May 18th will be FINA's version of 'high noon' for some speedsuit manufacturers!

Above is the new redesign of the Rocket Science speedsuit. Note how the legs have been shortened and the arms removed. I actually like the look of this suit better when compared to the original design.

With all these changes in mind will this suit, the Jaked, or the bluseventy Nero be deemed illegal for the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome? We find out, or find out something on May 18th, 2009

From the Canadian Press:

"... LAUSANNE, Switzerland — A panel of swimming experts will meet Monday to decide which models of high-tech swimsuits can be worn at the world championships this summer.

FINA, swimming's world governing body, said Wednesday independent laboratory tests have been completed on all models of suits which have been used by swimmers to rewrite the sport's record book in the past 15 months.

"Now we have the results of the tests," FINA said in a statement. "The commission will analyze the results and draw a list of the swimsuits that are approved and not approved."

[Link]

How do you like that last sentence? That tells me that there will be rejected suits. The consequences of that are far reaching for this will effect age group swimmers, the college teams and USMS masters swimmers.

I suspect that the approval process will be highly political and that FINA is not loving this situation at all.

For instance, what if the LZR is found to be the only "scientifically acceptable" speedsuit and all the others are deemed too buoyant? The amount of lost revenue to suit manufacturers through R&D research, lost sales, and blown-out ad budgets could potentially bankrupt some suit manufacturers and perhaps cripple global sponsorships. This includes the USMS, FINA events and perhaps college swimming.

Yes, FINA is not loving this at all.

This second round of approval is odd. The suits were approved once and now they have to be approved for a second time at great expense. This is the equivalent of an umpire in a baseball game reversing his "strike-call" to a "ball" at the behest of the opposing league coaches.

In this case my perception of the "opposing coaches" metaphor comes from my observation that it was the National Governing Bodies calling for a second suit review rather than living with the first approval round. Governing bodies like USA Swimming; (who is being sued by TYR for a an anti-trade bias with Speedo), and Australian Swimming whose coach has made it clear he supports the Speedo LZR.

For example: Alan Thompson quoted in FOX Sports Australia:

"We have to know scientifically what is really happening."

Australian head coach Alan Thompson said talk about the suits detracted from the performances of the swimmers.

"People saying the suits doing it takes away from the athletes, there are rules that govern these things and Speedo did what they need to get them passed. I have no problem," he said.

"World records go down at this time you would hope (in the lead-up to an Olympics)."

[Link]

Next example of a Speedo bias comes from USA Swimming Olympic Team Coach, Mark Schubert, who was being paid to endorse Speedo while coaching our Olympic team.

For instance: On June 28th, 2008, in the New York Times Blog: RINGS 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, Karen Crouse wrote this about Mark Schubert's relationship with Speedo

"...What he did not mention is that the defendants, in asking for a continuance, provided sworn testimony from Stu Isaac, the director of marketing for Speedo, confirming that [Mark] Schubert is paid to endorse Speedo and that one of Isaac’s jobs is to manage Speedo’s relationship with USA Swimming. ..."

[Link]

Both National Governing Bodies have made it clear that they want speedsuit design suppressed. This occurred after several dynamic and innovative competitors entered the market with suits made of a different rubber and a simpler way to manufacturer than the Speedo LZR.

Is this truly a buoyancy "fix" or is it more like something Tony Soprano would say such as: "the fix in"?

Once FINA has makes their decision, how will consumers react and what will be the consequences?

Ian Thorpe considers the FINA speedsuit meeting a mugging or "beat up."

Ian Thorpe is pro-speedsuit and he wants swimming to move forward with them. According to Ian, the FINA meeting last weekend was a "mugging" whereas several several speedsuit manufacturers were "beat up." Here is what he had to say:

"If you look at it historically, swimsuits have progressed since the early 1900s," Thorpe said. "When we talk about the swimsuits now the claims of how much they improve performance have been less significant than some of the claims that have been made in the past.

"It's something that's just beat up over and over again. For most of the swimmers, we're happy to swim in them. The only question that I may agree with some people is the fairness at that kind of intermediate level, when we are talking about kids wearing these things.

"We know that they are more expensive and so that people have equal access to what they swim in, I think we can make some new judgment and assessments on that kind of level."

[Link]

One attendee told me that Rocket Science was never shown any measurable data, nor any hard evidence as to why long arm suits should be banned. None. No studies, no side-by-side comparisons, or drag tests. I spoke with another attendee and he said FINA's attitude was, "well, we have to give [the governing bodies] something!"

I am beginning to think that the meeting was a political "dog and pony show" to appease the national governing bodies rather than the swimmers at large. I think masters will ignore the ban and FINA will look the other way or make special rules for masters swimmers.

I feel the sport will grow as as a result of speedsuits; I think it will contract without them. To ban or heavily restrict speedsuits will result in fewer sponsored swimmers, fewer meets, fewer open water events, and way less money to spend on swimming related products.

USA Swimming proposes new swimsuit regulations to FINA!

I am posting this late because I figured you all saw it and also I couldn't formulate anything lucid to say without spitting at my computer monitor first.

From Lane 9 News: "...GR 5.3 USA Fed. In swimming competitions the competitor must wear only one swimsuit in one or two pieces which shall not extend beyond the ankles, the wrists and the neck cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor past the knee. No additional items, like arm bands or leg bands shall be regarded as parts of a swimsuit. [Link]

My first upset: Imagine your a Swimsuit start-up company like Rocket Science Sports and you design a speed suit with innovative materials at great expense. Finally, when it is completed you submit your product to FINA for approval; who probably charges tens-of-thousands-of-dollars to do so, and FINA approves it.

Suddenly, USA Swimming, who is SOOOOO in bed with Speedo, decides to outlaw speed suit innovation with their silly rule as soon as they can thus wiping out a company or companies in the process. (Note that the Speedo LZR does not violate "GR 5.3" rule but Ian Thorpe's Addias suit and the RocketScience rocketSKIN certainly would.)

Long sleeve speedsuits have been around since Ian Thorpe in 2004. Where was USA Swimming then with their "GR 5.3" rule? Why now with a long sleeve rule? Why now?

Note how all of this occurs once several manufacturers bring products to market.

My second upset: Is that when USA Swimming' President said: "...I would also like to applaud FINA for sitting down with all involved in February. Hopefully, they will be having an open discussion with everyone regarding the steps of the approval process. ..." I read that comment as a big, fat, euphemism for "The fix is in" and I suspect USA Swimming will get what USA Swimming wants which of course includes includes a loooong approval process.

More information on the 'Rocket Science Sports' speedsuit

TriforU.de 'test-drove' the Rocket Science speedsuit and this is a translation of what they had to say:

1) Doing long, concentrated, strokes we experienced the following:

• With normal swim pants: about 16-17 strokes per 25 meter
• With speedsuit (short legs & arms): about 14-15 strokes per 25 meter
• With rocket skin speedsuit: about 13-14 strokes per 25 meter
• With neoprene: about 11,5-13 strokes per 25 meter
• Long arms and legs seem to really make a difference that you can feel compared to short alternatives.

2) flexible and not too warm

• In 26 °C warm water and with a swimming time around 45 minutes with only short little breaks we could swim through without any problem with the rocket skin, without overheating and a feeling of tightness. If the NO-H2O-Drainage system works we could not really test. But we did not have any problem with water in the suit. The suit is so flexible that you did hardly notice any resistance in arms or legs at all."

Here is a direct link to the article: [Link]

Here is a direct link to close-up images of the suit: [Link]

I wrote Rocket Science asking for more info about the tailoring of the suit and this paragraph really stood out:

"... The advantage of the full body suit: The material itself has a coefficient drag of CD=0.032; the surface of the suit does not absorb any water because of its coating.

Regarding covering the arms:

"...Arms are the only part of the swimmer that regularly exit; (turbulent flow), and re-enter; (during the laminar portion of the flow), into the water. Arms are also the only part of the body that acutely move faster then any other part of the swimmer relative to the water. The effective velocity of the arms is much higher then any other part of the swimmers body creating larger effective gains that can be achieved when it comes to drag reduction. ..."

After looking at the close-up images of the suit, I am impressed with the craftsmanship of the sewing and the little nuances such as putting a small pocket over the zipper. The material looks a lot like Chloroprene but I am not really sure what it is. I was told that it cost $50 to $60 a yard so it may not be Chloroprene.

Will all this said and with an independent review of the suit, on face value, the rocket Skin; (lower case "r" for rocket Skin), looks extraordinarily credible.

Here is a link to the Rocket Science Sports 'Rocket Skin' swimsuit page: [Link]

I wrote 'Rocket Science Sports' for more information and here is a portion of the 'Rocket Skin' press release

Austin, Texas, November 7, 2008 – FINA Approves First Long Sleeve Swim Skin

"...The Rocket Skin™ is the newest and most advanced product in a succession of specially coated, low drag swim skins made by various companies which have chalked up numerous performance records in the past year including the Beijing Olympics.

Marcin Sochacki, founder of Rocket Science Sports and aerospace engineer/designer explains “What sets our swim skin apart from anything seen before are several unique features to solve the issues that plagued other designs. The first is the material thickness. We are using the thinnest and most stretchy 0.3mm fabric on the market which is coated with super low drag Yamamoto SCS coating and allows for better fit, less heat buildup and the freedom of movement expected by pure swimmers.

Because we now have the stretch and most freedom of movement we were able to cover the shoulders and arms with the Yamamoto SCS coating which has 50 times less drag than the human skin. This makes our suit 40% more efficient in the water than other sleeveless models. The difference in glide stroke is amazing! ”

“The Rocket Skin™ has already been used in triathlons for non-wetsuit legal races and we have seen performance advantages of up to 6 seconds per 100 meters and 1500 meter races done in 87 degree water with no issues of overheating,” Marcin continues,

“The last two barriers we have addressed are that of lifespan/durability and potential buildup of water inside the suit in longer events. Because of its amazing durability our Rocket Skin™ is covered by a 1 year warranty. During design we heard of other full body suits having water buildup issues so I designed a panel which allows the body’s natural movement to pump out any excess water that may build up.”

The Rocket Skin™ is expected to be available at the beginning of February, 2009 and will be made in 3 versions including long sleeve with welded construction, a stitched long sleeve and a sleeveless model. ..."

FINA allegedly approves a suit that creates "...a slightly positive buoyancy just below the legal limit."

The company is called Rocket Science Sports and they brazenly state they are officially at the "top of the food chain" in regards to swim suit technology.

I found this story originally at SwimNews.com and this is what Craig Lord has to say: "...The food chain?..." "...Sports gear makers who would not have looked towards pool water in the past are now turning their gaze to a sport which is in its infancy in terms of what could be achieved in a world in which the governing body is happy to approve garments that serve as devices and enhance performance. ..." Swim News [Link]

What does Rocket Science Sports have to say? "...Why compromise on performance? It’s as close to a wetsuit you can come for non-wetsuit legal swims. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a full coverage suit reduces drag more so than a traditional swim skin.

It does however take a rocket scientist to design a full length suit that allows 100% Stroke-Distance Efficiency and to create a revolutionary drainage system within the suit to eliminate water accumulation... Lucky for us we happen to have one on staff.

USAT Approved and Legal for Competition! FINA Approved Version Available Feb. 2009..." [Link]

My personal take is that we are at a "fork in the road" here. We either let swim suit technology rule the day and let said technology create suits that divide the water in front of us like "Mosses," or more ethically, FINA creates a de facto rule set for allowable fabrics, suit styles, and/or textures with none of the above providing no hint of buoyancy whatsoever.

FINA obviously has a motive in all this: I don't know if it is the fees the suit companies pay them to approve these swimsuits or that the sport is drawing more participants as a result of the speedsuit phenomena.

There is a motive in here someplace and someone please find it and tell me what it is?

Speaking of speedsuits, Today was an off day for me at a Short Course Meters meet in Santa Clarita. Even though I swam a 29.01* in a 50-free which is a personal best, and despite swimming with a broken thumb and some spotty workouts leading up to the meet, I felt sloppy and half awake. Nonetheless, I credit the speedsuit for helping with that personal best. When I swam a 200 scm free without a speedsuit, I was off my PB by a second. Note, the race was 20 minutes before the 50-free and I wore briefs and was fatigued thereafter.

Speedsuits are tech dope and I am becoming addicted. Where does swimming go? I don't know!

(*My long course time is a 28.6 so go figure that out why my SCM times are slower.)