for the industry and summarily went toe-to-toe with FINA in a nice "friendly meeting."

Here is a snippet from the press release and then I will translate:

This decision means that swimmers are free to wear them at the forthcoming World Championships in Rome, and all other competitions, at all levels around the world.

[blueseventy CEO], Steve Nicholls, commented: “We were confident in the scientific evidence that our suit could not trap air and are grateful for the support of Huub Touissant of the University of Amsterdam in presenting our case to FINA. We felt strongly that we would not need to make any alterations to it and we’re delighted that the right decision has been made without any form of bias.

“The last few weeks have certainly hurt us, with minimal sales in the period of not being on the list. However, we have been continuing with production to ensure availability for when the decision was reversed.

(Translation: We took the time and expense to fly our CEO from New Zealand to Luasanne, Switzerland, to explain our case both ethically and financially as to why it the FINA ban was bad for swimming and the manufacturers at large.

To blueseventy customers: Buy that blueseventy, you have at least a year-and-a-half with it and perhaps longer once FINA sees how good suits are for the sport.)

We now look forward to the World Championships, where we will have suits available for any swimmers wanting to try them out. We have been in continuous communication with swimmers throughout this period and this announcement now confirms their suit choice for Rome. They can now continue their preparation without this distraction.

"Prior to the latest announcement by FINA, blueseventy had consulted Lawyers to get an injunction against the decision. On consultation with FINA they encouraged us to instead go through their own review process which we have done." Nicholls added.

(We came to the meeting with a big stick and written on the stick were the words "class action lawsuit.)

Rebecca Soni takes flight, then storms, than graciously wins the 100 breast at the TYR Swim Meet of Champions

I attended to the TYR Swim Meet of Champions yesterday and I was really pleased with what I saw. There is a lot of talent here on the west coast and I will I will post more images throughout the day. For now here are some fantastic images that my SCAQ friend Mark Savage took for us.

Above are three photos of world record holder Rebecca Soni at the 2009 TYR Swim Meet of Championsin. Note that Rebecca Soni is the World Record holder in the 200 breast and in these photos you can see her take flight, storm and glow after winning the 100 breast.

If Rebecca Soni is in your town for a swim meet, it's worth the long drive to go see her swim. (Glenn Mills, we need a video.)

The way she approaches the breaststroke is very unique. She has a very fast turnover, she stays very close to the surface, and I see no undulation whatsoever. Almost an old school style of breaststroke

She was a very gracious winner; on the podium she looked to her left telling the swimmer that she did a good, then to the right doing like wise but when she was handed her yellow roses, she started to glow. Just look at that smile. :-D

Mark Savage took the photos above and I thank him very much. If you want to to post these photos on your blog, you may on the condition that you link to his sites:

[Link] MarkSavage.com

[Link] 95dollarheadshots.com

Could this happen to Swimming: "Formula one racing teams drop breakaway bombshell!"

Formula one racing has a lot in common with swimming as of late. The governing body for their sport, much like our sport, wants to dampen new technology and play favorites.

For instance: The F1 governing body has determined that each team should have a budget cap so smaller teams can compete. USA Swimming is using a similar excuse about age-group kids who "can't afford" speedsuits.

The F1 people have also instituted technology bans that include "winglets" and other air-trapping devices which enhance the car by directing air-flow. This is the equivalent of our speedsuit fabrics.

Consequently the F1 teams are getting pissed off about all this governing body nonsense and want to take F1 to the next level and move the sport forward and use the parts they want.

Example: Imagine if you were told which pair of goggles or cap you had to wear? Well, the F1 governing body does just that to drivers in the form of a mandated ECU gearbox giving one company a monopoly.

What will FINA tell us in the next couple of days?

From the BBC:

"...Eight of F1's major teams have been frustrated by deadlocked talks with world motorsport boss Max Mosley over his controversial budget cap proposals.

"The teams have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 F1 Championship," said the teams.

"We've no alternative than to commence preparation for a new championship."

Mosley was insistent on introducing a voluntary £40m budget cap for teams to curtail a "financial arms race" in F1...."

[Link]

Could this happen to swimming whereas suit companies like TYR, Diana, Jaked, and blueseventy create a pro league that has an external governing body way outside of FINA's jurisdiction?

All they need is a TV contract and several ,regional sub-meets where kids, masters, pros et al. compete to qualify in a pro-league championship in a suit that the league deems legal.

Think about it, swimmers just might make some money too.

I hope so!

Above is the recently banned TYR Titan...

I woke up to this email message: "listen live to a world record open water swimming attempt by Ryan Lochte, Ian Crocker and Neil Walker!"

Steve Munatones dropped me a line this morning regarding the The Flowers Sea Swim which takes place in the Cayman Islands.

Per his post at 10KSimmer: "...Ryan Lochte and other Olympics gold medalists) are attempting to break the men's and women's world record for a one-mile open water swim, but the event is also giving away US$30,000 if the record is broken. ..."

You will be able to listen to the race via live radio coverage as well. Here are the details: [Link]

'USA Swimming' to check swimsuits in the ready room at Nationals to make sure they are Speedo FINA approved!

It's my belief that USA Swimming is nothing short of a marketing arm for Speedo. Look at how they do business: No other suit company can advertise in USA Swimming's Splash Magazine nor can they advertise on the USA Swimming website unless their name is Speedo. They have even airbrushed logo of competing brands and were forced to abolish the practice when caught.

Then there is Mark Schubert, but enough about that nonsense. I can wait to post his deposition on the blog. I am working on getting Peter Marshall's.

As a result both companies are being so sued and I hear even more collaborating evidence is pouring in to support TYR's lawsuit claims against them.

So now we have this from AP news. USA Swimming will be checking the athletes swimsuits at Nationals.

"... Inspectors will check athletes of their same gender. Three people will be in charge of the ready room — a member of FINA's technical committee, a high-ranking USA Swimming meet official, and Jan-Anders Manson of Switzerland, who led the testing on suits for FINA.

Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, doesn't anticipate the inspections being a problem.

"They're not going to have to examine them that closely," he said during last weekend's Santa Clara International Grand Prix meet. ..."

[Link]

[paragraph deleted]

USA Swimming and FINA are hurting the sport of swimming! They should go look at how golf is played as an example regarding how to do business with the athletes.

A mass swim from Taiwan to China will take place on August 15th!

The above photo illustrates how serious the tensions are between Taiwan and China. This swim is good vehicle for both sides to talk to each other I guess.

To keep this post politically fair, I got two news sources regarding this epic 8.5-kilometer swim, the first comes from the eTaiwan News:

"... Lee said at a news conference that 50 swimmers from Taiwan will join 50 swimmers from China in the Fujian Province port city of Xiamen in southeastern China Aug. 15 to embark on the historic swim across the Taiwan Strait to Hsiao Kinmen - a small islet west of Kinmen - an 8.5-km swim that is expected to take several hours.

The swim, which is being sponsored by the Kinmen county government and the Xiamen city government, will begin from Xiamen's Yefengzhai Beach and finish on Hsiao Kinmen's Shuangkou Beach, Lee said...."

[Link]

And now from the China Post:

"... KINMEN -- Kinmen County Magistrate Lee Chu-feng said yesterday he wants to meet the defense minister to help solve problems related to a mass swim planned for August from the Taiwan-held island county to the nearby Chinese city of Xiamen.

Lee said he will invite Lt. Gen. Lu Hsiao-rung, chief of the Kinmen Command, to travel with him to Taipei to meet with Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min and seek the minister's support in clearing up Kinmen's beaches to facilitate the swim.

Lu was not available for comment on Lee's invitation. ..."

[Link]

Katie Hoff: The SCAQ Blog is worried about your swimming!

To be blunt, you use to dominate the field but now this is no longer happening. You have to take immediate action because talent like yours does not evaporate at such a young age.

[... deleted ...]

Memo to Katie Hoff:

1. Takes two weeks off and rest!
   
2. Go to the doctor and get a blood panel and get any necessary tests done on any specific painful areas!
   
3. If you morale is abnormally low or you feel a bit of irrational angst or upset - go see someone!
4. Evaluate your coaching by the way of the pace clock. Are you getting better, worse, or staying the same? All those intervals and set times are logged. go look at them.
   
5. If any of the above reads, "FAIL", consider Australia since they have a track record when it comes to coaching women.
6. Finally, send an anonymous note to the SCAQ Blog informing us of your plans
   

It is so painful to this blogger to see someone as talented as Katie Hoff, bog, bonk and DNA in the standings. (Did not advance)

A swimming video game or a computer animation?

There was no description, just a 100-meter breaststroke video. I like the close-up on the guy who wins.

[Link]

Here is a nice retrospective on Richard Quick!

I appreciate all the swimmers he contributed to such as Rowdy Gaines, Misty Hyman, Dara Torres, Gabrielle Rose, and some first rate coaches as well. I hope his family is taken care of?

[Link]

Craig Lord has revised his article, '...Elite or Master' providing more clarification regarding our use of speedsuits!

The revisions definitely clarify his points and assertions much better and as a result the article clearly illustrates how he arrived at his conclusions and brings us closer to what sort of suits Masters swimmers can wear.

He also addresses the quote "cut the cancer out:"

UPDATE: Correspondence received by SwimNews suggests that some doubt that the story below carries official weight and is somehow made up, just as some suggested that when the director of FINA said that the "cancer" would be cut out of the pool SwimNews somehow misquoted him. Let's make it clear: I have the reference to cancer on a tape in three places (yes, three), the quote was reported by three national news organisations present on the day. As for masters and suits, here is the first line of an e-mail response from FINA:

[Link]

You got to go to the link to find out the answer he received but I will give a hint: I am not complaining!

Apparently FINA threw him "under the bus" with their quote "clarification" and the way they have been runnibg the show lately, you know that is something they would do.

Above is Chris B. about to swim the 100 IM and the photo was taken by Mark Savage.

Laure Manaudou photo shoot!

She looks strong; she must be swimming!

Master Rob knows "swim-fu" - An open letter to Craig Lord!

Hey, I just found out that Craig Lord does not approve of speedsuits! - Who knew? ;-) [That was sarcasm as they say.]

Rob of Robaquatics has written an open letter to Craig Lord, but let me tell you a little about Rob first: Now, here is a guy who Craig Lord would describe as being in a "...minority [who] take it very seriously indeed and vanity, disposable income and time-on-[his]-hands all play a part..."

Well, that shows Rob and his little dog too, huh?

This is a snippet of his open letter to Craig clarifying his "vanity":

"... I could go on and on, but here is the basic point to my little rant... Masters is a vibrant organization that has thousands of swimmers that are focused on swimming fast because they love it, not because they're vain or have some kind of secret tech suit spreading agenda. If you really have strong feelings for the sport of swimming you wouldn't attack an organization that provides opportunities for people to extend their love affair with swimming into their 90's and beyond. Also don't flame bait our community just for traffic. The article today is going to cause even more confusion and speculation around the suit issue that we don't need.

[Link]

Memo to Craig Lord: will you please measure your words and actually provide a source reference to what you write about!

It is being reported that masters swimmers will be allowed to wear speedsuits in competition!

From Steve at the blueseventy blog:

For further information please see the DSV document that confirms the legal use of blueseventy nero swimskins. We would like to say thank you to the Master Swimmers Halle (Germany) for their substantial support. ..."

[Link]

From Craig Lord at SwimNews who surprised me with a condescending view towards the average masters swimmer and a surprising view of the elite masters swimmer who strives to set records:

SwimNews does not cover masters swimming. It is the equivalent of the fun marathon, in which level playing fields are very relative indeed. The purpose is fun, fitness, health and skills for life. Most approach it in that spirit. A minority take it very seriously indeed and vanity, disposable income and time-on-their-hands all play a part. [...]

Meanwhile, FINA has washed its hands of caring about fairness and other factors in masters swimming. That much is clear from the following response to the clarification sought by SwimNews: "The rules do not apply to Masters. ..."

[Link]

As far as I am concerned, Rowdy Gaines seems pretty serious about Masters Swimming and he seems to care about "fairness and other factors" besides vanity.

Why Craig Lord wants to degrade masters swimming and a good portion of his readers who are masters swimmers is beyond me.

FINA is not recognizing that if swim suit manufacturers are forced to sell only jammers and briefs, they will sustain low profits at both the age-group and collegiate levels and high profits at the Masters level or beyond.

I suspect the profit potential for a suit manufacturer who is selling a $25 pair of jammers or briefs is a paltry $6.00 or so. In contrast, I suspect the profit potential for a $450 speedsuit is around $125.00 or 21-times the profit margin on a pair of briefs.

Look at it this way: Selling one speedsuit to a masters swimmer is possibly the economic equivalent of selling 21-jammers or briefs to a small college team.

Hence, why would any suit manufacturer support FINA swim events so as to sell a suit that will only bring in $6.00 to $10.00 a unit when they can support dozens-upon-dozens of masters swimming events for a lower promotional fee and sell suits for a profit potential of $125.00 each?

That is stepping backwards for swimming! FINA is apparently not that good at "looking around corners" so to speak.

The potential for a pro-league and suit manufacturers heavily supporting Masters is not out of the question or simply conjecture. blueseventy supports the USMS and I will stress that high-end suits may generate the capital needed to make a pro-league possible.

Therefore, I wonder if swimsuit manufacturers disenfranchised with swimsuit rulings may build one someday thereby bringing us two governing bodies?

WANTED: A photo of Gwen Stefani swimming 'fly in high school!

Hey, girls in the O.C.! - Did you go to school with Gwen Stefani?

Stefani was a swimmer in high school and her event was the butterfly. Posting a shot of Gwen Stefani on this blog, or any other blog, swimming 'fly would be as big a contribution to the world of swimming than anything Dara Torres or Michael Phelps has ever accomplished.

I hate to say that but it is true in this celebrity obsessed society. Plus, she looks terrific both now and then.

I found this high school photo of Gwen Stefani here: [Link]

For Heroes Only: The Ja Jolla Rough Water Swim!

Ever had a weekend so bad that you can't wait to go work on Monday?

[...]
With all that said, there were two things that kept me somewhat functional this weekend: The first one was that I am lucky enough to have a job to go to on Monday in a city that has an 11% unemployment rate. (In some towns in Los Angeles, County, it's like 20%.)

The second thing is that there is always a SCAQ pool somewhere in and around Los Angeles, CA, where I can jump into and suddenly nothing matters but keeping track of the sets and the interval. But in those rare occasions when there isn't a SCAQ pool because of holidays, schedules or what have you, There is always the ocean or an open water race nearby.

Above are remarkable photos of the La Jolla Rough Water Swim which is a 2.5 hour drive south from L.A.. I have never swam in this race but several SCAQ swimmers do and they all seem to do really well there.

This is probably the finest open water swim in California and if you want a perfect place to race, you can't beat La Jolla.

La Jolla hasn't changed in 50-years and the place reminds me of the fictitious Bay City in a Raymond Chandler novel. If you took those pretentious cars off the street which are ironically European, you would think you were back in the 1940's.

The last photo in the set is of Dan Leonard chillin' post the event in his b70. He placed very well in 2008. He provided me with these amazing photographs and when I first saw them I thought he had a helicopter chasing him.

For info on the La Jolla Rough Water swim go check out their website: [Link]

Redemption for Eddie Freas: replacing an unhealthy addiction with a better one!

CNN brings us a story about athletic redemption: Eddie Freas, a raging alcoholic addicted to both pot and cocaine as well hit bottom after a three-day binge.

While lamenting his situation in tears, he did what most losers do, he turns on the TV to "Oz-out" the hangover. Luckily enough the channel was set to ESPN who was doing a story on a guy named Todd Crandell who liked doing this fringe sport called the triathlon. Doing this sport also got him off drugs.

In fact, this particular sport got Crandell who had a drug problem like Freas, completely off drugs. From CNN:

"His whole story seemed like mine," Freas said. "That's why it hit me so much. It was my story but it happened to somebody else. I knew I had to get back into fitness."

He took a bus to Racing for Recovery's office in Sylvania, Ohio. There, Freas said he learned to "stay clean and use other things -- fitness, instead of drugs." On his first day, Freas pushed himself to run 10 miles.

"It killed me," Freas said. "I was just motivated. I was sore for a week and I gradually got into it. As soon as I started including fitness into my everyday lifestyle, it made it so much easier. It kept me busy and because of the physical fitness, it was making me feel better about myself."

He pushed himself to run farther and raced in his first Ironman competition in 2008.

[Link]

Of course CNN has to wreck it and states that exercise has antidepressant effects hence his recvovery but I think they miss the obvious. Isn't "having fun" an antidepressant?

OK, a show of hands: Who did a triathlon after seeing Julie Moss crawl accross the finish line in the 1981 Ironman Triathlon on Wild World of Sports.

Underwater photographer, Ric Frazier, captures more than just swimming!

Swim photography is all about timing and composition; Ric Frazier is extraordinary at both. When I went to his site, I was impressed with the clarity, color saturation and his sense of composition in his photographs. The images I posted above are just a small sampling of his work; the rest of it certainly is just as attention grabbing and "yummy."

I wrote Ric and asked him about his work and how he approaches it. His answer explains everything.

"... My approach is that I when I shoot underwater I need a concept to be there. A reason to be in the water. I don't just to put someone underwater to be underwater. I also love the lines and shapes that pools provide. I fell in love with pool from skateboarding in them since I was 14 year old (38, now) Their shapes, lines and how every pool is different. When I started shooting underwater, the water element added so much more graphical complexity for me. ..."

[Link]

From the 'Telegraph' - 'bluseventy' will launch legal action against FINA in the Swiss courts!

From the Telegraph.co.uk: "...Ten swimsuits were rejected while 136, including 11 Blueseventy designs, were deemed to require modifications. Manufacturers were given 30 days to make the necessary changes.

But Blueseventy insists it has been left in the dark about what modifications need to be carried out, despite repeated requests to FINA for clarification.

Blueseventy's designs were classified as suits that "may cause significant air trapping when worn by the swimmers", despite apparently passing FINA's thickness and buoyancy tests. ..."

After witnessing how USA Swimming conducts their business and how FINA conducts theirs, I am convinced that swimming our national governing bodies need a auditing done by the IOC and/or their respective governments.

Something as simple as swimsuits at the age-group level and beyond has turned into a "Hurricane Katrina-like" debacle swallowing up age-groupers, college swimmers, Olympians and Masters Swimmers, and even FINA officials in it's path.

[Link]

Here are some hot, rhetorical, quotes regarding "speedsuits!"

Again, histrionic and fearful rhetoric about "speedsuits." The purists below certainly don't want us moving forward do they.

"At Junior Nationals, I announced that it would be illegal to wear the suit. ..."

""From the standpoint of a swim- wear distributor, we are going to sit back, wait and see. If the suit gets FINA approval, we'll put forth our best effort to come out with a competitive version. ..."

If the suit gets FINA approval, we'll put forth our best effort to come out with a competitive version. ..."

This came from a Swimming World article circa 1979. These quotes are nearly a third-of-century old and the coaches quoted above felt that swimming was at a crossroads. So, when you read this Swimming World article realize that the suits pictured above were the lastest word in swimsuit technology:

[Link]

The photo above came from PaulW's photstream at Flickr. What are those things made out of, Linen?:

[Link]

'Universal Sports' has a swim gallery up called "Beneath the Surface"

I was thinking of flopping this photo of Natalie Coughlin. From that perspective it looks even more amazing. Here is a link to a very impressive photo gallery at Universal Sports: [Link]

Oh, heck why not have some fun! I flopped and duplicated the image to make this rare species of butterfly, the Coughlin Butterfly!